Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival or Lunar New Year, is the most important traditional holiday in China. It marks the first day of the lunar calendar and is celebrated for 15 days. The exact date for Chinese New Year varies from year to year, but it typically falls between January 21st and February 20th. This year, It will be on Sunday 22nd which is tomorrow.
The celebration of Chinese New Year is steeped in tradition and symbolism. Many people return to their hometowns to be with family and participate in traditional activities such as lion dances, dragon dances, and fireworks. Family members will often gather for large meals and exchange red envelopes filled with money, which are considered to bring good luck and fortune.
The first day of Chinese New Year is also known as "New Year's Eve" and is a time for families to come together and have a big feast. The second day is known as "New Year's Day" and is considered the most important day of the holiday. It is a time for families to pay their respects to ancestors and the older generation.
The third and fourth days are known as "Red Dog Days" and are considered inauspicious days to have guests or start new projects. The fifth day is known as "Po Wu" and is considered a good day for business and for visiting friends and relatives.
The seventh day of Chinese New Year is known as "Ren Ri" and is considered the birthday of all human beings. On this day, people will traditionally eat noodles to symbolize a long life.
On the 8th day, it's traditional to eat "Eight treasure porridge" which is sweet glutinous rice porridge with eight different types of ingredients such as chestnuts, peanuts, red beans, lotus seeds and so on.
The 9th day is traditionally known as "Jiu Ri" or "Chap Goh Meh" in some area, it's considered to be an important day for single women and girls. They would throw mandarin oranges into rivers or sea in the hope of finding a good husband.
The 10th day is traditionally known as "Labu" or "Yuan Xiao Jie", is the last day of the Chinese New Year celebrations. People will eat glutinous rice balls, known as "tangyuan" which symbolize reunion and harmony.
The 11th to 14th days are considered to be the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations and people will start to return to their normal daily routines.
The 15th and final day of the Chinese New Year celebration is known as "Lantern Festival" and is celebrated with lanterns, riddles, and sweet glutinous rice balls.
Chinese New Year is a time for families to come together, for forgiveness, and for wishing for good luck and fortune in the year to come. It is a colorful and vibrant holiday that is celebrated by millions of people around the world.
