In the new year 2017, Chinese New Year will begin on January 28 and will last until February 15, 2018. This entire period will pass under the sign of Red Fire Rooster- one of the most controversial animals of the eastern zodiac. Although the Eastern New Year is a traditional holiday for the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom, every year more and more countries and peoples celebrate it. And if almost everyone knows which animal’s year is coming, then the traditions and customs of celebrating the Chinese New Year remain a sealed secret for many. When does Chinese New Year 2017 start: date and exact time
The exact start time of the Chinese New Year 2017 is January 28 at 3 hours 6 minutes Moscow time.
New Year By eastern calendar It does not have a fixed date and is celebrated differently every year. The exact time of Chinese New Year depends on Lunar cycle- he is met on the first new moon of the first month of the year. Traditionally, in China at this time, business life freezes for two weeks - the holiday is celebrated for 15 days, each of which has its own traditions and customs.
The celebration of the Chinese New Year in 2017 will begin on January 28 and last until February 11, however, the holiday weekend in China will be only 7 days, that is, they will rest from January 27 to February 2, 2017.
Chinese New Year and its history
According to legend, it all started with the fact that a terrible monster named Chun on the first day of the New Year began to get out of his home in the depths of the sea and eat animals, grain, supplies and even children. To protect their families, on the eve of the holiday, people piled food at the threshold of their home. It was believed that the more you put in, the more likely it is that the beast will not touch you. That's how it was for many years, until Chun met a boy in red clothes. All the villagers were scared, but a miracle happened, the beast was scared. People realized that the monster was afraid of the color red and since then it became customary to decorate their houses with lanterns and scrolls of the same color. Later, fireworks were used to scare Chun away.
There is another legend that says that Chun (also called Nian) was defeated by an old man. According to history, an old man came to a Chinese village on New Year's Day, but no one paid attention to him because of the bustle. Only one old woman told the old man to leave quickly, as Nian would soon appear. He replied that if he was left overnight, he would drive him away once and for all. On the same day, he hung red lanterns and scrolls, and installed firecrackers at the entrance. When the beast came to the village, everything was completely different, and as soon as he saw the house of this old woman, he immediately ran away from this village and did not appear again. As it turned out, Chun is afraid of the color red and loud noise, and the old man, knowing this, decorated the old lady’s house accordingly.
How to celebrate Chinese New Year 2017
As we have already mentioned, the holiday lasts a little more than two weeks, namely 15 days. Like us, we carefully prepare for this holiday, celebrate it brightly, and delight each other with small surprises. And also this holiday, like in all other countries, is an excellent occasion for the whole family to get together to socialize and relax after a hard year of work.
Preparing for Chinese New Year
The first thing the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom begin with is cleaning their homes, after which they throw away all the trash and unnecessary things that have accumulated over the year.
Special attention pay attention to decorating their home - the color red and its shades are considered traditional. Not only is the house decorated with red, but special red clothes are also bought. After all, it is this color, according to legend, that drives away misfortune and sorrow from the house.
If we talk about decoration, then this is worth focusing your attention on, because the Chinese have a special ritual. Paired inscriptions are always posted at the entrance to the house, and the walls of apartments and houses are decorated with special paintings made from paper patterns. Of course, there is no Christmas tree at all on this holiday, but it is replaced by trays of oranges and tangerines. But they need to be laid in a special way - always in a circle and there should be exactly 8 pieces of each fruit, no less and no more. According to Chinese superstitions, this figure means longevity. However, more and more often you can find those who, instead of citrus fruits, decorate small artificial trees, which are decorated with dried fruits or fresh fruit in sugar.
On the last night before the holiday, the whole family usually gathers at the table. They prepare various delicious dishes and discuss the past year - what they have achieved, what they have learned and what still remains to be accomplished.
Recently, the Chinese have developed a rather strange and funny tradition. Let's start with the fact that in China people who have not started a family after a certain age are not respected. For women this age is 30 years old, for men 32. And therefore, in order to earn respect from their relatives in this country, more and more on New Year’s Eve the Chinese are using such a service as a boyfriend for hire. To do this, they turn to a special agency, where they can find a person who will play their lover in front of their relatives.
Traditions of celebrating Chinese New Year
The first day of the Chinese New Year begins with a festive dinner, loud fireworks and noisy festivities. The whole family must burn bamboo sticks, moreover, it is considered. that the louder the holiday, the happier and more joyful the year will pass. After all, the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire believe that noise, laughter and joy drive away all negativity, misfortune and grief from home. There are always a lot of dishes prepared on the table, especially meat dishes - pork, dried meat, Chinese sausage, and fish. After dinner, everyone usually goes to visit. Also on this day, it is necessary to go to the cemetery to visit your relatives in order to honor their memory.
Day 2
The second day of the Chinese New Year begins with prayer - families ask for health and happiness to all their loved ones, old people for longevity, business people and businessmen for prosperity and enrichment. After which everyone must visit their parents and grandmothers. Children are given gifts, but these are not the kind of presents we are used to seeing them; in China it is customary to present red envelopes with money. For beggars, the second day of the holiday is a great success, because they can come to visit and ask for food and alms. Usually the Chinese try to help as much as they can.
3-4 days
This period can be called the holiday of friends, because during these two days all Chinese try to respect all their comrades and relatives and come to visit to congratulate. They believe that this day must be spent with loved ones in order to be together next year. Since this period, all large corporations have started their work and everything is gradually returning to normal.
5-6 days
These days are dedicated to wealth and business, and therefore other companies begin to work, but they go to work for a reason, but they definitely set off fireworks. And the morning of every Chinese begins with a special dish called jiaozi, which looks more like dumplings.
Day 7
Just like the second day of the holiday, it is customary to start the 7th day with prayer and honoring God. It is believed that man was created on this day. In order for income to increase and business to flourish, the Chinese prepare a special raw fish salad called “Yusheng”.
8-10 days
All Chinese are already returning to work, and in the evenings they have small family festive dinners, always with prayer, after which they go to the temple to light special smoking candles. For dinner, every housewife prepares yuanxiao, which are more like small koloboks.
Day 11
In China, this is the day of the son-in-law, when the father-in-law always arranges a noisy and rich holiday for his daughter’s husband. Every father tries to respect him and arrange the best holiday for him.
12-14 days
Basically, during this period there are no holidays, because everyone is busy preparing for the main holiday - the Lantern Festival. Everyone buys decorations, lanterns, lantern canopies, and so on. For all three days, the Chinese eat only healthy foods and do not eat meat in order to cleanse their bodies of toxins. Also, during these hectic days, they try to find a moment to pray for prosperity, well-being and wealth.
15 - day
The city usually hosts concerts and theatrical performances on this day, people with lit lanterns walk around the square with their families, and fireworks, firecrackers and firecrackers roar around. The table usually contains jiaozi and sticky sweet rice; these dishes can also be bought in the square. In Singapore and Malaysia there is an interesting and romantic tradition on this holiday. To do this, single ladies attach their phone number to Mandarin and then send the fruit down the river. Single men, in turn, catch these tangerines, eat them, and then call to meet the lady.
What is customary to give for Chinese New Year?
As we have already mentioned, no major gifts are given on this holiday, only small ones. It has long been customary to present such gifts:
- cards with wishes and kind words;
- red envelopes with money;
- various souvenirs;
- amulets and amulets;
- sweets;
- images of the symbol of the coming year.
How to give gifts for Chinese New Year
- Any gift should be paired; if, for example, it is a painting, then there should be two objects in the image. The owner must be presented with two tangerines.
- Also, the color of the gift plays a huge role - the main rule is that neither the gift nor the gift paper should be white or blue. In this country, these colors represent death and funerals.
- The number 4 is also a symbol of death, so it should not be anywhere - neither on the gift, nor on the money, and the number of bills should be either more or less.
- The gift itself is presented only in private and with both hands. But it is necessary to distribute gifts not chaotically, but from senior to junior.
- It is also indecent to open a gift in front of everyone; this must be done in private, so as not to offend the giver with a careless look or word.
It is necessary to know the traditions and culture of this people. This is the only way you can understand his life and soul.
On the night of December 31 to January 1, the Chinese celebrate Yuan Dan or European New Year. There are no special traditions or magnificent celebrations on these days. It is celebrated in a narrow family circle, without noisy feasts, music and celebration.
But the traditional New Year in China has long been celebrated on the second new moon, that is, after the winter solstice, which falls on one of the days between January 21 and February 21. Therefore, the whole world will have time to learn about how the New Year is celebrated in China over such a long period. The Chinese spend a whole week celebrating their New Year with theatrical performances, fire shows, fireworks and dancing. Let's look at the global differences in these holidays.
New Year on the night from December 31 to January 1
The main Christmas tree is traditionally installed in the center of Beijing, on the main shopping street - Qianmen.
The fact is that these days in Beijing, as throughout the country, there are many foreign tourists who celebrate both Christmas and New Year. Therefore, the festive mood is felt in China no less than in European capitals. It is customary to install Christmas trees in large shopping and office centers, dress up as Santa Claus and gather in the main square on New Year's Eve, congratulating each other.
Since the European New Year on January 1 is a rather young holiday for China, there are no specific traditions and customs for it. Most of the usual actions were inspired by European culture. The only thing that can be noted about how the New Year is celebrated in China:
- super general cleaning in the house and on the streets,
- You need to celebrate the new year in new clothes.
According to legend, this should bring order and success to the house.
Another, albeit Buddhist, tradition is to ring temple bells at midnight. The bells ring 108 times because the Chinese believe that every person has six vices. These are greed, anger, stupidity, indecision, frivolity and envy. Each defect has 18 shades. If you ring the bell one number of times for each vice and its shade, then the person will get rid of one of them. In addition, on New Year's night, the Chinese do not talk about bad things, do not remember grievances, they laugh and smile, as if luring good mood and happiness.
Houses in China are decorated everywhere, although this tradition came from Europe. First of all, this applies to Christmas trees, New Year's illumination and decorations.
But the table is set with purely Chinese dishes: rice, noodles, soybeans, chicken and some pork. For New Year's desserts, the Chinese prefer caramelized apples and bananas, sweet-glazed peanuts, rice balls with honey, caramelized peaches, etc. The Chinese also bake fortune cookies.
Although the tradition of gift-giving is not common in China, residents do send gifts to their friends and family, especially from Europe and countries where New Year is a major holiday.
In general, only after the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1911 in China began to celebrate the New Year from 31 to 1. To avoid confusion between the European New Year and the traditional Chinese, two names were introduced: the first began to be called Yuan-dan (“beginning of dawn”) , and the second holiday (Chinese) is Chun Jie.
Today, both holidays are considered official state holidays and are considered weekends.
Which cities in China to visit for New Year?
Of course, Beijing. The capital of the Celestial Empire will amaze you with its scale and rich life. There are many hotels, restaurants and nightclubs here, ready to provide you with a variety of entertainment.
Of course, no one canceled a visit to the architectural and historical heritage during the New Year holidays. Tourists come to see the Chinese Wall (10 meters high and 6,000 kilometers long) and Beihang and Jingshan parks. Don't miss the Imperial Summer Palace (Yiheyuan) and the Temple of Heaven (Tiantan). In Beijing you can look at the Gugong Imperial Palace and visit the largest square in the world - Tiananmen.
You can visit the port city of Dalian for New Year, where there is the cleanest air and pebble beaches. The city uniquely intertwines ancient Chinese and Japanese cultures. Take an excursion to mountain waterfalls and take a yacht trip. There are many sanatoriums in this region, the treatment of which is based on ancient techniques.
There is also a beach holiday in China - on the island of Hainan. Since the island is located in a tropical climate zone, it is always warm and humid. The city of Sanya is considered one of the tourist centers, where luxury hotels and clean sandy beaches are located.
A more exotic and non-standard type of New Year's holiday is a trip to the cultural and spiritual capital of Tibet - the city of Lhasa.
How is the traditional New Year celebrated in China according to folk custom?
Chun Jie or traditional Chinese New Year has a very ancient history. Even during the times of rituals, when sacrifices were made to deities, they began to celebrate the onset of the new year, in the Shang era 1600-1100 BC.
The Chinese popularly call this holiday “Nian”, which means “year”. According to legend, a bloodthirsty monster lives at the bottom of the sea, whose name is Nian. Once a year, on the new moon on the eve of the New Year, it can break out and begin to destroy all living things. In ancient times, people were afraid of this monster and prepared for its appearance in advance by storing food at the doorsteps of their houses. This went on for a long time until an old man with a gray mustache from the village of Tao Hua (which means “Peach Blossoms”) with a staff drove out the monster. It turned out that Nian is afraid of the color red and loud noise. Therefore, the Chinese celebrate the traditional New Year in bright clothes and with noisy performances, many of which tell this very story.
The Chinese also stick red paired inscriptions on the doors, hang red lanterns and light fires, set off fireworks and firecrackers. Since then, red has become the main color of the New Year.
The Chinese begin preparations for the holiday several days in advance. First of all, preparation consists of putting things in perfect order. This applies to homes, workplaces, and streets. Everything old and unnecessary must be thrown away, absolutely everything must be washed, as if getting rid of old energy.
Houses are decorated with red and its shades. For example, paired inscriptions are posted at the entrance to the house, and the walls are decorated with special paintings made from paper patterns.
There is no Christmas tree for Chinese New Year. Instead, they put up a Light Tree, decorating the house or apartment with garlands, images and figurines of the animal whose year begins. Chinese calendar. The front door is decorated with at least 5 colored ribbons, which symbolize success in family, business, financial, love and health. The number 8 symbolizes infinity, so there should be no less tangerines and other fruits. The Chinese decorate small artificial trees with dried fruits or fresh fruits in sugar.
Traditionally, the holiday should last a whole month, but now days off are only given for a week or two. It turns out that on the fifteenth day of the New Year ends with the grandiose Chinese Lantern Festival. Moreover, every day has its own customs.
For example, on Day 1 it is customary to serve a festive dinner with loud fireworks and festivities. Families always burn bamboo sticks. On the 2nd day in the morning they read a prayer and serve it to the poor. On the third day, it is not customary to go on a visit and invite someone to your place. This is the day of the “red Dog” - the God of Wrath. Therefore, it is better not to go outside. On the fourth day, the Chinese go to visit, trying to get around as many relatives and friends as possible, giving them gifts. On the fifth and sixth days they prepare the national New Year's dish - “Bobo”, somewhat reminiscent of Ukrainian dumplings and dumplings. Day 7 begins with prayer, and in the evening a festive meal of raw fish is prepared. On the 8th day of the New Year they look at what the harvest will be like. If the weather is good, the harvest will be rich; if it rains and the wind blows, you will have to work hard. Smoking aromatic candles are lit in temples. On day 9, the Chinese begin to go to work, continuing to pray and light incense. Officially, the 9th day is considered the beginning of the New Year. Pork is cooked for dinner. On the tenth day, it is forbidden to use objects in the production of which stone was used. You can visit and host them. On the eleventh day comes the day of the son-in-law, when the father-in-law throws a noisy celebration in honor of his daughter's husband. Day 12 is recognized as the day of cleansing. They eat mostly vegetarian food, go to temples, and perform prayers.
On the 13th and 14th days, people prepare for the Lantern Festival: they purchase or make lanterns, decorations and canopies. To do this, use paper or fabric, add clay and plants. The 15th day ends the New Year holidays - this is the Lantern Festival. A purely family and good holiday, when all household members gather in the large living room and prepare lanterns. The dinner in honor of the end of the holiday is especially rich: dumplings, rice porridge, rice flour balls and much more. At the end, the family goes outside and launches lanterns into the sky, or sends them floating down the river.
On this day the streets are especially fun and noisy. There are many performances, concerts and traditional dress-up dances. One of these dances is the lion dance and the dragon dance.
According to Chinese custom, New Year should be celebrated only with family. This is very important and is violated extremely rarely. The spirits of deceased ancestors are present at the table these days, so not appearing is to express disrespect for them.
Na Chun Jie traditional gift For children, pocket money placed in small red envelopes is considered. This is a unique way of blessing children.
But when visiting guests, you need to bring two tangerines with you and when leaving, get two too, exchanging symbols financial well-being. There should be no white or blue shades for the New Year, as it symbolizes death and funerals. On New Year's Day, the Chinese do not talk about the past year, do not take medicine and do not eat empty porridge these days, considering it food for the poor. No black robes or anything associated with the number 4 - all this is a sign of death and mourning.
In general, the Chinese have a lot of beliefs and customs associated specifically with the traditional Chinese New Year. They celebrate it in a special way, and don’t dress gloomily, and talk only about the good and the future. To cover all the details and features of this holiday, more than one article will be required. So come to China and see this action for yourself! Moreover, choose for yourself: do you want to see European traditions performed in Chinese, or get to know China from a completely different side, thanks to centuries-old traditions And deep respect to the memory of ancestors.
In Russia, preparations for the New Year begin in mid-December. Both children and adults enjoy the holiday with its solemn atmosphere. In China, this celebration is celebrated twice a year - first together with the whole world on January 1, and then according to lunar calendar every year in different numbers. Most residents will look forward to the Chinese New Year in 2019 with great anticipation, since Chun Jie (as the New Year is called in China) has special meaning for the indigenous people of the country.
Date of celebration and symbol of the year
Every year the Chinese celebrate Spring Festival on different dates. The date is calculated according to the lunar calendar. So, when does Chinese New Year 2019 celebrations begin and end?
According to the Chinese calendar, 2019 will begin on February 5, when the main festivities will be held in the country (lasting 15 days until February 20). The Year of the Pig itself will last until January 25, until 2020 comes into power. The main celebration will begin on February 5th and end on February 6th.
Chun Jie symbolizes the arrival of spring and wealth, so they carefully prepare for it, and family and folk festivities last 15 days. During this period, many government institutions and private companies have 2 weeks off, and some - only a week.
According to the Chinese calendar, 2019 is the year of the Yellow (brown) Earth Pig. This animal is revered in the Middle Kingdom. It symbolizes family happiness and wealth. Once upon a time, pork meat was only on the tables of rich people. The pig represents kindness, gentleness, peacefulness and patience.
According to an ancient parable, a pig accidentally became the 12th animal in eastern horoscope. There should be a cat in her place, but the rat did not wake him up when the Supreme Ruler collected all the animals. Then the choice fell on the first animal that came across, which turned out to be a pig.
On the eve of the holiday
New Year in China is a special holiday and preparations for it are no less intense. According to beliefs and traditions, before the holiday, the Chinese must cleanse themselves and put their home, body and soul in order.
Preparation includes the following actions:
- Housewives carry out general cleaning. Women wash their homes thoroughly, as the presence of dust is unacceptable.
- Old things must be thrown away so that there is room for new ones.
- The day before, all Chinese go to the bathhouse to cleanse the body.
- Women prepare many delicacies for the celebration. On the first day of the New Year you cannot cook anything, so the day before you prepare meat and fish dishes, sweets and other treats.
- Tangerines and other citrus fruits are placed on the table, which symbolize well-being.
- Prepare the robes. You need to celebrate the Spring Festival in clean, ironed and smart clothes.
- The house must be decorated with paper garlands, lanterns and other holiday decorations. A hieroglyph denoting happiness, inverted, is hung on the door.
When preparing for the holiday, do not forget to prepare gifts for loved ones, relatives and friends. Before the New Year, the family gathers for a pre-holiday dinner. This evening several generations gather at the table.
Features of New Year celebrations in China
Chinese New Year is celebrated every year with tradition and 2019 will be no exception. Celebrations stretch over 15 days and take place in the following sequence:
- The night before, the family gets together for dinner. Adults and children do not sleep all night. They watch on TV entertainment programs, sing and dance, have fun from the heart and definitely set off fireworks. It is believed that fun and loud noises scare away evil spirits.
- On the second day they go to visit relatives. In some regions this day is called Son-in-Law Day.
- On the third day, sacrifices are made - paper “sacrifices” are burned. They pray and don’t leave the house, except to go to church.
- In the following days they go to visit colleagues and friends. They prepare goodies and set off firecrackers.
- From the 6th to the 8th day, the Chinese spend time with their families, and on the ninth day they honor the memory of the dead.
- The second week is less busy; workdays begin in many provinces. People prepare for the Lantern Festival, go to visit people, and folk festivities are held on the streets.
- On the 13th day it is customary to eat vegetarian food.
- On the 14th day, sheds are built for launching lanterns and the final preparatory work is carried out.
- The Lantern Festival concludes the New Year celebrations. Thousands of hot lanterns rise into the sky on this day. The mesmerizing spectacle has a special meaning for the Chinese. It is believed that this ritual helps refresh the sky and help the souls of the dead find their way upward.
During the New Year celebrations, Chinese people spend time with family, visit relatives and friends, and honor the memory of the dead. Any action is accompanied by bright saturated colors, lights shining everywhere and sincere fun. Laughter and songs are heard in the streets, firecrackers and fireworks explode.
Traditions
The indigenous population of the Celestial Empire will celebrate 2019 according to Chinese traditions. Each region has its own characteristics of celebration, but there are also common ones throughout the country:
- Red clothes are chosen for the celebration. You can choose an outfit of a different color, but there must be red elements in the image. This color scares away the terrible monster that in ancient times attacked people.
- When guests enter the house, they are sure to give two tangerines, which symbolize happiness and prosperity. The owners of the house give this amount of fruit to the guests when they go home.
- On New Year's Eve and other days, fireworks are always set off to scare away evil spirits.
- Ribbons or red paper are attached to the windows to protect it from evil spirits.
- On the first day of the New Year, you cannot sweep the floor, as happiness will be swept out of the house. For the same reason, you cannot take out the trash.
In China, it is not customary to give expensive gifts. People present money to each other in red envelopes. Since the number 8 is considered a symbol of happiness and prosperity, eight bills are placed in the envelope. You cannot put an odd number of pieces of paper. Sweets and inexpensive souvenirs can also be given as gifts.
How to celebrate New Year 2019 according to Chinese traditions?
Every year the number of fans of Eastern religion and customs is growing, so many are interested in how to celebrate the New Year. According to the Chinese calendar, 2019 will be the year of the Yellow Earth Pig, so when preparing for the holiday you need to consider the following:
- For the celebration, you can choose clothes in yellow, brown or green, as well as their shades.
- There should be abundance on the table, since the Pig loves to eat delicious food. Various salads would be appropriate. Give preference to plant foods, fruits and vegetables, but you can also serve baked goods, meat or fish dishes.
- You need to celebrate the New Year in the company of friends or family. In China, the symbol of the year means family well-being, and the animal itself lives in a herd, so don’t be alone.
And most importantly, create a comfortable and festive atmosphere in your home, have fun from the heart. In China they believe that only positive emotions, joy and laughter can attract prosperity and happiness into the home.
Look video about how New Year is celebrated in China:
The Chinese love holidays. They work very hard, so everyone holidays treated very carefully. Residents of the Celestial Empire especially honor the New Year. They carefully calculate the days of celebration, taking into account the lunar months. It depends on them what date the New Year will be. There is no fixed date here. This holiday in China is called Chun Jie. Chinese New Year in 2020 comes on the fifth of February and is celebrated for 15 days.
Each of the 15 New Year's days is dedicated to its own customs. The Chinese pay visits to their relatives, where they exchange gifts and New Year's tangerines. Another day they meet with friends. A particularly revered day in China is the day of worshiping the God of Wealth in temples. They ask the Higher powers for protection for home and family.
On the last day of the holiday, the Chinese traditionally hold a lantern festival. On February 19, 2020, the New Year will end. The reign of the Metal Rat will begin.
Symbol of 2020
According to the calendar, 2020 is the year of the White Rat. Some people call it Earthy. There is a legend that the Jade Emperor selected animals that exist on earth for the calendar of zodiac signs. The Pig, out of laziness, overslept the reception and was replaced by the Rat.
The Chinese believe that in the Year of the Rat 2020, success will be in business for those people whose work is related to agriculture. The coming year will be successful for those who plan to seal their relationship with marriage.
The Chinese have their own celebration traditions. And the question “How to celebrate the holiday?” they don't have it. From the very beginning, 7 days before the New Year, everyone begins to carry out general cleaning in their homes, throwing away old and unnecessary things. It is believed that in this way people get rid of bad luck and invite prosperity and prosperity into their home. According to Feng Shui, energy should circulate in free space without debris and trash. And old things take energy.
General cleaning of the head
You definitely need to do some general cleaning in your head. It is necessary to get rid of negativity and resolve conflicts. You shouldn’t take troubles and quarrels with you into the New Year. You need to boldly go into the coming year refreshed and in good spirits. The Chinese believe that one should enter the holidays only with positivity and hopes for the best.
Home decoration
After cleaning, the Chinese start decorating the house. These can be garlands, canvases with hieroglyphs and much more. Red is considered a symbol of good luck, so this color is welcomed in jewelry. The Chinese believe that it is the color red that attracts good luck into their lives.
Basic colors of Chinese New Year
But since the main colors of the coming year are yellow, brown, olive, then decorations can have the same shades of colors. Symbolic lanterns of happiness and bright canvases are also hung in the courtyards. All this is predominantly red.
Tangerines as a gift
Particular attention is paid to gifts. This must be an even number, but not four (a symbol of death). Guests give the hosts a couple of tangerines, and in return they also receive two tangerines. This fruit symbolizes prosperity and prosperity.
Chic New Year's table
A luxurious table full of various dishes is for the inhabitants of the old Celestial Empire good tradition. The housewives prepare the most delicious and varied dishes. The Chinese believe that in this way they bring happiness into their home.
Choosing the “right” clothes
Cloth the right colors, which the Chinese will wear on New Year's Eve, a very important pre-New Year moment. In their opinion, harmony and prosperity will be the result of choosing the right shades of clothing. You also definitely need to wear some new thing so that next year you will always have new things. 
A large number of fireworks gives confidence that in this way the Chinese will awaken good luck and happiness, and scare away troubles and misfortunes.
Traditions of celebrating Chinese New Year
Mostly the celebration takes place on the street, in traditional dresses. Main character holiday - Dragon. But the most important thing is that the New Year holiday takes place with the whole family. This is an excellent occasion for meetings and communication between relatives living in distant provinces of China and far beyond its borders. The whole family gathers at the table. The table is set for all family members, even if someone could not come.
Traditional dishes
Every housewife tries to prepare many varied and delicious dishes. Traditionally it is meat and fish. One of the main dishes is Chinese dumplings. For the Chinese, this is a symbol that a boy will be born into their family in the coming year. Another dish is small rice balls. Some people cook them with filling, others prefer them without any additions. These balls are a symbol of family unity. Also on the table there are always tangerines and sweets, cookies with wishes, which both adults and children love very much. 
IN New Year's Eve They always wish for a good harvest, prosperity, and career growth. A festive dinner brings together several generations. And no matter how old the relatives are, everyone finds common grounds for conversation, shares news, events, and joys. Everyone enjoys gatherings and communicating with each other.
Fireworks are an indispensable attribute of Chinese New Year
Fireworks are an important part of the Chinese New Year celebrations. This is how they scare away evil spirits, this is how they say goodbye to the old year, full of life events and everyday life. This is how we celebrate the New Year with faith in the best. All relatives and friends are waiting for this moment when the launch of bright lights begins.
Present
IN New Year holidays It is customary to give gifts. As a rule, these are very practical things. But giving very expensive gifts is considered bad manners among the Chinese. The red Hongbao envelope is the most common gift. It's not only money, but also good wishes to the addressee. But still the most popular gift are banknotes.
Chinese New Year tree
The Chinese also decorate the New Year tree. This is not a Christmas tree or spruce like ours. This is an ordinary tree that is decorated with colorful lanterns and garlands. This joyful event brings together all family members.
Fire Dragon Dances
And there are many different events held throughout the country. These include dances of fire Dragons, various competitions, and launching of lanterns. The last action turns into a whole performance. After midnight, thousands of lanterns are released into the air. They rise high, and thousands of lights illuminate the sky. The Chinese believe that these lights can guide and illuminate the path of the dead to heaven. This is a very ancient tradition. The people of China revere it sacredly and continue it for hundreds of years.
Children born in the year of the Rat
Children born in the year of the Rat will grow up open, cheerful, and active. Parents, knowing what sign their child will have, can be calm: these children will find it easy to study, they need to be praised and supported more often. They are with early age learn to achieve what they want. They are characterized by childlike sensitivity, insight, sociability and cheerfulness. 
Every year there are more and more connoisseurs of Eastern religion. More and more people are joining the Chinese New Year celebrations different corners land. Moreover, everyone can access the features of the Chinese New Year celebration. This is sincere laughter, positive emotions, a good atmosphere and being with family.
Happy New Year!
