People tend to spend New Year holidays outside the state. Some go to the States, others to Europe, and others to the Middle Kingdom. Those who prefer the latter option are often disappointed because they do not know when New Year is in China.
As a result, they arrive in the country either too early or too late, while a short vacation does not allow them to stay.
Chinese people celebrate New Year on the first full moon. It comes after the full lunar cycle and precedes the winter solstice. Let me remind you that this event falls on December 21st. As a result, Chinese New Year can fall on January 21, February 21, or any day in between.
In 2013, the Chinese celebrated the New Year on February 10, 2014 for them began on January 31, and 2015 on February 19.
How to celebrate New Year in China
In China, as in other countries, New Year is the main and favorite holiday. True, called Chun Jie.
Residents of the state have been celebrating the New Year for more than two thousand years. According to historians, the Chinese first began celebrating the New Year during Neolithic times. At that moment, they celebrated several holidays that were prototypes of the New Year.
In the Celestial Empire, the New Year is celebrated at the end of winter according to the Lunar calendar. The date is floating, so the New Year holidays begin differently.
After the transition to the Gregorian calendar, the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire call the New Year the Spring Festival. People call him “Nyan”. Let's talk more about the celebration in China.
- The Chinese New Year celebration is a real festival that lasts for half a month. At this time, every citizen of the country can count on a week of official holidays.
- China hosts theatrical performances, pyrotechnic shows, and spectacular carnivals. Each of these events is accompanied by the launch of fireworks and the popping of firecrackers. The Chinese spend a lot of money on New Year's attributes. And this is not without reason!
Myths of the New Year
As an ancient myth says, on the eve of the New Year, a terrible monster with horns erupted from the depths of the sea, devouring people and livestock. This happened every day until an old beggar with a cane and a bag appeared in the village of Tao Hua. He asked local residents for shelter and food. Everyone turned him down except for an elderly woman who fed the poor man New Year's salads and provided him with a warm bed. In gratitude, the old man promised to drive out the monster.
He dressed in red clothes, painted the doors of houses with scarlet paint, lit fires and began to make loud noises using “fire rattles” made of bamboo.
The monster, having seen this, no longer dared to approach the village. When the monster left, the villagers held a big celebration. From that moment on, during the New Year holidays, the cities of the Celestial Empire turn red with decorations and lanterns. Fireworks constantly light up the sky.
This is how a list of mandatory New Year's attributes was formed: firecrackers, incense, firecrackers, toys, fireworks and red items.
- Regarding the celebration, we can say that on the first night it is strictly forbidden to sleep. The people of China watch the year at this time.
- On the first five-day holiday, they visit friends, but they cannot bring gifts. Only small children are given red envelopes with money.
- Among the festive New Year's recipes, the Chinese prepare dishes whose names are consonant with good luck, prosperity and happiness. Fish, meat, soybean curd, cake.
- As part of the Chinese festival, it is customary to honor departed ancestors. Each person makes small offerings of jewelry and treats to the spirits.
- The New Year ends with the Lantern Festival. They are lit on every street of cities, regardless of size and population.
You have learned the intricacies of celebrating the New Year in China and are convinced that the Chinese New Year holidays are a colorful, amazing and unique event.
Traditions for Chinese New Year
In China, the New Year is celebrated differently from other countries in the world, since the Chinese remain faithful to their ancestors and do not forget New Year's traditions.
- New Year's holidays are accompanied by general fun. Each family creates as much noise as possible in the house with the help of firecrackers and firecrackers. The Chinese believe that noise drives away evil spirits.
- At the very end of the noisy celebration, the Festival of Lights is held. On this day, colorful events are held on city and rural streets with the participation of lions and dragons who engage in theatrical combat.
- Celebrating the New Year in the Middle Kingdom is accompanied by the preparation of special dishes. All of them consist of products whose names sound the same as words symbolizing success and good luck.
- Usually fish, oyster mushrooms, chestnuts and tangerines are served on the table. These words sound like wealth, prosperity and profit. Meat dishes and alcoholic drinks are found on the New Year's table.
- If you are celebrating the New Year visiting a Chinese family, be sure to bring two tangerines to the owners of the house. Before leaving, they will give you the same gift, since two tangerines are the consonance of gold.
- A week before the New Year, Chinese families gather around the table and report to the gods for the past year. The God of the Hearth is considered the main one. He is pampered with sweets and smeared with honey.
- Before the celebration, five paper strips are hung on the door. They mean five types of happiness - joy, luck, wealth, longevity and honor.
- Evil spirits are afraid of the color red. It is not surprising that during the New Year holidays it is red that dominates.
- In many countries, it is customary to put up a Christmas tree for the New Year. In the Celestial Empire, the Tree of Light is erected, which is traditionally decorated with lanterns, garlands and flowers.
- The Chinese New Year table is rich in abundance. True, they are in no hurry to use a table knife at the table, because this way you can lose happiness and good luck.
- In China, New Year is celebrated until dawn. Adults are given objects that symbolize the desire for luck and health. These include flowers, sports memberships and lottery tickets. Beautiful and pleasant
Spring Festival (Chunjie) is a traditional Chinese New Year according to the lunar calendar, the main holiday of the year in China.
New Year is celebrated twice in the country: on January 1 according to the solar calendar, as in most countries, and during the new moon. However, the Chinese people traditionally celebrate the Spring Festival more solemnly and with greater joy than the New Year according to the solar calendar. This is due to the fact that most of the country's population are peasants who, by tradition, continue to live according to the lunar calendar, and all field work and holidays are closely intertwined with the lunar calendar.
Chinese New Year is also celebrated as a public holiday in a number of countries and territories where significant Chinese populations live, primarily in East Asia.
The Chinese New Year does not have a fixed date; it is calculated according to the Far Eastern lunisolar calendar. The beginning of the Chinese year occurs on the second new moon after the winter solstice and therefore moves between January 21 and February 21.
The year 2018 (year 4716 according to the Chinese calendar) falls on February 16, 2018.
Chunjie is a family holiday. Millions of Chinese return to their hometowns to celebrate the New Year with their families. The New Year's travel season in China is specially called "Chunyun" and is considered the world's largest migration phenomenon.
Lunar New Year celebrations in Yangon, Myanmar
According to scientists, the history of the holiday goes back more than a thousand years.
It has always been rich in a variety of customs, some of which still exist today.
On the eighth day of the last month according to the lunar calendar, many homes prepare aromatic porridge - "labazhou", which includes 8 types of products: glutinous rice, chumiza, grains of willow's tears (bead), dates, lotus seeds, red beans, longyan fruits ", ginkgo seed.
The twenty-third day of the last month according to the lunar calendar is popularly called “xiaonian” (i.e. “small New Year”). People who strictly follow traditions make sacrifices to the deity of the hearth.
Before the holiday, the country literally blooms with red. There are posters everywhere with the hieroglyphs “fu” (happiness) and “si” (joy) gracefully written on them, garlands of lanterns and other decorations, and all of them are exclusively red, meaning prosperity, good luck and prosperity.
Before the holiday, the house must be thoroughly cleaned, all clothes and blankets washed and cleaned. After the house is cleaned, all brooms, dustpans, and rags are put away in a place where no one can see them during the holiday. The reason for this strange behavior lies in the legend: during the New Year celebrations, the gods fly around the houses of the Chinese and give them dust, which symbolizes happiness. Therefore, if you tidy up during the New Year, you may accidentally sweep all the happy moments of the future out of your home along with the dust.
Houses that are cleaned to a shine take on a festive look. Paired calligraphic inscriptions made in black ink on red paper are pasted onto all door frames. The content of paired inscriptions comes down to expressing the life ideals of the owner of the house or good wishes for the New Year. Images of guardian spirits and the deity of wealth are pasted on the doors in the hope that they will bring happiness and prosperity to the house.
Two large red lanterns are hung in front of the entrance to the house, and the windows are decorated with paper patterns. The walls of the rooms are decorated with bright New Year's paintings, which symbolize the wishes of happiness and wealth.
The night of Chinese New Year is also called “the night of meeting after separation.” For the Chinese this is the most important point. The whole family gathers at the festive table for New Year's dinner, which is distinguished not only by the abundance and variety of dishes, but also by numerous traditions. For example, New Year's dinner is not complete without dishes made from chicken, fish and “doufu” - soybean curd, called “tofu” in Russia, because in Chinese the names of these products are consonant with words meaning “happiness” and “prosperity”.
According to tradition, on New Year's Eve people do not sleep and stay awake until the morning so as not to miss their happiness. If someone does lie down to rest on New Year's Eve, they should get up early. There is a popular belief: “If you get up early on New Year’s Day, you will also get rich early.”
With the onset of New Year's morning, people put on elegant clothes. The young congratulate the elderly on the holiday and wish them longevity. It is customary to give children red envelopes containing pocket money. This money is supposed to bring them happiness in the new year. In ancient times, money was given not in envelopes, but in the form of necklaces, which were made up of one hundred coins. This was a kind of congratulation, wishing a person to live to be a hundred years old. Hundred coin necklaces are still very popular in China today.
In the north of China, it is customary to eat dumplings for the New Year, and in the south - “niangao” (slices made from glutinous rice). Northerners prefer dumplings because, firstly, in Chinese the word “jiaozi”, i.e. “dumplings” is consonant with the words “seeing off the old and welcoming the new”; secondly, dumplings resemble traditional gold and silver bars in their shape and symbolize the desire for wealth. For the same reason, southerners eat "niangao", symbolizing the improvement of life every year.
A joyful festive atmosphere fills not only every home, but also reigns on every street of every city and village. During the Spring Festival, noisy folk festivals and fairs are held for several days in a row, where lion and dragon dances are performed.
The lion dance, according to legend, traces its history back to the events of the era of the Southern and Northern dynasties, when in a decisive battle one of the sides disguised itself as lions (which were never found in China) and won the battle because the enemy’s war elephants were frightened by the terrible masks and ran, throwing off their riders. Since then, Chinese soldiers have performed the lion dance on special occasions. In the 14th-16th centuries, this dance spread throughout China and began to be performed during the Chunjie festival. It is designed to scare away all the evil forces that can bring misfortune in the coming year.
The dance of dragons also has a long history. It was included in festive rituals back in the 12th century and expressed people’s admiration for the dragon and requests for it to tame the wind and shed rain to obtain a good harvest. The dragon, made of paper, wire and willow twigs, can reach 8-10 meters. His body is flexible and consists of a different, but always odd number of parts (9, 11, 13). Each part is controlled by one dancer using a pole; the undulating, writhing movements of the dragon require great coordination among the participants.
The first five days of the new year are meant for meetings. Relatives, friends, classmates, colleagues visit and congratulate each other on the New Year and give gifts.
New Year's festivities end after the Lantern Festival (Yuanxiaojie or Dengjie), on the fifteenth day of the first month of the Lunar calendar. Today, lantern exhibitions and competitions organized in large city parks are very popular in the capital. Lantern exhibitions last for several days and form an integral part of the New Year's holiday.
The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources
Although the Chinese have long been living according to the Gregorian calendar along with the whole world, and they have a day off on January 1, the main holiday of the country is still considered the New Year's celebration according to the old chronology, lunisolar. The date of Chunjie - the Spring Festival - is constantly changing, but always falls between January 21 and February 21. This is the second new moon after the winter solstice.
Like us, the Chinese like to celebrate the New Year for a long time. Once upon a time, vacations lasted several weeks. The 21st century sets a new pace, and in 2018 the festivities were reduced to 15 days. Their 4716th Year of the Yellow Earth Dog did not begin until February 16th. On the last day of the old year (2 March in 2018), you can witness the closing of the holiday with the spectacular Lantern Festival.
Why go to China for the local New Year? To admire the elegant houses and squares, attend traditional street costumed lion or dragon dances.
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Traditions of the Chinese New Year. The Legend of Nanny
We are not talking about Mary Poppins or Arina Rodionovna, but about a monster named Nyan (Nen). Translated from Chinese it means “year”. According to legend, the beast came on the first day of the year and completely ate the peasants. To save their supplies, livestock and children from gluttons, people left some food on the doorstep of the house and went to the mountains. That was until one day it turned out that the monster could be scared away by bright colors and loud noise. Many important traditions are connected specifically with the myth of Nanny.
Red color
During the Spring Festival celebration, red color dominates everything. Red paint and decorations on the walls of the house, scrolls, lanterns and, of course, clothes (even panties). However, in costumes the tones of the zodiac color of the year encountered are also acceptable; in 2018 - yellow, corresponding to a yellow dog. In any case, the shades should be as bright as possible to drive away the Nanny.
Noise, fire, incense
Crackers, fireworks, pyrotechnics, bright garlands and sparklers are indispensable attributes of Chunjie. Therefore, the New Year's celebration in the most populated country in the world takes place literally with sparkle and can scare not only the evil monster. Incense bamboo sticks are also quite popular these days.
Cleaning
The day before, you must thoroughly clean the apartment, clearing it of trash and “old energy.” But in the first days of the new year, on the contrary, there is no point in cleaning, because along with the dust, good spirits bring happiness and good luck into the house.
Meeting with the whole family
Chunjie is considered the most family-friendly of holidays. These days, the Chinese return home from all over the world (employers must provide migrants with official leave). It is believed that even the spirits of ancestors join the gathering at the common festive table. Over the next few days, everyone goes together to pay many visits to other relatives, acquaintances and neighbors.
Those who ever want to celebrate the Spring Festival in China should take into account that the entire large nation these days goes to their historical homeland to visit their parents. Transport is crowded and stuck in traffic jams, and tickets can no longer be bought. Therefore, it is better to prepare in advance.
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What do the Chinese cook for the New Year and what gifts do they give?
The table for crowded gatherings is always laden with food, even in poor families. One of the New Year's traditions is to make jiaozi, dumplings in the shape of gold bars, and bake a coin in one of them. Of course, the one who comes across it will find happiness. If only the tooth survived. You can also put yuan in niangao rice cakes, also a traditional New Year's dish.
Like us, the most New Year's fruit is the tangerine. They are even made into beads, and guests and hosts often give them to each other in exchange. Other popular gifts are sweets, amulets symbolizing prosperity, figurines in the form of the symbol of the year and other trinkets. Or vice versa, practical little things, milk packages, cigarettes. For the sake of family harmony, it is customary to make gifts in pairs, with an even number of items (just not 4, because in Asia this is the traditional number of death).
Very often the Chinese give hongbao - money in an envelope, but always in a red one! Most often this gift is given to children, the elderly and work colleagues. Nowadays gift certificates have also become fashionable.
Hello, dear readers!
Observing the various traditions of large states, it is always interesting to learn something new, to look at what is not popular in our country.
Such an interesting and breathtaking holiday is the Chinese New Year, which is celebrated not only in China, but also on many islands of the East. This ancient holiday is also celebrated in Chinatowns of various countries (Canada, England, America and even Australia).
According to tradition, the date of the New Year “floats” between January 21 and February 21, depending on the lunar phases. Every year the date of the festival changes, which means that it is convenient to use special calendars to determine the day and symbol of the New Year.
When is Chinese New Year
The end of the winter solstice, as well as the beginning of a new calendar, symbolizes the arrival of spring for the Chinese people. That is why after 1911 the holiday is considered the official Beginning of Spring.
It's amazing how seriously the Chinese take the celebration of this unofficial holiday. Many fly from other countries to their homes in order to reunite with their families. Dine together and watch chic theatrical performances, festivals and concerts within your hometown.
Agree, not every person will travel several thousand kilometers in order to hug his mother and admire the fireworks. The flight time before the holiday is called Chunyun and is recognized as an official vacation period by all employers in the world.
The history of the holiday
According to ancient legend, with the advent of each year, the population of China suffered from the mythical beast Nian. Nian stole children, stole livestock and even kidnapped adults. One day, the peasants noticed that Nian was afraid of people dressed in red. Since then, every year they decorate their streets with red lanterns, pieces of fabric and organize noisy celebrations, which, according to legend, are supposed to scare away all evil spirits, including Nanny.
The Chinese authorities take this holiday very seriously, so the decoration of the streets and financing of festivals comes from the state budget. This allows city residents to enjoy a truly enchanting performance.
In addition to the brightly decorated streets during this period in China and in Chinatowns, one can observe large crowds of people. This is the Chinese people watching a large festival that begins the official celebration of the Chinese New Year .
One of the most important elements of the festival is the large dancing dragon. The most famous artists of the city are engaged in its creation, because such an occupation is very honorable and exciting.
During the festival, the streets are filled with folk artists who not only dance and sing, but also recreate various mythical paintings and theatrical performances.
The costumes of these dancers are the most luxurious. Participation in the festival is considered a great honor for every Chinese.
For those who come to the festival at night, various fire shows staged by both professionals and amateurs will be of interest.
When the Chinese New Year comes, all residents of the Celestial Empire definitely go to temples. They hang small signs on their doors wishing health and happiness to their loved ones. Doors decorated with bright red signs create an even warmer and more family-friendly atmosphere on the city streets.
Many residents pray with incense, asking for love and prosperity for themselves and their loved ones in the coming year.
Chinese New Year traditions allow the celebrations to continue for 3-4 days. In this case, the official holiday period ends on the 15th day after the start of the festival and is called the Lantern Festival.
Throughout the entire period, actors and ordinary residents entertain people with beautiful performances and processions that symbolize the welcoming of Spring.
The holidays end with traditional fireworks decorating the sky over China, Mongolia, England and other countries where the Chinese nation lives.
Overall, if you want to enjoy incredible carnivals, as well as an atmosphere of family love and understanding, go to China, where the traditional Spring Festival will win the heart of any traveler.
New Year is celebrated twice in China. According to European tradition, it is celebrated on the night from December 31 to January 1 and is called Yuan Dan. Residents of the country celebrate it with their families, modestly and calmly. Since ancient times, it has been customary to celebrate the New Year in China on the second new moon after the winter solstice (on one of the days between January 21 and February 21).
New Year January 1
The country's main Christmas tree is installed and decorated in the center of Beijing, on the historical shopping street - Qianmen. Due to the influence of Western European culture and the influx of foreign tourists, the spirit of the New Year holidays is felt in the capital more than in other cities. Artificial Christmas trees are installed in large shopping and office centers. Dressed up Santa Clauses walk the streets. On New Year's Eve, people leave their homes and gather in the main square - Tiananmen, congratulate each other and admire the festive fireworks.
Traditions and rituals
New Year on January 1 is a young holiday in China. It does not have ancient established traditions. European culture had a great influence on its implementation.
On the eve of New Year's Eve, Chinese housewives clean their houses. It is customary to celebrate the holiday in new clothes, which should attract order and success.
According to Buddhist tradition, midnight is announced by the ringing of bells in temples. The bells ring 108 times. The Chinese believe that every person has six vices (greed, anger, stupidity, indecisiveness, frivolity, envy), which have 18 shades. With each ring of the bells, a person gets rid of one of the harmful traits. In the first minutes of the new year, the Chinese try to laugh and smile at each other so that the year passes happily and peacefully.
The tradition of decorating homes for the New Year is not common in all areas of China. In large cities, Christmas trees and New Year's decorations are installed in public places. Trees in parks and squares are decorated with multi-colored electric garlands.
The Chinese New Year's feast does not have any distinctive features. Housewives are serving a family holiday dinner. The main ingredients of national cuisine: rice, noodles, soy, chicken and pork. The most popular dishes: pork in sweet and sour sauce, gongbao chicken with chili pepper, mapo tofu with minced beef and vegetables, wontons - flour products stuffed with minced meat or shrimp, chow mein - fried noodles, Peking duck.
As desserts, there are traditional sweets on the tables: apples or bananas in caramel, peanuts in a sweet glaze, fried bananas in batter, egg tartlets, rice balls with honey, caramelized peaches. For the holidays, Chinese housewives like to bake fortune cookies with fortunes inside.
In China, it is not a common tradition to give each other gifts on January 1st. The Chinese send gifts and e-cards to their friends from Europe and countries for which New Year is the main holiday.
history of the holiday
The tradition of celebrating the New Year on the night of December 31 to January 1 came to China after the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1911. To avoid confusion between the European and Lunar New Year, on September 27, 1949, the government of the republic approved the official names of these holidays. The first day of the lunar calendar began to be called Chun Jie, and January 1 according to the Gregorian calendar - Yuan-dan, which literally translates as “beginning of dawn.” Yuan Dan became an official public holiday and a day off.
Cities and resorts
China is an amazing country with a lot to see. The New Year holidays here will bring unforgettable impressions and new emotions.
The capital of the People's Republic of China, Beijing, will amaze with its scale, active nightlife, and abundance of hotels and restaurants. The most popular among tourists are excursions to the Great Wall of China. This unique structure was built during the Ming Dynasty. It reaches 10 meters in height and 6,000 kilometers in length.
The famous attractions of the capital of the Celestial Empire include: Beihang and Jingshan parks, the Summer Imperial Palace (Yiheyuan), the Temple of Heaven (Tiantan), and the Gugong Imperial Palace. Beijing is home to the world's largest square, Tiananmen Square, Asia's largest zoo and aquarium.
The port city of Dalian is located in northeast China. It is famous for its clean air, magnificent pebble beaches, and a combination of ancient Chinese and Japanese culture. There are many opportunities for tourists to spend an interesting and unusual holiday: excursions to mountain waterfalls, fishing, yachting, visiting golf and tennis clubs, shopping at Chinese bazaars. There are many sanatoriums in Dalian that offer their clients ancient folk methods of diagnosis and treatment.
Beach lovers will love Hainan Island, which is located in a tropical climate zone. In the city of Sanya, they will be able to stay in a luxurious hotel on the shore of the bay and soak up the clean sandy beaches.
Zhangjiajie Nature Park is located in the northwest of the Chinese province of Hunan, which is famous for its rich flora, fauna and unique landscape. In winter, this place maintains above-zero temperatures, which will make walking comfortable. The park contains unique attractions: the Yellow Dragon Cave and the ancient Buddhist temple "Heaven's Gate".
An exotic type of New Year's holiday will be a trip to the cultural and spiritual capital of Tibet - Lhasa. Tourists will be amazed by the grandeur of the landscapes, ancient temples and monasteries.
