Traditions that rule the holiday
By Ben Blanchard and Sabrina Mao |
January 29, 2011, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
CHINESE people across the world welcome the Lunar New Year next Thursday, a period also known as the Spring Festival and marked by a long holiday.
Here are some facts about the festival, its meaning and some of the traditions and superstitions surrounding it.
This year is the Year of the Rabbit, according to the traditional Chinese lunar calendar.
People born in the years of 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999 and 2011 are all rabbits.
There are 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, including the pig, the rat, the ox and the snake, and there are several versions of how this came to be.
In one tradition, an ancient Chinese emperor held a race to decide which animal should get the honor of being first in the zodiac.
The rat won after hitching a ride on the head of the ox and jumping over the finishing line ahead of him.
Chinese cities resound to a cacophony of firecrackers and fireworks during the festival in an effort to scare off evil spirits and attract the god of wealth to people's doorsteps.
Parents and grandparents give red envelopes stuffed with cash to children, sometimes hiding them under pillows on New Year's Eve to ward off evil and bad luck.
Denominations of the number eight are considered best, because "eight" sounds like the expression for "to get wealthy."
There are lots of traditional foods eaten.
People in northern China eat dumplings, which symbolize wealth because their shape resembles old-fashioned Chinese gold and silver ingots.
Fish is a popular dish, for the word "fish" has the same pronunciation in Chinese as the word for "abundance."
Taboos abound. Crying on New Year's Day means you will cry for the rest of the year, and washing your hair signifies washing away good luck. The word for "four" is avoided, because it sounds like the word for "death," and using knives or scissors may "cut off" good fortune.
Children are told not to use bad words to avoid bringing misfortune in the year ahead.
Households carry out a full clean ahead of the new year to clear away old and bad things from the previous year and welcome in the new one with a fresh face.
But woes betide people who clean on New Year's Day, for they'll be sweeping away good fortune in the year ahead.
Here are some facts about the festival, its meaning and some of the traditions and superstitions surrounding it.
This year is the Year of the Rabbit, according to the traditional Chinese lunar calendar.
People born in the years of 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999 and 2011 are all rabbits.
There are 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, including the pig, the rat, the ox and the snake, and there are several versions of how this came to be.
In one tradition, an ancient Chinese emperor held a race to decide which animal should get the honor of being first in the zodiac.
The rat won after hitching a ride on the head of the ox and jumping over the finishing line ahead of him.
Chinese cities resound to a cacophony of firecrackers and fireworks during the festival in an effort to scare off evil spirits and attract the god of wealth to people's doorsteps.
Parents and grandparents give red envelopes stuffed with cash to children, sometimes hiding them under pillows on New Year's Eve to ward off evil and bad luck.
Denominations of the number eight are considered best, because "eight" sounds like the expression for "to get wealthy."
There are lots of traditional foods eaten.
People in northern China eat dumplings, which symbolize wealth because their shape resembles old-fashioned Chinese gold and silver ingots.
Fish is a popular dish, for the word "fish" has the same pronunciation in Chinese as the word for "abundance."
Taboos abound. Crying on New Year's Day means you will cry for the rest of the year, and washing your hair signifies washing away good luck. The word for "four" is avoided, because it sounds like the word for "death," and using knives or scissors may "cut off" good fortune.
Children are told not to use bad words to avoid bringing misfortune in the year ahead.
Households carry out a full clean ahead of the new year to clear away old and bad things from the previous year and welcome in the new one with a fresh face.
But woes betide people who clean on New Year's Day, for they'll be sweeping away good fortune in the year ahead.
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