Chinese New Year is an annual, 15 day festival held in China and around the world, specifically in places with Chinese communities. Beginning with a new moon sometime between January 21 and February 20, the festivities last until the following new moon.
Origin
The origins of the Chinese New Year are focused on legend. One legend is that many thousands of years ago a moster named Nian would attack villagers at the beginning of each year. The monster was afraid of loud noises, bright lights, and the colour red, so these things were used to scare the monster away.
Although the precise origins of the Chinese New Year are uncertain it’s believed to have originated sometime during the Shang dynasty. Over time the festival has evolved to become one of the most popular and culturily significant festivals in the world.
Traditions
Cleaning before Chinese New Year, also known as “sweeping the grounds,” is a common tradition to sweep away bad luck and make some space for good fortune in the next year. Poeple clean their thoroughly clean their homes, including decluttering, discarding unwanted items, and reorganizing certain spaces, before the New Year arrives. Little cleaning is done during the New Year itself, because of the common belief that it sweeps away good luck.
Red envelopes are a significant part of Chinese New Year celebrations. They are given to children and unmarried adults by elders and married couples as a strong symbol of luck and prosperity for the next year. The red color of the envolopes is believed to ward off evil spirits and bring positive energy.
Lion and dragon dances are a big part of Chinese New Year celebrations, esspecially in southern China. These vibrant performances are believed to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck and fortune for the next year. The dragon dance involves a team of poeple maneuvering a long dragon shaped prop while the lion dance features performers in lion costums acting a the animal’s movement.
In conclusion, Chinese New Year is an important Chinese festival, not just in China, but around the world. Since it’s beginnings many years ago, it has evolved to become one of the most popular festivals in the world.