Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is one of the most important Chinese festivals celebrated at the new start of each year in the Chinese calendar. It is also known as the Spring Festival. Chinese New Year is not the same as the New Year that is on January 1. Although Chinese celebrate New Year on the first day of a year as well, Chinese new year is more important to Chinese people. 

An old myth about Chinese New Year 

There was a really ferocious monster called “Nian” who lived under the ocean. It didn’t come out from the bottom of the ocean except one day. Every year during that day, he would climb up and landed at a village to attack people, eat poultry and destroy buildings. People were very afraid of Nian. Therefore, every year during that day, people moved to another mountain in order to hide from Nian. One year, when people were busy packing their stuff and preparing to go, an old man came to the village. He was begging for food but no one noticed him. Only an old grandma gave him some food and suggested him to leave in order to hide from Nian. Unexpectedly, he said, “if you let me stay here tonight, I will have one method that can make Nian never come back.” The old grandma believed in him. In the mid night, Nian came to the village, it realized that the atmosphere is different. The old grandma’s home was covered by red stuff; the room was full of red candle lights. The red colors made Nian really uncomfortable. When Nian came closer to that house, the fireworks started to crack and the huge sound scared Nian. Nian was frightened and escaped from the village quickly. After that day, villagers came back and found nothing had been damaged. The old man went out from the house and tell them that Nian was afraid of red color and the crackling sound or firecrackers, that’s the only way to stop Nian from coming to the village. Since then, decorated the houses with red color, wear red clothes and set off fireworks became traditions. People began to celebrate that day and that day gradually become one of the most important festivals of China --- The Chinese New Year.

How do people celebrate Chinese New Year

Chinese people always eat family reunion dinner and watch a celebration show together. For the reunion dinner, it always contains dumpling. There is an old tradition that the olds of the families always put a peanut in one of the dumpling and the person who get that will be blessed in the coming year. People wear red clothes during the days around the Chinese New year because the red color means lucky in China. Actually, people not only wear red clothes, everything is red in that period of time. People hang red lantern, stick red paper cut and Chinese calligraphy on the windows and doors. Young children are especially happy because they will get pocket money and good wishes from the elders. Last but not least, people let off fireworks with their families and friends in order let the bad things in the past year go away and greet the new year.