Traditional Celebration of the Chinese New Year

University Degree Linguistics, Classics and related subjects

Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year. The 15th day of the new year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.

The presence of the ancestors is acknowledged on New Year's Eve with a dinner arranged for them at the family feast table. The spirits of the ancestors, together with the living, celebrate the start of the New Year as one great community. The communal feast symbolizes family unity and honors the past and present generations. Departed relatives are remembered with great respect because they were responsible for laying the foundations for the fortune and glory of the family.

Of all the traditional Chinese festivals, the new Year was perhaps the most elaborating, colorful, and important. This was a time for the Chinese to congratulate each other and themselves on having passed through another year, a time to finish out the old, and to welcome in the new year. Common expressions heard at this time are: KUONIAN to have made it through the old year, and SINNIAN to congratulate the new year.

Turning Over a New Leaf

The Chinese New year is celebrated on the first day of the First Moon of the . The corresponding date in the solar calendar varies from as early as January 21st to as late as February 19th.. Generally, it was a time for family reunions, and for visiting friends and relatives. This holiday, more than any other Chinese holiday, stressed the importance of family ties. The Chinese New year's Eve dinner gathering is the most important family occasions of the year.

House Cleaning

The entire house should be cleaned before New Year's Day. ...