Chinese New Year is the most important of the classic Chinese holidays. This year on February 3rd the country will be coming into a year of the creative, nevertheless very personal Rabbit. Because the Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year is based on the Chinese calendar that is partly based on lunar cycles, this guarantees that the date is not the same as on western calendars. The festival typically begins on the first day of the first month in the Chinese calendar and finishes with Lantern Festival which is on the 15th day.
It is Chinese New Year tradition to thoroughly tidy the house. Before New Year's Eve, the house ought to be cleaned in preparation. This represents the sweeping out of miss fortune and the wishful invitation to good luck. When window frames and doors are given a new coat of paint, usually red, are also Chinese New Year customs. Decorations are put around the house and oranges and tangerines are put out, symbolizing good luck for the New Year.
It is traditional for all debts to be paid by the New Year. Nobody should ask for load at this time or whoever lends money will be lending all the year through.
Traditionally, New Year in China is a time when families get together - travelling far and wide to visit as many relatives as possible. Every member of the family stays up all night long, spending the time by watching television or playing board games. It is custom not to turn off any lights. After the meal, adults hand out red envelopes containing money to the children and people who are married. This is different from the Western world, where people give material items as gifts, in China, money is typically the default gift given to others. People will put these under their pillows when they sleep as they think this may encourage them to have pleasant dreams and they will become richer the following year.
Another part of the celebrations are the dances, such as the Dragon Dance and the the Lion Dance. On the one hand, Lion Dance is one of the most important dances of the Chinese New Year. Accompanied by loud music traditionally played by drum, gong, and cymbals, the Lion Dance is carried out during the first few days of the Chinese New Year by two talented dancers who play the tail and head of the lion, and is thought to bring good luck to the places it visits. The lion dance has it's root in legend. A mythic beast called a Nian turned up in China and terrorized the people. The only being that kill the Nian was the lion and his triumph is celebrated in the lion dance.
The the other hand, the Dragon Dance is the probably the most well-known custom of the Chinese New Year, and it is carried out with plenty of dancers all playing one part of the long dragon. This dance is being founded on the legend that the dragon regulates rainfall. By honoring the dragon with the traditional dance the country will be rich in adequate rain to maintain their crops. An abundance of crops will bring forth wealth to the farmers and the community they serve.
Burning firecrackers and letting off fireworks at the time of midnight is an age-old Chinese New Year tradition. This Chinese New Year tradition represents quite a few things. They are said to sound so loud to wake up the dragon, causing it to fly and bring in rain.
After New Year's Day, dirt and garbage should be taken out of the back door.
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