Happy New Year...Chinese New Year That Is!

~Xin nian kuai le - Gong xi fa cai ~

 Happy New Year - wishing you good fortune!

Chinese New Year is a holiday that celebrates the beginning of a new year according to the lunar calendar. It is considered to be one of the most important holidays for Chinese families.

The holiday is celebrated with big family gatherings, gift giving, the eating of symbolic foods and display of festive decorations--all focused on bringing good luck for the new year and celebrating the coming of Spring.

The start of Chinese New Year changes every year since it is dictated by the lunar calendar. The Gregorian or solar calendar--which is based on the Earth's movement around the sun and has a fixed number of 365 days a year (366 during a leap year)--is the most widely used calendar system in the world and has been the official calendar used in China since 1912.

But in China the lunar calendar is still used to determine traditional holidays like Chinese New Year. Since the lunar calendar is based on the phases of the moon-- which has a shorter cycle than the sun--Chinese New Year is never on the same day each year, but typically falls somewhere between January 21st and February 20th.

According to Daria Ng, Assistant Curator of Education at the Museum of Chinese in the Americas in New York City, celebrations can actually last up to a month, especially in China.

Originally the celebrations lasted for lengthy amounts of time because China was a very agriculture-based country so farmers took the whole month off to rest since crops couldn't be planted during the winter. Nowadays most families celebrate the New Year for about two week's time, says Ng, starting on the first day of the new year and end on the 15th.

I wanted to share with you some pictures taken at the Chinese New Year celebrations

we have attended over the past few years!

One tradition we enjoy is handing out a red envelope!

Called "hong bao" in Mandarin, the red envelopes filled with money are typically only given to children or unmarried adults with no job. If you're single and working and making money, you still have to give the younger ones the hong bao money.

 The color red denotes good luck/fortune and happiness/abundance in the Chinese Culture and is often worn or used for decoration in other celebrations. It's just a joyous color to wear no matter the significance!

Although the holiday is popularly known as Chinese New Year, the holiday is celebrated not only in Mainland China, but also Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, as well as Japan and Korea. In fact, the Chinatown of major cities over the world become beacons of Lunar New Year festivities as well.

新年快乐

Xīnnián kuàilè!

Happy New Year!

Τhis New Year may good luck and prosperity follow yοu 

Warmly,

Susie Q