Happy New Year! This year marks the beginning of the Dragon, and it’s time for vibrant celebrations fills with family, tradition and a splash of red and gold. Lunar new year is also known as the Spring Festival, is all about fresh starts, coming together with loved ones, and wishing for good luck.
What is Chinese new year mostly about?
The Chinese new year, or Spring Festival is primarily about celebrating the arrival of a new year on the lunar calendar. It is a time for families to come together, express good wishes, and engage in customs believed to bring luck and prosperity. The festivities involve various traditions including reunion dinner, cleaning and decorating homes, elders giving red envelopes (called “Hongbao” in traditional Chinese) filled with money to youngers, enjoying fireworks and participating in cultural activities like dragon and lion dances. Overall, it emphasizes the values of family, renewal, and positive beginnings for the coming year ahead.
Who started lunar new year?
The origin of the Chinese new year can we traced back to ancient Chinese mythology and customs. It has deep roots in agrarian society’s with ties to the lunar calendar and seasonal changes. The celebration likely began as a way to mark the end of winter and welcome the spring assimilating various cultural religious and social elements over time.
What are 10 facts about Chinese new year?
Here are the 10 interesting facts associated with the lunar new year, one should know.
- Nian Monster Origin: The origin a story explain the use of loud noises and the red color during the celebrations to scare away the Nian monster, which was believed to terrorize villages.
- Festival of Lights: Apart from the modern days Fireworks, the traditional red colored lanterns play a very significant role in celebrations. Lantern festivals are organized, and people write their inner wishes on the lanterns before releasing them into the night sky.
- Noodles for Longevity: Eating longevity noodles during the new year is a tradition believed to bring a long and prosperous life. The length of the noodles symbolizes long life and good health.
- Dumplings for Wealth: Dumpling’s shape resemble ancient Chinese money, symbolizing wealth and fortune for the upcoming year.
- Clean Slate Ritual: Before the new year, it is customary to settle debts, forgiving, and cleaning homes thoroughly to ensure fresh start.
- No Sweeping on New Years: It is considered bad luck to sweep or clean or very first day itself, as doing so might sleep away the good fortune.
- Red Underwear Tradition: Wearing red underwear in the Chinese new year is believe to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits.
- Animal Associated With Year: Each year is associated with a specific zodiac animal. Lunar new year 2024 animal is Dragon. Other animals are Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Snake Horse, Goat (or Sheep), Monkey, Rooster (Chicken), Dog, and Pig.
- Global celebration: While deeply routed in Chinese culture the lunar new year is celebrated by millions of people worldwide making it one of the most significant and widely observed festival globally.
- Unique flower market: They offer variety of unique flower and plants, symbolizing growth, prosperity and a fresh start for the coming year.
May the year of the Dragon bring you abundant joy, prosperity, and fulfillment. Here’s to embracing new beginnings, strengthening bonds, and creating a year full of love and laughter. Happy lunar new year!