This Chinese New Year falls on Saturday the 10th of February. Also known as “The Spring Festival” and “Lunar New Year” it marks the first new moon of the Lunar calendar and ends on the first full moon, usually 15 days later.
Historical Significance of the Luna Calendar
Chinese New Year follows the Luna calendar, primarily due to its historical & cultural significance. The calendar was essential for Chinese farming as it helped determine the timings for planting and harvesting. In many rural areas, the lunar calendar still helps guide farmers.
Common phrases you can learn
| English | Mandarin | English Pronunciation |
| Happy New Year | 新年快乐 | xin nian kuai le |
| Happy Spring Festival | 新春快乐 | xin chun kuai le |
| Best of Luck for the Draggon year | 龙年大吉 | Long nian da ji |
How Chinese New Year is typically celebrated
Chinese New Year celebration, is centred around removing the bad and old and embracing the new and good. Members of the family sit around a big table to have a New Year’s Eve dinner – known as Nilan Ye Fan. Popular foods to eat during the celebration include:
- Spring Rolls
- Whole Fish or Meat
- Glutinous-Rice Balls in Sweet Syrup
- Longevity Noodles
- Eight Treasures Rice
- Dumplings
- Cured Meats
- Good Fortune Fruit.
Each of which symbolises luck, prosperity, health or longevity.
Typically families burn incense to worship their ancestors, where senior members of the family would gift younger ones good luck pockets, known as Ya Sui Qian, typically contained in a red envelope. Typically red lanterns are hung on doors to ward off evil spirits.
The Importance of Red and Gold for Chinese New Year
In Chinese culture, Red symbolises joy and good fortune, which would explain why red lanterns and clothing are seen throughout the celebration. Red is also connected to the element of fire which is symbolic of the new, passion and vitality. Similarly to the Western world, Gold symbolises prosperity and wealth. Combined they spread the message of good fortune and wealth for everyone in the New Year.
The importance of the animals in Chinese New Year
The 12 animals:
- Rat
- Ox
- Tiger
- Rabbit
- Dragon
- Snake
- Horse
- Goat
- Monkey
- Rooster
- Dog
- Pig
The reasoning for these 12 animals derives from a popular tale in Chinese culture. In this tale, the Jade Emperor decided to select 12 animals to be his guard and the order of the selection was based on arrival.
The Rat used its cunning to ride on the Ox’s back and jumped off at the last moment to arrive first, thus becoming the first animal in the zodiac cycle. The Ox, steady and diligent, came second.
The Tiger and Rabbit, being fast and competitive, arrived third and fourth respectively.
The Dragon, despite being powerful and capable of flying, arrived fifth
due to its kindness in helping others along the way. Following the Dragon was the Snake.
The Horse and the Goat arrived next, showing kindness and modesty, followed by the Monkey. The Rooster, Dog, and Pig filled the final three positions.
Each animal’s position in the zodiac is said to influence the personality traits associated with the people born in each animal’s year.
Additionally, the zodiac animals are associated with the Five Elements (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth) in Chinese culture.
These elements are believed to influence the personality and destiny of individuals.
Happy Chinese New Year from Prestige Network
