Help
The Chinese New Year - Year of the Snake
| Published: 7th February 2013 21:45 |
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year begins on 10th February 2013 which marks the start of the Year of the Snake. The year will be 4711 on the Chinese Calendar. Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival.
Chinese New Year is the main Chinese festival of the year and it is not a religious event. We explain some of the traditions and stories linked to this celebration.
As the Chinese use the Lunar calendar for their festivals the date of Chinese New Year changes from year to year. The date corresponds to the new moon (black moon) in either late January or February. Traditionally celebrations last for fifteen days, ending on the date of the full moon. In China the public holiday lasts for three days and this is the biggest celebration of the year.
The Year of the Snake
The Chinese calendar is different from that used in the United Kingdom. It is made up of a cycle of twelve years, each of them being named after an animal. This is very like our signs of the zodiac. Some people believe that people born in a particular year such as the year of the Dog will have some of the characteristics of that animal.
Over a sixth of the people in the world celebrate Chinese New Year. Customs vary in different parts of the world, but everywhere the main idea is the same. It is a time to remember the family and wish everyone peace and prosperity in the coming year.
--------------------
People begin preparing the Chinese new year celebrations a month from its date (similar to what we westerners do with Christmas). People buy each other presents, clean up their houses and get rid of bad luck this way. Doors and windowpanes are usually painted red, and get decorated with paper cuts. The night before there is a huge family dinner of dumplings and seafood, such as dried oysters, raw fish salad and edible seaweed. Each of these foods has a specific meaning, usually a message of peace and happiness for the beloved ones.
On Chinese new year day, married couples give money in red envelopes to children and single adults. Families say greetings to their relatives and neighbours. Every city that has a China town is the scene of the famous Chinese new year parade, it's colorful costumes and the lucky dragon. At the end of the celebration is the occasion of the beautiful Festival of Lanterns.
Food plays a major role in Chinese new year traditions. The whole celebration lasts two weeks, and during this time, Chinese families serve lucky food, such as a whole chicken (which symbolizes the whole family being together). Citric fruits, such as tangerines, grapefruits and oranges are eaten a lot during Chinese New Year because the words for these fruits sound like luck, "to have" and wealth, respectively. As for delicious spring rolls, they also symbolize wealth, but this time because of their resemblance to gold bars.
As you can see, Chinese New Year is full of symbols, colourful traditions and a message of peace and good luck for the year to come. Chinese New Year traditions reflect the richness of this ancient culture that has lasted for thousands of years.
Year | Chinese New Year Begins | Animal Sign |
2000 | February 5 | Dragon |
2001 | January 24 | Snake |
2002 | February 12 | Horse |
2003 | February 1 | Sheep |
2004 | January 22 | Monkey |
2005 | February 9 | Rooster |
2006 | January 29 | Dog |
2007 | February 18 | Pig |
2008 | February 7 | Rat |
2009 | January 26 | Ox |
2010 | February 14 | Tiger |
2011 | February 3 | Rabbit |
2012 | January 23 | Dragon |
2013 | February 10 | Snake |
2014 | January 31 | Horse |
2015 | February 19 | Sheep |
2016 | February 8 | Monkey |
2017 | January 28 | Rooster |
2018 | February 16 | Dog |
2019 | February 5 | Pig |
Report this article as inappropriate
Comments
You need to log in before you can do that! It's only a quick registration process to join the AMA network and completely free.
Loading...
Help