Chinese New Year

1

Chinese New Year Chinese New Year

Also called

Lunar New Year, Spring Festival

Observed by

Chinese communities worldwide

Type

Cultural, Religious (Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian)

Significance

The first day of the Chinese calendar (lunisolar calendar)

2011 date

February 3

2012 date

January 23

2013 date

February 10

Celebrations

Dragon dances/Lion dances, fireworks, family gathering, family meal, visiting friends and relatives (拜 年, bàinián), giving red envelopes, decorating with duilian (對 聯, duìlián).

Related to

Lantern Festival, which concludes the celebration of the New Year. Mongol New Year (Tsagaan Sar), Tibetan New Year (Losar), Japanese New Year (Shōgatsu), Korean New Year (Seollal), Vietnamese New Year (Tết)

[1]

Chinese New Year Traditional Chinese Simplified Chinese

農曆新年 农历新年

Literal meaning

Agriculture / Agricultural / Agrarian Calendar's New Year

Transcriptions Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin Nónglì Xīnnián Min - Hokkien POJ sin-nî (新 年) or sin-chiaⁿ (新 正) Cantonese (Yue) - Jyutping

nung4 lik6 san1 nin4 Spring Festival

Traditional Chinese Simplified Chinese

春節 春节

Literal meaning

Spring Festival

Chinese New Year

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Transcriptions Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin Chūnjié Min - Hokkien POJ sin-chhun (新 春) Cantonese (Yue) - Jyutping

ceon1 zit3

Chinese New Year is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. In China, it is known as 'Spring Festival', the literal translation of the Chinese name 春 節 (Pinyin: Chūnjié), since the spring season in Chinese calendar starts with lichun, the first solar term in a Chinese calendar year. It marks the end of the winter season, analogous to the Western Carnival. The festival begins on the first day of the first month (Chinese: 正 月; pinyin: Zhēngyuè) in the traditional Chinese calendar and ends with Lantern Festival which is on the 15th day. Chinese New Year's Eve, a day where Chinese families gather for their annual reunion dinner, is known as Chúxī (除 夕), literally "remove evening" or "Eve of the Passing Year." Because the Chinese calendar is lunisolar, the Chinese New Year is often referred to as the "Lunar New Year" and Agriculture / Agricultural / Agrarian Calendar's New Year. Chinese New Year is the longest and most important festivity in the Chinese calendar. The origin of Chinese New Year is itself centuries old and gains significance because of several myths and traditions. Chinese New Year is celebrated in countries and territories with significant Chinese populations, such as China, including Hong Kong, [2] Macau, Singapore,[3] Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Mauritius,[4] Philippines,[5][6] Vietnam, and also in Chinatowns elsewhere. Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday for the Chinese and has had influence on the lunar new year celebrations of its geographic neighbors. Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the Chinese new year vary widely. People will pour out their money to buy presents, decoration, material, food, and clothing. It is also traditional for every family to thoroughly cleanse the house, in order to sweep away any ill-fortune and to make way for good incoming luck. Windows and doors will be decorated with red colour paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of "good fortune" or "happiness", "wealth", and "longevity". On the Eve of Chinese New Year, supper is a feast with families. Food will include such items as pigs, ducks, chicken and sweet delicacies. The family will end the night with firecrackers. Early the next morning, children will greet their parents by wishing them a healthy and happy new year, and receive money in red paper envelopes. The Chinese New Year tradition is to reconcile, forget all grudges and sincerely wish peace and happiness for everyone. Although the Chinese calendar traditionally does not use continuously numbered years, outside China its years are often numbered from the reign of the Yellow Emperor. But at least three different years numbered 1 are now used by various scholars, making the year beginning in 2012 CE the "Chinese Year" 4710, 4709, or 4649.[7]

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London: Chinatown with Chinese New Year decoration

Dates

Chinese New Year eve in Meizhou on February 8, 2005.

Animal

Branch

New Year dates 1996-02-19 2008-02-07 2020-01-25

鼠 Shǔ Rat

子 Zǐ

牛 Niú Ox

丑 Chǒu 1997-02-07 2009-01-26 2021-02-12

虎 Hǔ Tiger

寅 Yín

兔 Tù Rabbit

卯 Mǎo 1999-02-16 2011-02-03 2023-01-22

1998-01-28 2010-02-14 2022-02-01

龍 Lóng Dragon 辰 Chén 2000-02-05 2012-01-23 2024-02-10 蛇 Shé Snake

巳 Sì

2001-01-24 2013-02-10 2025-01-29

马 Mǎ Horse

午 Wǔ

2002-02-12 2014-01-31 2026-02-17

羊 Yáng Goat

未 Wèi

2003-02-01 2015-02-19 2027-02-07

猴 Hóu Monkey 申 Shēn 2004-01-22 2016-02-08 2028-01-27 雞 Jī Rooster

酉 Yǒu 2005-02-09 2017-01-28 2029-02-13

狗 Gǒu Dog

戌 Xū

2006-01-29 2018-02-16 2030-02-03

豬 Zhū Pig

亥 Hài

2007-02-18 2019-02-05 2031-01-23

The lunisolar Chinese calendar determines the date of Chinese New Year. The calendar is also used in countries that have adopted or have been influenced by Han culture, notably the Koreans, Japanese and Vietnamese, and may have a common ancestry with the similar New Year festivals outside East Asia, such as Iran, and historically, the Bulgars lands.

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In the Gregorian calendar, Chinese New Year falls on different dates each year, a date between January 21 and February 20. In the Chinese calendar, winter solstice must occur in the 11th month, which means that Chinese New Year usually falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice (rarely the third if an intercalary month intervenes). In traditional Chinese Culture, lichun is a solar term marking the start of spring, which occurs about February 4. The dates for Chinese New Year from 1996 to 2031 (in the Gregorian calendar) are at the left, along with the year's presiding animal zodiac and its earthly branch. The names of the earthly branches have no English counterparts and are not the Chinese translations of the animals. Alongside the 12-year cycle of the animal zodiac there is a 10-year cycle of heavenly stems. Each of the ten heavenly stems is associated with one of the five elements of Chinese astrology, namely: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. The elements are rotated every two years while a yin and yang association alternates every year. The elements are thus distinguished: Yang Wood, Yin Wood, Yang Fire, Yin Fire, etc. These produce a combined cycle that repeats every 60 years. For example, the year of the Yang Fire Rat occurred in 1936 and in 1996, 60 years apart.[8]

Southeast Asia's largest temple — Kek Lok Si in Penang, Malaysia — illuminated in preparation for the Lunar New Year.

Many confuse their Chinese birth-year with their Gregorian birth-year. As the Chinese New Year starts in late January to mid-February, the Chinese year dates from January 1 until that day in the new Gregorian year remain unchanged from the previous Gregorian year. For example, the 1989 year of the snake began on February 6, 1989. The year 1990 is considered by some people to be the year of the horse. However, the 1989 year of the snake officially ended on February 8, 1990. This means that anyone born from January 1 to February 7, 1990 was actually born in the year of the snake rather than the year of the horse. Many online Chinese Sign calculators do not account for the non-alignment of the two calendars, using Gregorian-calendar years rather than official Chinese New Year dates. One scheme of continuously numbered Chinese-calendar years assigns 4709 to the year beginning January 30, 2011, but this is not universally accepted; the calendar is traditionally cyclical, not continuously numbered.

Mythology According to tales and legends, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the Nian (Chinese: 年; pinyin: Nián). Nian would come on the first day of New Year to eat livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. To protect themselves, the villagers would put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year. It was believed that after the Nian ate the food they prepared, it wouldn’t attack any more people. One time, people saw that the Nian was scared away by a little child wearing red. The Hand-painted Chinese New Year's poetry pasted villagers then understood that the Nian was afraid of the color red. on the sides of doors leading to people's homes, Hence, every time when the New Year was about to come, the Lijiang, Yunnan villagers would hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. People also used firecrackers to frighten away the Nian. From then on, Nian never came to the village again. The Nian was eventually captured by Hongjun Laozu, an ancient Taoist monk. The Nian became Hongjun Laozu's mount.[9]

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Public holiday Chinese New Year is observed as a public holiday in a number of countries and territories where a sizable Chinese population resides. Since Chinese New Year falls on different dates on the Gregorian calendar every year on different days of the week, some of these governments opt to shift working days in order to accommodate a longer public holiday. Also like many other countries in the world, a statutory holiday is added on the following work day when the New Year falls on a weekend. Region

Description

People's Republic of China

New Year's Eve and the 1st 2-days. (Usually, the Saturday before and the Sunday after Chinese New Year are declared working days, and the 2-additionally gained holidays are added to the official 3-days of holiday, so that people have 7-consecutive days, including weekends, In 2013, the 1st 3-day (10-12 February) is a Sunday until Tuesday and Chinese New Year's Eve (9 February) is consequently a public holiday)

Hong Kong and Macau

The 1st 3-days. If one of the 1st 3-days is on a Sunday, Chinese New Year's Eve is celebrated as a public holiday. In 2013, the 1st 3-day (10-12 February) is a Sunday until Tuesday and Chinese New Year's Eve (9 February) is consequently a public holiday.

Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam

The New Year's Eve and the 1st 3-days. In 2013, the 1st 3-day (10-12 February) is a Sunday until Tuesday and Chinese New Year's Eve (9 February) is consequently a public holiday.

Malaysia and Singapore

The 1st 2-days. If 1 of the days falls on a Sunday, the holiday is extended to 3-days. In 2013, the 1st 2-day (10-11 February) is a Sunday until Monday. Chinese New Year's Eve is usually an unofficial half-day holiday in Singapore.

Indonesia and The 1st 1-days. In 2013, the 1st 1-day (10 February) is a Sunday. Brunei Other

A 20-countries around the world regularly issue postage stamps and numismatic coins to commemorate Chinese New Year. Although Chinese New Year is not institutionalized as public holiday, these countries recognize the significant number of their citizens who are of Chinese origin. The countries and territories that sometimes do so include Australia, Canada, Philippines, Fiji, Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands, Myanmar, Timor Leste, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, France, New Zealand, United States of America, Mexico, United Kingdom and Cuba.

Festivities Red couplets and red lanterns are displayed on the door frames and light up the atmosphere. The air is filled with strong Chinese emotions. In stores in Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, and other cities, products of traditional Chinese style have started to lead fashion trend[s]. Buy yourself a Chinese-style coat, get your kids tiger-head hats and shoes, and decorate your home with some beautiful red Chinese knots, then you will have an authentic Chinese-style Spring Festival.

“

”

—Xinwen Lianbo, January 2001, quoted by Li Ren, Imagining China in the Era of Global Consumerism and Local Consciousness

[10]

Preceding days On the eighth day of the lunar month prior to Chinese New Year, a traditional porridge known as làbāzhōu (臘 八 粥) is served in remembrance "of an ancient festival, called Là, that occurred shortly after the winter solstice".[11] Làyuè (臘 月) is a term often associated with Chinese New Year as it refers to the sacrifices held in honor of the gods in the twelfth lunar month, hence the cured meats of Chinese New Year are known as làròu (臘 肉). The porridge was prepared by the women of the household at first light, with the first bowl offered to the family's ancestors and the household deities. Every member of the family was then served a bowl, with leftovers distributed to relatives and friends.[12] It's still served as a special breakfast on this day in some Chinese homes. On the days immediately before the New Year celebration, Chinese families give their home a thorough cleaning. There is a Cantonese saying "Wash away the dirt on ninyabaat" (年 廿 八 ， 洗 邋 遢), but the practice is not restricted to nin'ya'baat (年 廿 八, the 28th day of month 12). It is believed the cleaning sweeps away the bad luck of the preceding year and makes their homes ready for good luck. Brooms and dust pans are put away on the first

Chinese New Year day so that the newly arrived good luck cannot be swept away. Some people give their homes, doors and window-frames a new coat of red paint; decorators and paper-hangers do a year-end rush of business prior to Chinese New Year.[13] Homes are often decorated with paper cutouts of Chinese auspicious phrases and couplets. Purchasing new clothing, shoes, and receiving a hair-cut also symbolize a fresh start. Businesses are expected to pay off all the debts outstanding for the year before the new year eve, extending to debts of gratitude. Thus it is a common practice to send gifts and rice to close business associates, and extended family members. In many households where Buddhism or Taoism is prevalent, home altars and statues are cleaned thoroughly, and altars that were adorned with decorations from the previous year are taken down and burned a week before the new year starts, to be replaced with new decorations. Taoists (and Buddhists to a lesser extent) will also "send gods" (送 神, sòngshén), an example would be burning a paper effigy of Zao Jun the Kitchen God, the recorder of family functions. This is done so that the Kitchen God can report to the Jade Emperor of the family household's transgressions and good deeds. Families often offer sweet foods (such as candy) in order to "bribe" the deities into reporting good things about the family. Prior to the Reunion Dinner, a thanksgiving prayer offering to mark the safe passage of the previous year is held. Confucianists take the opportunity to remember the ancestors, and those who had lived before them are revered. The biggest event of any Chinese New Year's Eve is the Reunion Dinner. A dish consisting of fish will appear on the tables of Chinese families. It is for display for the New Year's Eve dinner. This meal is comparable to Christmas dinner in the West. In northern China, it is customary to make dumplings (jiaozi, 餃 子, jiǎozi) after dinner to eat around midnight. Dumplings symbolize wealth because their shape resembles a Chinese tael. By contrast, in the South, it is customary to make a glutinous new year cake (niangao, 年 糕, niángāo) and send pieces of it as gifts to relatives and friends in the coming days of the new year. Niángāo [Pinyin] literally means "new year cake" with a homophonous meaning of "increasingly prosperous year in year out".[14] After dinner, some families go to local temples hours before the new year begins to pray for a prosperous new year by lighting the first incense of the year; however in modern practice, many households hold parties and even hold a countdown to the new year. Traditionally, firecrackers were once lit to scare away evil spirits with the household doors sealed, not to be reopened until the new morning in a ritual called "opening the door of fortune" (kāicáimén, 開 財 門).[15] Beginning in 1982, the CCTV New Year's Gala was broadcast four hours before the start of the New Year.

First day The first day is for the welcoming of the deities of the heavens and earth, officially beginning at midnight. It is a traditional practice to light fireworks, burn bamboo sticks and firecrackers and to make as much of a din as possible to chase off the evil spirits as encapsulated by nian (年) of which the term guo-nian (过 年) was derived. Many people, especially Buddhists, abstain from meat consumption on the first day because it is believed that this will ensure longevity for them. Some consider lighting fires and using knives to be bad luck on New Year's Day, so all food to be consumed is cooked the days before. On this day, it is considered bad luck to use the broom. Most importantly, the first day of Chinese New Year is a time to honor one's elders and families visit the oldest and most senior members of their extended families, usually their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. For Buddhists, the first day is also the birthday of Maitreya Bodhisattva (better known as the more familiar Budai Luohan), the Buddha-to-be. People also abstain from killing animals. Some families may invite a lion dance troupe as a symbolic ritual to usher in the Chinese New Year as well as to evict bad spirits from the premises. Members of the family who are married also give red packets containing cash known as lai see or angpow, a form of blessings and to suppress the aging and challenges associated with the coming year, to junior members of the family, mostly children and teenagers. Business managers also give bonuses through red packets to employees for good luck, smooth-sailing, good health and wealth. While fireworks and firecrackers are traditionally very popular, some regions have banned them due to concerns over fire hazards. For this reason, various city governments (e.g., Hong Kong, and Beijing, for a number of years)

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issued bans over fireworks and firecrackers in certain precints of the city. As a substitute, large-scale fireworks display have been launched by governments in such cities as Hong Kong and Singapore.

Second day The second day of the Chinese New Year, known as kāinián (开 年, "beginning of the year"),[16] was when married daughters visited their birth parents, relatives and close friends. (Traditionally, married daughters didn't have the opportunity to visit their birth families frequently.) During the days of imperial China, "beggars and other unemployed people circulate[d] from family to family, carrying a picture [of the God of Wealth] shouting, "Cai Shen dao!" [The God of Wealth has come!]."[17] Householders would respond with "lucky money" to reward the messengers. Business people of the Cantonese dialect group will hold a 'Hoi Nin' prayer to start their business on the 2nd day of Chinese New Year so they will be blessed with good luck and prosperity in their business for the year. Some believe that the second day is also the birthday of all dogs and remember them with special treats.

Incense is burned at the graves of ancestors as part of the offering and prayer ritual.

Third day The third day is known as Chìkǒu (赤 口), directly translated as "red mouth". Chìkǒu is also called Chìgǒurì (赤 狗 日). Chìgǒu means "the God of Blazing Wrath" (熛 怒 之 神). Rural villagers continue with the tradition of offering prayers beside open burning rubbish dump, whereby waste and rubbish are incinerated together with offerings. It is generally accepted that it is not a good day to socialize or visit your relatives and friends.[18][19] Hakka villagers in rural Hong Kong in the 1960s called it the Day of the Poor Devil and believed everyone should stay at home.[20] This is also considered a propitious day to visit the temple of the God of Wealth and have one's future told.

Fourth day In those communities that celebrate Chinese New Year for only two or three days, the fourth day is when corporate "spring dinners" kick off and business returns to normal.

Fifth day This day is the God of Wealth's birthday. In northern Mainland China, people eat jiǎozi (simplified Chinese: 饺 子; traditional Chinese: 餃 子), or dumplings on the morning of Pòwǔ (破 五). In Taiwan, businesses traditionally re-open on the next day (the sixth day), accompanied by firecrackers. It is also common in China that on the 5th day people will shoot off firecrackers in the attempt to get Guan Yu's attention, thus ensuring his favor and good fortune for the new year.

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Seventh day The seventh day, traditionally known as Rénrì (人 日, the common man's birthday), the day when everyone grows one year older. In some overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia and Singapore, it is also the day when tossed raw fish salad, yusheng, is eaten for continued wealth and prosperity. For many Chinese Buddhists, this is another day to avoid meat, the seventh day commemorating the birth of Sakra, lord of the devas in Buddhist cosmology who is analogous to the Jade Emperor.

Eighth day Another family dinner is held to celebrate the eve of the birth of the Jade Emperor. However, everybody should be back to work by the eighth day. All government agencies and business will stop celebrating by the eighth day. Store owners will host a lunch/dinner with their employees, thanking their employees for the work they have done for the whole year.

Ninth day The ninth day of the New Year is a day for Chinese to offer prayers to the Jade Emperor of Heaven (天 公, Tiāngōng) in the Daoist Pantheon.[21] The ninth day is traditionally the birthday of the Jade Emperor. This day, called Ti Kong Dan Chinese New Year's celebrations, on the eighth day, in the Metro Vancouver suburb of Richmond, British Columbia, Canada.

[22]

Tiangong Sheng (天 公 生) or Pai Ti Kong (拜 天 公, Pài Thiⁿ-kong), is especially important to Hokkiens.

Come midnight of the eighth day of the new year, Hokkiens will offer thanks giving prayers to the Emperor of Heaven. A prominent requisite offering is sugarcane.[22] Legend holds that the Hokkien were spared from a massacre by Japanese pirates by hiding in a sugarcane plantation during the eighth and ninth days of the Chinese New Year, coinciding with the Jade Emperor's birthday.[22] Since "sugarcane" (甘 蔗, kam-chià) is a near homonym to "thank you" (感 謝, kám-siā) in the Hokkien dialect, Hokkiens offer sugarcane on the eve of his birthday, symbolic of their gratitude.[22] In the morning of this birthday, Taiwanese households set up an altar table with 3 layers: one top (containing offertories of six vegetables (六 齋), noodles, fruits, cakes, tangyuan, vegetable bowls, and unripen betel, all decorated with paper lanterns) and two lower levels (containing the five sacrifices and wines) to honor the deities below the Jade Emperor.[21] The household then kneels three times and kowtows nine times to pay obeisance and wish him a long life.[21] Incense, tea, fruit, vegetarian food or roast pig, and gold paper is served as a customary protocol for paying respect to an honored person.

Chinese New Year

Tenth day The Jade Emperor's party is also celebrated on this day.

Thirteenth day On the 13th day people will eat pure vegetarian food to clean out their stomach due to consuming too much food over the last two weeks. This day is dedicated to the General Guan Yu, also known as the Chinese God of War. Guan Yu was born in the Han dynasty and is considered the greatest general in Chinese history. He represents loyalty, strength, truth, and justice. According to history, he was tricked by the enemy and was beheaded. Almost every organization and business in China will pray to Guan Yu on this day. Before his life ended, Guan Yu had won over one hundred battles and that is a goal that all businesses in China want to accomplish. In a way, people look at him as the God of Wealth or the God of Success.

Fifteenth day The fifteenth day of the new year is celebrated as Yuanxiao Festival/Yuánxiāojié (元 宵 节), aka Shangyuan Festival/Shàngyuánjié (上 元 节) or the Lantern Festival (otherwise known as Chap Goh Mei Chinese: 十 五 暝; pinyin: Shíwǔmíng; literally "the fifteen night" in Fujian dialect). Rice dumplings tangyuan (simplified Chinese: 汤 圆; traditional Chinese: 湯 圓; pinyin: tāngyuán), a sweet glutinous rice ball brewed in a soup, are eaten this day. Candles are lit outside houses as a way to guide wayward spirits home. This day is celebrated as the Lantern Festival, and families walk the street carrying lighted lanterns. In Malaysia and Singapore, this day is celebrated by individuals seeking for a love partner, a different version of Valentine's Day.[23] Normally, single women would write their contact number on mandarin oranges and throw it in a river or a lake while single men would collect them and eat the oranges. The taste is an indication of their possible love: sweet represents a good fate while sour represents a bad fate. This day often marks the end of the Chinese New Year festivities.

Cuisine A reunion dinner is held on New Year's Eve where members of the family gather for the celebration. The venue will usually be in or near the home of the most senior member of the family. The New Year's Eve dinner is very large and sumptuous and traditionally includes dishes of meat (namely, pork and chicken) and fish. Most reunion dinners also feature a communal hot pot as it is believed to signify the coming together of the family members for the meal. Most reunion dinners (particularly in the Southern regions) also prominently feature speciality meats (e.g. wax-cured meats like duck and Chinese sausage) Niangao, Chinese New Year cake and seafood (e.g. lobster and abalone) that are usually reserved for this and other special occasions during the remainder of the year. In most areas, fish (simplified Chinese: 鱼; traditional Chinese: 魚; pinyin: yú) is included, but not eaten completely (and the remainder is stored overnight), as the Chinese phrase "may there be surpluses every year" (simplified Chinese: 年 年 有 余; traditional Chinese: 年 年 有 餘; pinyin: niánnián yǒu yú) sounds the same as "let there be fish every year." In mainland China, many families will banter whilst watching the CCTV New Year's Gala in the hours before midnight.

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Red packets for the immediate family are sometimes distributed during the reunion dinner. These packets often contain money in certain numbers that reflect good luck and honorability. Several foods are consumed to usher in wealth, happiness, and good fortune. Several of the Chinese food names are homophones for words that also mean good things. Like many other New Year dishes, certain ingredients also take special precedence over others as these ingredients also has similar sounding names with prosperity, good luck, or even counting money. Food items Name

Description

Buddha's delight (simplified Chinese: 罗 汉 斋; traditional Chinese: 羅 漢 齋; pinyin: luóhànzhāi)

An elaborate vegetarian dish served by Chinese families on the eve and the first day of the New Year. A type of black hair-like algae, pronounced "fat choy" in Cantonese, is also featured in the dish for its name, which sounds like "prosperity". Hakkas usually serve kiu nyuk (Chinese: 扣 肉; pinyin: kòuròu) and ngiong teu fu.

Fish

Is usually eaten or merely displayed on the eve of Chinese New Year. The pronunciation of fish (魚yú) makes it a homophone for "surpluses"(餘yú).

Leek

Is usually served in a dish with rondelles of Chinese sausage or waxed meat during Chinese New Year. The pronunciation of leek (蒜 苗/大 蒜Suàn miáo/Dà suàn) makes it a homophone for "calculating (money)" (算Suàn). The waxed meat is so chosen because it is traditionally the primary method for storing meat over the winter and the meat rondelles resemble coins.

Jau gok (Chinese: 油 角; pinyin: yóujiăo)

The main Chinese new year dumpling. It is believed to resemble ancient Chinese gold ingots (simplified Chinese: 金 元 宝; traditional Chinese: 金 元 寶; pinyin: jīnyuánbǎo)

jiaozi (dumplings) (Chinese: Eaten traditionally in northern China because the preparation is similar to packaging luck inside the dumpling, which 餃 子) is later eaten. The dumpling resembles a silver ingot, or money. The symbolism is prosperity. Mandarin oranges

Mandarin oranges are the most popular and most abundant fruit during Chinese New Year – jin ju (Chinese: 金 橘 子; pinyin: jīnjúzi) translation: golden tangerine/orange or kam (Chinese: 柑; pinyin: gān) in Cantonese. Also, the [24] name gik (橘 jú) in Teochew dialect is a homophone of "luck" or "fortune" (吉 jí).

Melon seed/Kwatji (Chinese: 瓜 子; pinyin: guāzi)

Other variations include sunflower, pumpkin and other seeds. It symbolizes fertility and having many children.

Niángāo (Chinese: 年 糕)

Most popular in eastern China (Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai) because its pronunciation is a homophone for "a more prosperous year (年 高 lit. year high)". Nian gao is also popular in the Philippines because of its large Chinese population and is known as "tikoy" (Chinese: 甜 粿, from Min Nan) there. Known as Chinese New Year pudding, nian gao is made up of glutinous rice flour, wheat starch, salt, water, and sugar. The colour of the sugar used determines the colour of the pudding (white or brown).

Noodles

Families may serve uncut noodles, which represent longevity and long life, though this practice is not limited to the new year.

Sweets

Sweets and similar dried fruit goods are stored in a red or black Chinese candy box.

Bakkwa (Chinese: 肉 干; pinyin: ròugān)

Chinese salty-sweet dried meat, akin to jerky, which is trimmed of the fat, sliced, marinated and then smoked for later consumption or as a gift.

Taro cakes (Chinese: 芋 頭 糕, yùtougāo)

Made from the vegetable taro, the cakes are cut into squares and often fried.

Turnip cakes (Chinese: 蘿 蔔 糕, luóbogāo)

A dish made of shredded radish and rice flour, usually fried and cut into small squares.

Yusheng or Yee sang (simplified Chinese: 鱼 生; traditional Chinese: 魚 生; pinyin: yúshēng)

Raw fish salad. Eating this salad is said to bring good luck. This dish is usually eaten on the seventh day of the New Year, but may also be eaten throughout the period.

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Practices Red envelopes Traditionally, Red envelopes or red packets (Cantonese: lai sze or lai see) (利 是, 利 市 or 利 事; Pinyin: lìshì); (Mandarin: 'hóngbāo' (红 包); Hokkien: 'ang pow' (POJ: âng-pau); Hakka: 'fung bao'; are passed out during the Chinese New Year's celebrations, from married couples or the elderly to unmarried juniors. It is also common for adults or young couples to give red packets to children. Red packets are also known as 壓 歲 錢/压 岁 钱 (yàsuìqián, which was evolved from 壓 祟 錢/压 祟 钱, literally, the money used to suppress or put down the evil spirit) during this period.[25]

Red packets for sale in a market in Taipei, Taiwan, before the Year of the Rat

Red packets almost always contain money, usually varying from a couple of dollars to several hundred. Per custom, the amount of money in the red packets should be of even numbers, as odd numbers are associated with cash given during funerals (帛 金: báijīn). The number 8 is considered lucky (for its homophone for "wealth"), and $8 is commonly found in the red envelopes in the US. The number six (六, liù) is also very lucky as it sounds like 'smooth' (流, liú), in the sense of having a smooth year. Sometimes chocolate coins are found in the red packets. Odd and even numbers are determined by the first digit, rather than the last. Thirty and fifty, for example, are odd numbers, and are thus appropriate as funeral cash gifts. However, it is common and quite acceptable to have cash gifts in a red packet using a single bank note – with ten or fifty yuan bills used frequently.

Shoppers at a New Year market in Chinatown, Singapore

The act of requesting for red packets is normally called (Mandarin): 讨 紅 包 tǎo-hóngbāo, 要 利 是. (Cantonese): 逗 利 是. A married person would not turn down such a request as it would mean that he or she would be "out of luck" in the new year. In Taiwan in 2000s, sometimes some employers also give red packets as bonus to maids, nurses or domestic workers from Southeast Asian countries, though whether this is appropriate is controversial.[26] The Japanese have a similar tradition of giving money during the New Year called Otoshidama.

Gift exchange In addition to red envelopes, which are usually given from elder to younger, small gifts (usually of food or sweets) are also exchanged between friends or relatives (of different households) during Chinese New Year. Gifts are usually brought when visiting friends or relatives at their homes. Common gifts include fruits (typically oranges, and never pears), cakes, biscuits, chocolates, candies, or some other small gift.[27]

Markets Markets or village fairs are set up as the New Year is approaching. These usually open-air markets feature new year related products such as flowers, toys, clothing, and even fireworks. It is convenient for people to buy gifts for their new year visits as well as their home decoration. In some places, the practice of shopping for the perfect plum tree is not dissimilar to the Western tradition of buying a Christmas tree.

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Hong Kong filmmakers also release Hèsuè (賀 歲) films in this time of the year.

Fireworks Bamboo stems filled with gunpowder that were burnt to create small explosions were once used in ancient China to drive away evil spirits. In modern times, this method has eventually evolved into the use of firecrackers during the festive season. Firecrackers are usually strung on a long fused string so it can be hung down. Each firecracker is rolled up in red papers, as red is auspicious, with gunpowder in its core. Once ignited, the firecracker lets out a loud popping noise and, as they are usually strung together by the hundreds, the firecrackers are known for their deafening explosions that are thought to scare away evil spirits. See also Myths above. The burning of firecrackers also signifies a joyful time of year and has become an integral aspect of Chinese New Year celebrations.[28]

A Chinese man setting off fireworks during Chinese New Year in Shanghai.

Firecracker ban The use of firecrackers, although a traditional part of celebration, has over the years led to many unfortunate outcomes. There have been reported incidents every year of users of fireworks being blinded, losing body parts, or suffering other grievous injuries, especially during the Chinese New Year season. Hence, many governments and authorities eventually enacted laws completely banning the use of firecrackers privately, primarily because of safety issues. • Taiwan – Beginning 2008, firecrackers are banned in urban areas, but still allowed in rural areas. • Mainland China – As of 2008, most urban areas in mainland China permit firecrackers. In the first three days of the traditional New Year, it is a tradition that people compete with each other by playing with firecrackers. However, many urban areas banned them in the 1990s. For example, they were banned in Beijing's urban districts from 1993 to 2005.[29] In 2004, 37 people were killed in a stampede when four million[30] people gathered for a rumoured Lantern Festival firework display in nearby Miyun.[31] Since the ban was lifted, the firecracker barrage has been tremendous. In Beijing, firecrackers are typically not allowed inside the 5th ring road. But this is overlooked by authorities for the holiday, provided there are no government buildings nearby; some residents in major cities look down on street-level fireworks from their tower blocks. Bans are rare in rural areas. • Vietnam – 1996, fireworks were banned across the country because of its dangers. • Hong Kong – Fireworks are banned for security reasons – some speculate a connection between firework use and the 1967 Leftist Riot. However, the government would put on a fireworks display in Victoria Harbour on the second day of the Chinese New Year for the public. Similar displays are also held in many other cities in and outside China. • Singapore – a partial ban on firecrackers was imposed in March 1970 after a fire killed six people and injured 68.[32] This was extended to a total ban in August 1972, after an explosion that killed two people[33] and an attack on two police officers attempting to stop a group from letting off firecrackers in February 1972.[34] However, in 2003, the government allowed firecrackers to be set off during the festive season. At the Chinese New Year light-up in Chinatown, at the stroke of midnight on the first day of the Chinese New Year, firecrackers are set off under controlled conditions by the Singapore Tourism Board with assistance from demolition experts from the Singapore Armed Forces. Other occasions where firecrackers are allowed to be set off are determined by the tourism board or other government organizations. However, they are not allowed to be commercially sold. • Malaysia – firecrackers are banned for the similar reasons as in Singapore. However, many Malaysians manage to smuggle them from Thailand to meet their private needs.

Chinese New Year • Indonesia – Firecrackers and fireworks are forbidden in public during the Chinese New Year, especially in areas with significant non-Chinese population in order to avoid any conflict between the two. However, there were some exceptions. The usage of firecrackers is legal in some metropolitan areas such as Jakarta and Medan, where the degree of racial and cultural tolerance is higher. • United States – In 2007, New York City lifted its decade-old ban on firecrackers, allowing a display of 300,000 firecrackers to be set off in Chinatown's Chatham Square.[35] Under the supervision of the fire and police departments, Los Angeles regularly lights firecrackers every New Year's Eve, mostly at temples and the shrines of benevolent associations. The San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade, the largest outside China, is accompanied by numerous firecrackers, both officially sanctioned and illicit. • Australia – Australia, with the exception of the Northern Territory, does not permit the use of fireworks at all, except when used by a licensed pyrotechnician. These rules also require a permit to be sought from local government, as well as any relevant local bodies such as maritime or aviation authorities (as relevant to the types of fireworks being used) and hospitals, schools, etc., within a certain range. • Philippines - Despite the rise in firecracker-related injuries in 2009, the Department of Health has acknowledged that a total ban on firecrackers in the country will be hard to implement. Davao City, the first city in the country to impose a firecracker ban, has enjoyed injury-free celebrations for at least the last ten years. Their ban has been in effect since 2002.

Clothing Clothing mainly featuring the colour red or bright colors is commonly worn throughout the Chinese New Year because it was once believed that red could scare away evil spirits and bad fortune. In addition, people typically wear new clothes from head to toe to symbolize a new beginning in the new year. Wearing new clothes also symbolizes having more than enough things to use and wear in the new year.Red is a color of good luck.

Family portrait Taking family portrait is an important ceremony after the relatives are gathered. The photo is taken at the hall of the house or taken in front of the house. The most senior male head of the family sits in the center.

Symbolism As with all cultures, Chinese New Year traditions incorporate elements that are symbolic of deeper meaning. One common example of Chinese New Year symbolism is the red diamond-shaped fú characters (Chinese: 福, Cantonese and Hakka: Fook, literally "blessings, happiness"), which are displayed on the entrances of Chinese homes. This sign is usually seen hanging upside down, since the Chinese word 倒 (dào) "upside down", is homophonous or nearly homophonous with 到 (dào) "arrive" in all varieties of Chinese. Therefore, it symbolizes the arrival of luck, happiness, and prosperity. Red is the predominant colour used in New Year celebrations. Red is the emblem of joy, and this colour also symbolizes virtue, truth and An inverted character "福 (fú)" is a sign of sincerity. On the Chinese opera stage, a painted red face usually arriving blessings. denotes a sacred or loyal personage and sometimes a great emperor. Candies, cakes, decorations and many things associated with the New Year and its ceremonies are coloured red. The sound of the Chinese word for “red” ( 紅, hóng) is “hong” in Mandarin (Hakka: Fung; Cantonese: Hoong) which also means “prosperous.” Therefore, red is an auspicious colour and has an auspicious sound.

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Nianhua Nianhua can be a form of Chinese coloured woodblock printing, for decoration during Chinese New Year.[36]

Flowers The following are popular floral decorations for the New Year and are available at new year markets.

Chinese New Year festival in Chinatown, Boston

Floral Decor

Meaning

Plum Blossom

symbolizes luckyness

Kumquat

symbolizes prosperity

Narcissus

symbolizes prosperity

Bamboo

a plant used for any time of year

Sunflower

means to have a good year

Eggplant

a plant to heal all of your sickness

Chom Mon Plant a plant which gives you tranquility

Icons and ornaments Icons Lanterns

Meaning These lanterns differ from those of Mid Autumn Festival in general. They will be red in colour and tend to be oval in shape. These are the traditional Chinese paper lanterns. Those lanterns, used on the fifteenth day of the Chinese New Year for the Lantern Festival, are bright, colourful, and in many different sizes and shapes.

Illustrations

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Decorations

Decorations generally convey a New Year greeting. They are not advertisements. Chinese calligraphy posters show Chinese idioms. Other decorations include a New year picture, Chinese knots, and papercutting and couplets.

Dragon dance and Lion dance

Dragon and lion dances are common during Chinese New Year. It is believed that the loud beats of the drum and the deafening sounds of the cymbals together with the face of the dragon or lion dancing aggressively can evict bad or evil spirits. Lion dances are also popular for opening of businesses in Hong Kong and Macau.

Fortune gods

Cai Shen Ye, Che Kung,etc.

Spring travel Traditionally, families gather during the Chinese New Year. In modern China, migrant workers in China travel home to have reunion dinners with their families on Chinese New Year's Eve. Owing to the large number of interprovincial travellers, special arrangements were made by railways, buses and airlines starting from 15 days before the New Year's Day. This 40-day period is called "chunyun" (simplified Chinese: 春 运; traditional Chinese: 春 運; pinyin: chūnyùn; literally "transportation during Spring Festival"), known as the world's largest annual migration.[37] More interurban trips are taken in mainland China in this period than the total population of China.

Scene of the 2009 Chunyun period inside Beijing West Railway Station

In Taiwan, spring travel is also a major event. The majority of transportation in western Taiwan is north-south direction long distance travel between urbanized north and hometowns in rural south. Transportations in eastern

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Taiwan and that between Taiwan and islands are less convenient. Cross-strait flights between Taiwan and mainland China begin in 2003 as part of Three Links, mostly for "Taiwanese businessmen" to return to Taiwan for new year.[38]

Festivities outside China Origins In 1849, with the discovery of gold and the ensuing California Gold Rush, over 50,000 people had come to San Francisco to seek their fortune or just a better way of life. Among those were many Chinese, who had come to work in the gold mines and on the railroad. By the 1860s, the residents of San Francisco's Chinatown were eager to share their culture with their fellow San Francisco residents who may have been unfamiliar with (or hostile towards) it. The organizers chose to showcase their culture by using a favorite American tradition – the parade. Nothing like it had ever been done in their native China. They invited a variety of other groups from the city to participate, and they marched down what today are Grant Avenue and Kearny Street carrying colourful flags, banners, lanterns, drums and firecrackers to Lion costume for New Year parade, Los Angeles, 1953 drive away evil spirits. The current San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival and Parade traces its lineage back to those early parades, and still incorporates Grant and Kearny Streets into its street festival and parade route, respectively.

South East Asia In Southeast Asia, Chinese New Year is a public holiday and considered to be one of the most important holidays of the year. The biggest celebrations take place in Malaysia (notably in Penang and Klang) and Singapore.[39] Chinese New Year in Singapore is accompanied by various festive activities. One of the main highlights is the Chinatown celebrations. In 2010, this included a Festive Street Bazaar, nightly staged shows at Kreta Ayer Square and a lion dance competition.[40] The Chingay Parade also features prominently in the celebrations. It is an annual street parade in Singapore, well known for its colourful floats and wide variety of cultural performances.[41] The highlights of the Parade for 2011 include a Fire Party, multi-ethnic performances and an unprecedented travelling dance competition.[42]

2012 Year of the Dragon stamps issued in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Chinese New Year is considered to be the most important festival for Filipino-Chinese in the Philippines. In 2012, it was the first time that Chinese New Year was declared a special non-working holiday throughout the country. Chinese New Year is also celebrated by Chinese-Indonesians in Indonesia since 1998 when Suharto stepped down. In 2003 the Chinese New Year was declared to be a national day.[43]

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Other parts of the world Chinese New Year is also celebrated annually in many western cities with significant Chinese populations. Among the cities with such parades are San Francisco,[44] Los Angeles,[45] New York City, Boston,[46] Wellington,[47] Toronto, and Vancouver.[48] However, even smaller cities that are historically connected to Chinese immigration, such as Butte, Montana,[49] have recently hosted parades. Both London[50] and San Francisco[51] claim to host the largest New Year celebration outside of Asia.

The Chinese New Year celebrated in Kolkata

With one of the largest Chinese populations outside of Asia, Sydney also claims to have the largest Chinese New Year Celebrations outside of Asia with over 600,000 people attending the celebrations in Chinatown annually. The events there span over three weeks including the launch celebration, outdoor markets, evening street food stalls, Chinese top opera performances, dragon boat races, a film festival and multiple parades that incorporate Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese performers. The festival also attracts international media coverage, reaching millions of viewers in Asia.[52][53] The festival in Sydney is also unique in that it is organised in partnership with a different Chinese province each year. In Mauritius, home to a long standing Chinese population, Chinese New Year is celebrated and is a public holiday although Mauritians of Chinese origin represents only 2-3% of the population.[54] Many celebrate the festival in Chinatown, Kolkata, India where a significant community of people of Chinese origin exists.

Greetings The Chinese New Year is often accompanied by loud, enthusiastic greetings, often referred to as 吉 祥 話 (jíxiánghùa) in Mandarin or 吉 利 說 話( Kat Lei Seut Wa) in Cantonese, loosely translated as auspicious words or phrases. New Year couplets, printed in gold letters on bright red paper, are another way of expressing auspicious new year wishes. They probably predate the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), but did not become widespread until then.[55] Today, they are ubiquitous with Chinese New Year. Some of the most common greetings include: • simplified Chinese: 新 年 快 乐; traditional Chinese: 新 年 快 樂; Mandarin Pinyin: Xīnniánkuàilè; Jyutping: san1 nin4 faai3 lok6; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Sin-nî khòai-lo̍k; Hakka: Sin Ngen Kai Lok; Taishanese: Slin Nen Fai Lok. A more contemporary greeting reflective of Western influences, it literally translates from the greeting "Happy new year" more common in the west. But in northern parts of China, traditionally people say simplified Chinese: 过 年 好; traditional Chinese: 過 年 好; pinyin: Guònián Hǎo instead of simplified Chinese: 新 年 快 乐; traditional Chinese: 新 年 快 樂 (Xīnniánkuàile), to differentiate it from the international new year. And 過 年 好 (Guònián Hǎo) can be used from the first day to the fifth day of Chinese New Year. However, 過 年 好 (Guònián Hǎo) is considered very short and therefore somewhat discourteous.

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• simplified Chinese: 恭 喜 发 财; traditional Chinese: 恭 喜 發 財; pinyin: Gōngxǐfācái; Hokkien: Keong hee huat chye (POJ: Kiong-hí hoat-châi); Cantonese: Gung1 hei2 faat3 coi4; Hakka: Kung Hii Fatt Choi, which loosely translates to "Congratulations and be prosperous". Often mistakenly assumed to be synonymous with "Happy New Year", its usage dates back several centuries. While the first two words of this phrase had a much longer historical significance (legend has it that the congratulatory messages were traded for surviving the ravaging beast of Nian, in Kung Hei Fat Choi at Lee Theatre Plaza, Hong practical terms it may also have meant surviving the harsh winter Kong conditions), the last two words were added later as ideas of capitalism and consumerism became more significant in Chinese societies around the world. The saying is now commonly heard in English speaking communities for greetings during Chinese New Year in parts of the world where there is a sizable Chinese-speaking community, including overseas Chinese communities that have been resident for several generations, relatively recent immigrants from Greater China, and those who are transit migrants (particularly students). Numerous other greetings exist, some of which may be exclaimed out loud to no one in particular in specific situations. For example, as breaking objects during the new year is considered inauspicious, one may then say 歲 歲 平 安 (Suìsuì-píng'ān) immediately, which means "everlasting peace year after year". Suì (歲), meaning "age" is homophonous with 碎 (suì) (meaning "shatter"), in demonstration of the Chinese love for wordplay in auspicious phrases. Similarly, 年 年 有 餘 (niánnián yǒu yú), a wish for surpluses and bountiful harvests every year, plays on the word yú that can also refer to 魚 (yú meaning fish), making it a catch phrase for fish-based Chinese new year dishes and for paintings or graphics of fish that are hung on walls or presented as gifts. The most common auspicious greetings and sayings consist of four characters, such as the following: • 金 玉 滿 堂Jīnyùmǎntáng - "May your wealth [gold and jade] come to fill a hall" • 大 展 鴻 圖Dàzhǎnhóngtú - "May you realize your ambitions" • 迎 春 接 福Yíngchúnjiēfú - "Greet the New Year and encounter happiness" • 萬 事 如 意Wànshìrúyì - "May all your wishes be fulfilled" • 吉 慶 有 餘Jíqìngyǒuyú - "May your happiness be without limit" • 竹 報 平 安Zhúbàopíng'ān - "May you hear [in a letter] that all is well" • 一 本 萬 利Yīběnwànlì - "May a small investment bring ten-thousandfold profits"

"招 財 進 寶 (Zhāocáijìnbǎo)" written as a single character is popular during Chinese New Year.

• 福 壽 雙 全Fúshòushuāngquán - "May your happiness and longevity be complete" • 招 財 進 寶Zhāocáijìnbǎo - "When wealth is acquired, precious objects follow"[56] These greetings or phrases may also be used just before children receive their red packets, when gifts are exchanged, when visiting temples, or even when tossing the shredded ingredients of yusheng particularly popular in Malaysia and Singapore. Children and their parents can also pray in the temple, in hopes of getting good blessings for the new year to come. Children and teenagers sometimes jokingly use the phrase (Traditional Chinese:恭 喜 發 財,紅 包 拿 來, Simplified Chinese: 恭 喜 发 财 ， 红 包 拿 来) (Pinyin: gōngxǐfācái, hóngbāo nálái) (Cantonese: 恭 喜 發

Chinese New Year 財,利 是 逗 來)(Usually English written as Kung Hei Fat Choi or Kung Hei Fat Choy) roughly translated as "Congratulations and be prosperous, now give me a red envelope!". In the Hakka dialect the saying is more commonly said as 'Gung hee fatt choi, fung bao diu loi' which would be written as 恭 喜 發 財,紅 包 逗 來 – a mixture of the Cantonese and Mandarin variants of the saying. Back in the 1960s, children in Hong Kong used to say 恭 喜 發 財,利 是 逗 來,斗 零 唔 愛 (Cantonese, Gung Hei Fat Choy, Lai Si Tau Loi, Tau Ling M Ngoi), which was recorded in the a pop song Kowloon Hong Kong by Reynettes in 1966. Later in the 1970s, children in Hong Kong used the saying: 恭 喜 發 財,利 是 逗 來,伍 毫 嫌 少,壹 蚊 唔 愛 (Cantonese), roughly translated as, "Congratulations and be prosperous, now give me a red envelope, fifty cents is too little, don't want a dollar either." It basically meant that they disliked small change – coins which were called "hard substance" (Cantonese: 硬 嘢). Instead, they wanted "soft substance" (Cantonese: 軟 嘢), which was either a ten dollar or a twenty dollar bill.

Notes [1] "Asia welcomes lunar New Year" (http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ 2/ hi/ asia-pacific/ 2712567. stm). BBC. 1 February 2003. . Retrieved 2008-11-07. [2] Events & Festivals in [[Hong Kong (http:/ / www. discoverhongkong. com/ eng/ events/ festivals-guide. html)] - Hong Kong Tourism Board] [3] "Chinese New Year 2011" (http:/ / www. yoursingapore. com/ content/ traveller/ en/ browse/ whats-on/ festivals-and-events/ chinese-new-year. html). YourSingapore.com. . Retrieved 2011-11-02. [4] "Festivals, Cultural Events and Public Holidays in Mauritius" (http:/ / www. tourism-mauritius. mu/ discover/ festivals. html). Mauritius Tourism Authority. . Retrieved 2012-01-28. [5] http:/ / ph. news. yahoo. com/ philippines-adds-chinese-holidays-171626435. html [6] http:/ / www. philstar. com/ Article. aspx?articleId=754138 [7] See Chinese calendar for details and references. [8] Chinese calendar. Calendar wiki. Retrieved February February 2, 2011, from calendars.wikia.com (http:/ / calendars. wikia. com/ wiki/ Chinese_calendar) [9] "The origin and history of Chinese new year" (http:/ / www. theholidayspot. com/ chinese_new_year/ origin. htm). Theholidayspot.com. . Retrieved 2010-08-25. [10] Li Ren (2003). "Imagining China in the Era of Global Consumerism and Local Consciousness: Media, Mobility, and the Spring Festival" (http:/ / rave. ohiolink. edu/ etdc/ view?acc_num=ohiou1057001670). PhD thesis, College of Communications, Ohio University. . Retrieved 2007-09-13. Edited for grammar. [11] Bodde, Derk. Festivals in Classical China: New Year and other Annual Observances during the Han Dynasty, Princeton University Press, 1975, pp. 49 ff. [12] Welch, Patricia Bjaaland, p. 5. [13] Welch, Patricia Bjaaland, p. 9. [14] Welch, Patricia Bjaaland, p. 36. [15] Welch, Patricia Bjaaland, p. 30. [16] Welch, Patricia Bjaaland, p. 40. [17] Kong, Shiu L. Chinese Culture and Lore. HK: University of Toronto Press, 1989, p. 48 [18] "¬K¸`" (http:/ / www2. ctps. tp. edu. tw/ country/ holiday/ hldy_b/ hldy_b2. htm). .ctps.tp.edu.tw. . Retrieved 2010-08-25. [19] "【 赤 狗 日 】" (http:/ / 140. 111. 34. 46/ cgi-bin/ dict/ GetContent. cgi?Database=dict& DocNum=113315& GraphicWord=yes& QueryString=赤). 140.111.34.46. . Retrieved 2010-08-25. [20] Berkowitz and Brandauer, Folk Religion in an Urban Setting, Hong Kong, 1969, p. 49. [21] Lin Meirong (2011). "Jade Emperor" (http:/ / taiwanpedia. culture. tw/ en/ content?ID=4414). Encyclopedia of Taiwan. Council for Cultural Affairs. . Retrieved 12 September 2012. [22] Conceicao, Jeanne Louise (2009). "Hokkien community" (http:/ / infopedia. nl. sg/ articles/ SIP_1498_2009-04-09. html). Singapore Infopedia. National Library Board Singapore. . Retrieved 12 September 2012. [23] "Thousands throw oranges to mark Chap Goh Meh" (http:/ / thestar. com. my/ news/ story. asp?file=/ 2010/ 3/ 1/ nation/ 5769183& sec=nation). Thestar.com.my. 2010-03-01. . Retrieved 2010-08-25. [24] Thianchai Iamworamet. Chinese-Thai Dictionary. Bangkok : Ruamsarn, 1998. page 73, 272. (เธียรชัย เอี่ยมวรเมธ. พจนานุกรม จีน-ไทย. กรุงเทพฯ : รวมสาส์น, 2541. หน้า 73, 272.) ISBN 978-974-246-307-6 [25] Flanagan, Alice K.. Chinese New Year (http:/ / books. google. com. hk/ books?id=Ak4XbIVSovcC& pg=PT20& lpg=PT20& dq=chinese+ new+ year+ gifts& source=web& ots=6Hds9lGXND& sig=molQgsHlfz_DrLMQBqwYLI5gYSY& hl=en& sa=X& oi=book_result& resnum=44& ct=result#PPP1,M1). Compass Point Books. . Retrieved 2008-11-04.

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Chinese New Year [26] "Ofw chinese new year things to remember" (http:/ / www. sea. com. tw/ word/ ¹L¦~ª`·N¨Æ¶µ-µá¤å. pdf) (PDF). South East Asia Group [an agency introducing foreign workers to work in Taiwan]. . Retrieved 2012-01-29. "家 庭 外 傭 過 年 習 俗 應 注 意 事 項" (http:/ / seacomtw. pixnet. net/ blog/ post/ 41810763) (in Traditional Chinese, with Vietnamese, Indonesian, Thai and English message in JPEG picture.) (JPEG). South East Asia Group. . [27] "New Years" (http:/ / www. chinese-lessons. com/ cantonese/ culture1NewYears. htm#gift). www.chinese-lessons.com. . Retrieved 2008-11-04. [28] "Firecrackers" (http:/ / infopedia. nlb. gov. sg/ articles/ SIP_749_2005-01-11. html). Infopedia.nlb.gov.sg. 1999-04-15. . Retrieved 2011-11-02. [29] People's Daily 'Beijing to loose 12-year ban on firecrackers' (http:/ / english. peopledaily. com. cn/ 200507/ 20/ eng20050720_197129. html), peopledaily.com, 20 July 2005. Retrieved 11 November 2008. [30] This is the figure given by the China Daily, citing the official news agency Xinhua. However, some caution should be exercised over it: although a small proportion of Beijing's population, it is ten times the normal population of Miyun County. Mandarin handles large numbers differently from English, so translation errors are common. [31] China Daily Rumors of fireworks display lead to stampede (http:/ / www. chinadaily. com. cn/ english/ doc/ 2004-02/ 11/ content_304918. htm), chinadaily.com 11 February 2004. Retrieved 11 November 2008. [32] Book soul 1970 (http:/ / www. book-soul. com/ h. html#1970), book-soul.com [33] Chingay Past (http:/ / www. chingay. org. sg/ 2006/ aboutchingay/ index. asp), chingay.org.sg [34] Akbur M., Peer (2002). Policing Singapore in the 19th and 20th centuries. Singapore Police Force. p. 100. ISBN 981-04-7024-X. [35] Can you pig it? New York goes hog-wild for Chinese New Year (http:/ / www. nypost. com/ seven/ 02172007/ entertainment/ can_you_pig_it__entertainment_ava_chin. htm), New York Post, February 17, 2007. [36] Wood, Frances. "The Boxer Rebellion, 1900: A Selection of Books, Prints and Photographs" (http:/ / www. fathom. com/ feature/ 122228/ ). British Library. . Retrieved 2010-06-28. [37] China's holiday rush begins early (http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ 2/ hi/ asia-pacific/ 7813267. stm), BBC [38] Shan, Shelley (Sat, Jan 07, 2012). "Ministry warns of heavy Lunar New Year holiday traffic" (http:/ / www. taipeitimes. com/ News/ taiwan/ archives/ 2012/ 01/ 07/ 2003522653). Taipei Times. . Lee, I-chia (Wed, Jan 25, 2012). "Despite rain, millions hit the road" (http:/ / www. taipeitimes. com/ News/ front/ archives/ 2012/ 01/ 25/ 2003523974). Taipei Times. . Lee, I-chia (Sun, Jan 29, 2012). "Early start beats tolls and congestion as holiday ends" (http:/ / www. taipeitimes. com/ News/ front/ archives/ 2012/ 01/ 29/ 2003524165). Taipei Times. . "... total traffic volume on Friday was 2.7 million vehicles, about 1.7 times the average daily traffic volume of about 1.6 million. “We estimate the total traffic volume [yesterday] was between 2.1 million and 2.3 million vehicles,” Chen said. “Northbound traffic volume was much higher than southbound and peak hours were between 3pm and 6pm.”" [39] "Chinese New Year in Southeast Asia" (http:/ / goseasia. about. com/ od/ culturepeople/ a/ seasiacny. htm). Goseasia.about.com. . Retrieved 2011-11-02. [40] "Singapore in spring: Chinatown Chinese New Year Celebrations 2010" (http:/ / www2. yoursingapore. com/ spring2010/ en/ events/ events-11. shtml). .yoursingapore.com. . Retrieved 2011-11-02. [41] "Chingay Parade Singapore 2011" (http:/ / www. yoursingapore. com/ content/ traveller/ en/ browse/ whats-on/ festivals-and-events/ chingay-parade-singapore. html). YourSingapore.com. . Retrieved 2011-11-02. [42] http:/ / www. chingay. org. sg/ 2011/ highlights. asp [43] AFP (Sun, Jan 22, 2012). "Chinese-Indonesians celebrate once-forbidden roots" (http:/ / www. taipeitimes. com/ News/ world/ archives/ 2012/ 01/ 22/ 2003523845). Taipei Times. . [44] "Southwest Airlines Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco" (http:/ / www. chineseparade. com/ ). Chineseparade.com. . Retrieved 2011-11-02. [45] Golden Dragon Parade in Los Angeles (http:/ / www. lagoldendragonparade. com/ ), lagoldendragonparade.com [46] "Chinatown Main Street" (http:/ / www. chinatownmainstreet. org/ events. php). . Retrieved 2012-01-23. [47] "Chinese New Year Festival, Wellington New Zealand" (http:/ / www. chinesenewyear. co. nz/ ?page_id=2). Chinesenewyear.co.nz. . Retrieved 2008-11-07. [48] "Chinese New Year Parade in Vancouver" (http:/ / www. seechinatown. com/ parade/ parade. htm). Seechinatown.com. . Retrieved 2011-11-02. [49] Rhein, Jamie (2007-02-16). "A Chinese New Year Parade in Butte, Montana? Sure" (http:/ / www. gadling. com/ 2007/ 02/ 16/ a-chinese-new-year-parade-in-butte-montana-sure/ ). Gadling.com. . Retrieved 2011-11-02. [50] "London - Chinese New Year - "The largest celebration outside of Asia"" (http:/ / www. bbc. co. uk/ london/ content/ articles/ 2009/ 01/ 22/ cny_planning_feature. shtml). BBC. 2009-01-22. . Retrieved 2011-11-02. [51] Kim, Ryan (28 February 2010). "Year of the Tiger off to roaring start at parade" (http:/ / www. sfgate. com/ cgi-bin/ article. cgi?f=/ c/ a/ 2010/ 02/ 28/ MNOE1C8D01. DTL). San Francisco Chronicle. . Retrieved 1 March 2010. [52] Sydney to ring in Chinese New Year (http:/ / bigpondnews. com/ articles/ National/ 2010/ 02/ 10/ Sydney_to_ring_in_Chinese_New_Year_426958. html), bigpondnews.com [53] "City of Sydney Official Chinese New Year Website" (http:/ / www. cityofsydney. nsw. gov. au/ cny/ ). Cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au. 2011-01-01. . Retrieved 2011-11-02. [54] (http:/ / www. newsnow. mu/ NewsView. asp?NID=13667) [55] Welch, Patricia Bjaaland, p. 20.

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Chinese New Year [56] Welch, Patricia Bjaaland, p. 22

References • Welch, Patricia Bjaaland (1997). Chinese New Year. Oxford University Press

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Article Sources and Contributors

Article Sources and Contributors Chinese New Year  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=526460960  Contributors: -Midorihana-, 1golden8, 3rdWolf, 78.26, 7D HMS, A-cai, A520, A8UDI, ACW, ADouBTor, Ab.er.rant, Abtinb, Adamc92, Adashiel, Addict 2006, Addihockey10, Addshore, Adjusting, Advanced, Ahoerstemeier, Airplaneman, Aitias, Ajh16, Ajraddatz, Alansohn, Alarine, Ale jrb, Alerthence, Alex Blokha, Algae, Alperen, Amadeuslin, Ando228, Andrea105, Andros 1337, Andy M. 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Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors File:Seattle - Chinese New Year 2011 - 71.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Seattle_-_Chinese_New_Year_2011_-_71.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0  Contributors: Joe Mabel File:Chinatown london.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Chinatown_london.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0  Contributors: AndreasPraefcke, Bhoeble, Edward, Hydrargyrum, Infrogmation, Joe the Red Bird, Man vyi, Olivier2, Oxyman, Ranveig, Saperaud, Spolloman, Wouterhagens, Ytoyoda, 2 anonymous edits File:New Year Scene.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:New_Year_Scene.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0  Contributors: El., FlickrLickr, FlickreviewR, Leoboudv, Mattes, Millevache, Para, Ranveig File:Ke Lok Si Illuminations 01.JPG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Ke_Lok_Si_Illuminations_01.JPG  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0  Contributors: Flying Pharmacist File:Chinese New Year's poetry.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Chinese_New_Year's_poetry.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0  Contributors: BrokenSphere, Chrislb, Crux, Deerstop, FlickrLickr, FlickreviewR, Ranveig, Ws227, 1 anonymous edits

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Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors File:Incence at grave.JPG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Incence_at_grave.JPG  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.5  Contributors: me () File:ChinNewYr-dragon1.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:ChinNewYr-dragon1.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: User:Buchanan-Hermit File:Guangdong Nian cake.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Guangdong_Nian_cake.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.0  Contributors: 1029man, AjaxSmack, Benjwong, Brücke-Osteuropa, Fahuitatgel, FlickreviewR, Ianbu, Infrogmation, Joe the Red Bird, Leechunfoo, 1 anonymous edits File:DihuaMarketRat.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:DihuaMarketRat.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: BCody80 File:Chinese New Year market.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Chinese_New_Year_market.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported  Contributors: Img by Calvin Teo File:Chinesenewyearfireworkman.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Chinesenewyearfireworkman.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0  Contributors: Suicup File:FuDao.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:FuDao.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Ws227 File:ChineseNewYearBoston01.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:ChineseNewYearBoston01.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0  Contributors: Boston (talk). Original uploader was Boston at en.wikipedia File:Red lanterns.JPG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Red_lanterns.JPG  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.0  Contributors: User:Formulax File:Decoration2.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Decoration2.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 Generic  Contributors: Photo taken by Fanghong File:Seattle ID night market - lion dance 06.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Seattle_ID_night_market_-_lion_dance_06.jpg  License: GNU Free Documentation License  Contributors: Joe Mabel File:Dança do dragão.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Dança_do_dragão.jpg  License: GNU Free Documentation License  Contributors: Chinese Youth Society of Melbourne File:Fortune.JPG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Fortune.JPG  License: Public Domain  Contributors: AjaxSmack, Miuki, Nyo, Olivier2, Ranveig, 2 anonymous edits File:2009年 春 运 时 期 的 北 京 西 站 候 车 大 厅.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:2009年 春 运 时 期 的 北 京 西 站 候 车 大 厅.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Charlie fong冯 成 File:DragonCostume,1953.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:DragonCostume,1953.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Los Angeles Daily News staff photographer File:2012 Malaysia Chinese New Year - Year of Dragon stamps.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:2012_Malaysia_Chinese_New_Year_-_Year_of_Dragon_stamps.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0  Contributors: User:Klangranger File:Chinese New Year in Chinatown, Tangra, Kolkata, India.png  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Chinese_New_Year_in_Chinatown,_Tangra,_Kolkata,_India.png  License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0  Contributors: jliptoid File:Kung Hei Fat Choi at Lee Theatre Plaza.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Kung_Hei_Fat_Choi_at_Lee_Theatre_Plaza.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.5  Contributors: HenryLi, Olivier2, Wrabarning File:Chinese Character zhao1 cai2 jin4 bao3.png  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Chinese_Character_zhao1_cai2_jin4_bao3.png  License: GNU Free Documentation License  Contributors: User:Gsklee

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