By Razeile Joyce P. Aban
Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year or Spring festival, is widely celebrated among East and Southeast Asian countries for 15 days according to History. This festival is important because it welcomes prosperity, luck, and fortune, and it is a time to worship ancestors and drive away evil spirits. The 2024 Chinese New Year will start on February 10, on a Saturday.
Origin
The origin of Chinese New Year is surrounded by many legends and myths, but of the most famous myths is called “Legend of Nian.” According to A Lunar New Year Story, a terrible demon creature that took the form of a lion, called Nian, wakes up from his slumber annually for the Lunar year to devour many villagers, crops, livestock, and children. One day, an old man was outside looking for a place to stay when someone offered him food. From there, the old man stated that he promised to make Nian disappear. The old man put many red papers around the house and bright lights where he was staying and when Nian arrived at the village, he approached the house where the old man was staying and began to get agitated from the sight. The old man appeared to him wearing red making many loud sounds like firecrackers and popping sounds with the old man beating a drum and laughing aloud. Petrified, Nian ran away. The next day, people saw what the old man did and adapted his traditions. Over time, his traditions became a celebration of excitement and joy.
Traditions
There are many traditions and practices around the world and some of them are:
- Are putting up decorations like red chinese lanterns, red paper door banners, Jianzhi, Upside-Down Fu Characters for good luck, Kumquat Trees, blooming flowers, and more!
- New Year’s Eve Dinner: This is where people have family reunions and eat many good foods like dumplings, chicken, fish, Niángāo, spring rolls, Tangyuan, and pork.
- Shou Sui: means “after the New Year’s Eve dinner.” It is when people stay up until midnight to launch fireworks and firecrackers. It is believed that the first person to launch the first fireworks will have good luck.
- Red envelopes full with money.
- Cleaning: before Chinese New Year, many people would clean their houses, remove the old and replace them with new things. They did this to welcome the new.
- Offering sacrifices to ancestors by giving fruit, flowers, or gifts.
- Wear red clothes.
- Watch Lion and Dragon dance.
- Visit many family and friends.
- Lighting and lanterns.
beniciapaw.com 