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The Chinese New Year is often accompanied by loud, enthusiastic greetings, often referred to as 吉祥話 (jíxiánghuà) in Mandarin or 吉利說話 (Kat Lei Seut Wa) in Cantonese, loosely translated as auspicious words or phrases. Chinese New Year, annual 15-day festival in China and Chinese communities around the world that begins with the new moon that occurs sometime between January 21 and February 20 according to Western calendars. Festivities last until the following full moon. Chinese New Year celebrations are always a stunning spectacle. Here’s what Lunar New Year festivities look like around the world. Featuring dancing, colour and LOTS of food. China’s Lunar New Year is known as the Spring Festival or Chūnjié in Mandarin, while Koreans call it Seollal and Vietnamese refer to it as Tết. Tied to the lunar calendar, the holiday began Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival or Lunar New Year, is the grandest festival in China, usually with a 8 days' holiday. As the most colorful annual event, the traditional CNY celebration lasts longer, up to two weeks, and the climax arrives around the Lunar New Year's Eve. In China, Lunar New Year is known as Chinese New Year or in Chinese 'Spring Festival' (Chunjie). The celebrations traditionally last for 16 days, beginning on New Year's Eve and ending with the Lantern Festival. A brief introduction to the traditional Chinese New Year Festival, about how Chinese people celebrate the lunar festival and ways to enjoy the Spring Festival while you are in China. Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year or Spring Festival 2025 falls on Wednesday, January 29th, 2025. Snake is the new year animal. Learn more about Chinese Lunar New Year traditions, taboos, food, zodiac signs, and greetings. Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) is a traditional festival with a long history, and many old customs have been passed down, like putting up Spring Festival couplets and giving red envelopes. In recent years, more and more new features appear and some interesting modern activities have been added on to the list as time passes on. Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is one of the most significant holidays in Chinese culture and is celebrated by millions across Asia and the world. There is no better way to look great for the New Year than wearing clothes that would make you look like a million bucks! Taboos about Chinese New Year Clothes Do Not Wear Black. Never wear clothes in black during the Chinese New year because it is typically worn during funerals. The color has been associated with death. It is considered to be What Do the Chinese Dragons Look Like? Chinese dragons actually come in a variety of sizes, colors and styles, often even combining the looks of more than one animal. In Chinese, "fish" (鱼 Yú /yoo/) sounds like 'surplus'. Fish is a traditional Chinese New Year dish on the Chinese New Year dinner menu. Chinese people always like to have a surplus at the end of the year, because they think if they have managed to save something at the end of the year, then they can make more in the next year. What is Lunar New Year? Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, marks the start of a new zodiac cycle based on the Chinese lunar calendar. Each year, the date shifts within the Gregorian calendar. Lunar New Year is celebrated around the world, particularly in Asian countries like China, shown here (Beijing). Like the New Year couplets and other decorations, new clothes also add to the festivity. In the past, China was an agrarian society. There was only one harvest per year in the north and two to three in the south. Throughout the entire year, people scrimped and saved. But during Chinese New Year, people could finally splurge and treat themselves. The western dragon usually looks like a lizard with sharp teeth and a pair of large wings, representing darkness and evil. Whereas the Chinese dragon looks like a snake with a long body and sharp claws. Chinese people believed that the dragon is the master of winds and rain, it represents power and good luck. It is a symbol of Chinese culture. Astrology & Zodiac: The Chinese zodiac is based on the lunar calendar and “each year in the repeating zodiac cycle of 12 years is represented by a zodiac animal, each with its own reputed attributes.” 2 This year, Lunar New Year begins on February 10, 2024, which marks the beginning of the Year of the Dragon. The Chinese New Year is an important time to 拜年 (bàinián, to pay a new year call), so it is common practice to visit relatives and exchange auspicious greetings and Chinese gifts, including the ever-popular lucky red envelopes filled with Chinese currency. Devoted Buddhist and Daoist practitioners also often visit local temples to welcome Snake is the 6th animal in the Chinese zodiac. Recent Snake years include 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025, and 2037. Chinese Zodiac Years for Snake. As was common in traditional Chinese culture and Chinese astrology, the 12 Chinese zodiacs follow the Chinese lunar calendar and don’t line up perfectly with the Gregorian (solar Okay, now that we’ve got your mouth properly watering over noodles, let’s look at another lucky food for Chinese New Year that we’ll cover this year. 4. Mandarins and Tangerines: Luck. It is super common to see mandarin oranges, tangerines, and pomelos everywhere during Chinese New Year because they are lucky on all accounts.
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