A major holiday in China and Chinese communities throughout the world is Chinese New Year. Unlike in Western nations, where 1 January is always the first day of a new year, the starting date of the new year is not the same each year on the Chinese calendar. Chinese New Year begins in late January or early February. The 15-day celebration begins with the new moon and lasts until the full moon.
Chinese years are named after 12 different animals: the rat, the ox, the tiger, the hare, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the sheep, the monkey, the fowl, the dog and the pig. Some people believe that a person's personality and future can be predicted according to the animal associated with the year he or she was born. Chinese New Year marks the start of the next animal's year. The cycle of animals repeats itself in the order given above. Thus, after the Year of the Pig the cycle starts over again with another Year of the Rat.
Many things are done to get ready for Chinese New Year. The house is cleaned from top to bottom in the days before the holiday. No sweeping or dusting is done on the holiday itself for fear that good fortune will be cleaned away. Happy wishes are written on red paper and hung throughout the house. Rooms get decorated with flowers, plants and oranges.
Fireworks are often shot off on New Year's Eve as a way of sending out the old year and welcoming the new. At midnight on New Year's Eve, people open all their doors and windows to let the old year out.
On the first day of Chinese New Year, children and unmarried adults are given little red envelopes with crisp money in them. This act is meant to give the people who receive them good fortune.
Food is an important part of the holiday season. Special foods are eaten on certain days. There is even a day for serving light meals in order to have a break from all the feasting. Many foods have meaning behind them. For instance, uncut noodles are eaten in hope of having a long life. Raw fish is said to encourage success.
Chinese New Year is looked at as a time to be with one's family. Much visiting is done during the 15 days. Many traditions of the season honour family members who have died.
The last event of the 15-day celebration is the Lantern Festival. Some people hang glowing lanterns in temples. Others carry lanterns to a nighttime parade under the light of the full moon. The dragon dance highlights festivals in many areas. A long, colourful dragon made out of silk, paper and bamboo is carried through streets by numerous dancers.
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