New Year, Old Tradition

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by Josh Khan

Not many people know, but on February 18th is the day where a large traditional festival will take place in the eastern side of the world.

As one of the most recognized East Asian holidays, the Chinese New Year brings about the first day of the Chinese calendar (Lunar calendar).

The popular and well-respected holiday is also known as Chuxi; Chu meaning “change” and xi meaning “Eve”. Celebrated in areas with large populations of those with the Chinese ethnicity, Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday for China.

It has also had a strong influence on the new year celebrations of its geographic neighbours, such as North and South Korea, Mongolia, Nepalese and Vietnamese.

Chinese New Year starts on the first day of the new year containing a new moon and ends on the Lantern Festival fourteen days later. The zodiac signs, which most people know of, represent each year in the 12-year cycle that’s part of the Chinese calendar.

The signs are represented by animals, such as the Ox, Tiger, Dragon, Rabbit, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig and this year, the Rat.

An interesting fact about the holiday, is that it doesn’t always fall on the same day. Chinese New Year falls on different dates on the Gregorian calendar every year on different days of the week.

Because of this, some governments opt to shift working days in order to accommodate a longer public holiday.

The holiday itself is actually 15 days long. On the day before the New Year, Chinese families give their home a thorough cleaning.

It is believed the cleaning sweeps away the bad luck of the preceding year and makes their homes ready for a fresh new start full of good luck. They then hold the biggest event of the Chinese New Year, which is the New Year Eve dinner.

Their dish mainly consists of fish and dumplings, which are said to bring wealth because they look like a gold nugget. Most of the first 15 days of the New Year symbolize many different things and have an overall purpose. The following states what takes on place on each day.

First Day - The welcoming of the deities of the heaven and the earth; families also visit the oldest members of their extended family.

Second Day – Prayers are made to ancestors and the Gods, married daughters visit their birth parents and dogs are given extra attention as the day is known as “the birthday of all dogs.”