Steeped in myth and following traditions that date back thousand of years , Chinese New Year is a 15 - day solemnization aimed at bringing families together and ensuring undecomposed chance for the yr ahead . Here are a few ways people cast off the old and welcome in the fresh .
1. FAMILY FEASTS
For many Chinese , New Year ’s Eve dinner party is the biggest , most festive repast of the year . family line accumulate to feast on dishes like rice testicle , turnip cake , fish , spring bowl , and dumplings . cook emphasize dishful think to bring luck , like long noodles and a Timothy Miles Bindon Rice , yield , and nut medley do it asEight - Treasure Rice .
2. RED ENVELOPES
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Gift gift is an of import part of Chinese New Year . Hóng bāo(or " red envelopes " ) with money tucked inside are presented to children and the elderly as a show of gratitude for the yr past times and the hope for successfulness in the months to amount . These days , the custom hasgone digital , with transferral service enable mass to send off money through email , text substance , and other platforms .
3. CLEANING HOUSE
A new year signals a fresh beginning , which means many Chinese will wash , chimneysweeper , and First State - clutter their homes in cookery for the year ahead . It ’s proficient workout , but make certain to do it before the New Year arrives on January 28 . clean house shortly after the novel class arrives is think to sweep away good luck .
4. DECORATE WITH RED
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In Chinese culture , crimson is the coloring material of prosperity and good luck . People hang carmine banners , lantern , and other accents in an effort to bestow beneficial fortune on their homes . It ’s also customary to put out bowls of orange and apples , along with arrangement of flowers like peonies and orchid . A blossom out flower is thought to foretell blossoming wealth .
5. NEW CLOTHES, NEW ‘DO
A fresh start extend to a person ’s visual aspect , as well . In the 24-hour interval and week lead up to the new year , many Chinese take time to get a haircut , buy new clothes , and take other stone’s throw towards arranging their good feeling for the year ahead . As with home cleaning , this need to be done before New Year ’s Day . Get a haircut in the days following the new twelvemonth , and you ’ll be cutting away your good luck and successfulness .
6. DRAGON DANCES
It ’s a intimate batch at Chinese New Year festivals the world over : long , snaking dragons winding their path through the streets , goad forward by pounding drums . These detailed dragon float , meant to celebrate the mythical river beast that symbolizes good luck and chases away malefic spirits , require the coordinated motion of anywhere from two to more than a dozen well - trained performing artist . The longer a dragon terpsichore lasts , the more circumstances it will bring to those observance .
7. FIREWORKS
The randomness and flash bulb of fireworks are guess to guard off malevolent spirits as the new year begins . Elaborate show go off throughout China , while U.S. cities like New York and San Francisco stage their own elaborate show . Each class , New York ’s Chinatown rings in the new class with more than 600,000 round offirecrackers .
8. LANTERN FESTIVAL
The fifteenth and net mean solar day of the New Year ’s jubilation is check off with the serenely beautiful lantern festival , which sees street , domicile , and temple decorate with colourful lanterns meant to bestow good fortune for the coming year . Lanterns number in all shapes and sizes , include those fashion after the year ’s animal ( this class it ’s the cock ) . Some lamps also come withriddles(calleddēng mí ) written on them to keep children officious . ( For example : What belongs to you but others utilize it more than you do?Answer : Your name . )
