CHINESE NEW YEAR

Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is the most
important Chinese holiday. It is defined as the first day of the first month in the traditional
Chinese calendar. Unlike the New Year observed by those that use the Gregorian
Calendar, which is based on a solar calendar, the Chinese New Year is based on a
traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar whose dates indicate both the phase of the moon as
well as the time of the solar year. In addition, a lunar month is around two days shorter
than a solar month. As such, in order to "catch up" with the solar calendar, an extra
month is inserted every few years. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese
New Year falls on a different date each year.
Typically, the celebration begins on the New Year's Eve and lasts for around 15 days
through the middle of the first month. Before the celebration, people traditionally clean
their houses thoroughly, and also display traditional New Year's decorations. This festivity
is a time for family reunion, and is considered the most important part of the Chinese New
Year celebration. People often visit relatives and friends, do some shopping, watch
traditional Chinese New Year events, launch fireworks, and plan for the coming year. The
celebration is sometimes accentuated with a religious ceremony given in honor of heaven,
earth, the family's ancestors and other gods. In modern China, Chinese New Year is a
celebrated public holiday, and working professionals usually enjoy 7 days of time off,
including the weekend. After the family reunion and observation of certain traditions, some
modern Chinese families may make use of the public holiday as an opportunity to visit
tourist destinations.

CHINESE NEW YEAR HISTORY

It is unclear when exactly the celebration of the New Year began in China. Its celebration is
said to have originated from the year end religious ceremony observed during the Shang
Dynasty (1766 BC - 1122 BC). Some believe that the practice began as early as the period of
Emperor Yao and Shun's (~2300 BC) reigns. When the tradition first began, the date of the
New Year celebration varied from mid-winter to early spring. However, the maturity of the
solar base calendar provided Emperor Wu (157 BC - 87 BC) of the Han Dynasty (206 BC -
220) with a consistent means to measure a period of a year. Hence, he established the first
day of the first month of the traditional Chinese calendar as the beginning of the year, and
Chinese New Year remains celebrated accordingly to this day. The following is a brief list
of developments in New Year celebrations at different points in history:

 Emperor Yao and Emperor Shun (~ 2300 BC):

Small scale New Year celebration type activities.
 Shang Dynasty (1766 BC - 1122 BC):
New Year celebrations started as a result of religious observances.
 Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220):
New Year celebrations are officially established as the first day of the first month (of
the traditional Chinese calendar) and crack bamboo appeared (crack bamboo will
create a loud cracking sound when set on fire. It is believed that the sound drives
away evil).
  Wei Dynasty (220 - 265) and Jin Dynasty (265 - 420):
Fireworks are used in New Year celebrations. The tradition of Shou Sui formed.
 Song Dynasty (960 - 1279):
Origination of gun powder based fireworks .

THE LEGEND OF CHINESE NEW YEAR’S ORIGIN

According to tales and legends, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight
against a mythical beast called the "Year." The "Year" looked like an ox with the head of a
lion, and was believed to inhabit the sea. On the night of New Year's Eve, the "Year"
would come out to harm animals, people, and their properties. Eventually, people
discovered that the "Year" feared the color red, fire, and loud sounds. Therefore, for self-
protection, people formed the habits of posting red Dui Lian in front of their houses,
launching fireworks, and hanging lanterns at year end.

WORKED BY :
ALBION MUÇA