Chinese New Year

What / When / Why Decorations Activities Entertainment Special food Famous Aspects

Chinese New Year What / When / Why

Gu Nin

Chinese New Year is the most important holiday of the Chinese people, and many East Asians such as Mongolians, Koreans and Vietnamese The New Year is on the first day of the New Moon of the Chinese Lunar calendar. It celebrates triumph over Nian, a cruel beast that devours people on New Years Eve but is afraid of Red Color, Bright Lights and Fireworks

Chinese New Year Decorate House & Community

Mn shn Door God
Chn lin Spring couplet

dnglng Lantern

Chinese New Year Activites

Xn nin kui l Happy new year!
Family Reunion and thanksgiving on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Sometimes a religious ceremony observed in honor of Heaven and Earth, the gods of the household and the family ancestors & departed relatives. All are remembered with great respect. New clothes are worn and everyone visits neighbors, friends, and relatives to exchange good wishes of gong si fa cai, which means congratulations and prosperity. Red envelopes with Money is given as gifts to Children with wishes of luck, joy, and prosperity
Gng x f ci Congratulations for getting rich!

Chinese New Year Entertainment

Bin po fireworks Yn hu firecrackers

Chinese New Year Special Food

Jiozi
Dumpling Fish

Nin go
New years rice cake

This is because the word fish in Chinese also sounds like the word meaning surplus. So Fish is considered very lucky because it implies surplus wealth.

Chinese New Year Famous for The Dragon And The Lion Dance

During the festival the Dragon and Lion dances are very spectacular sights.` The heads of these fearsome beasts are supposed to ward off evil.

 What / When / Why History How to Celebrate Special food

 One of the most popular festivals being celebrated in China. Also called Yuan Xiao Festival because the 15th day is the first night of the year to see a full moon. There are many legends about the Lanterns People eat Yuan Xiao to symbolize Family togetherness; Make their own lanterns,

Play guess the lantern riddles.

Matchmakers are very busy trying to help young people find partners. Enjoy the amazing glowing and colourful lantern parades. Have lantern festival parties.

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During Song Dynasty, the festival was celebrated for five days and the activities began to spread to many of the big cities in China. The largest Lantern Festival celebration took place in the early part of the 15th century. By the beginning of the Tang Dynasty in the 7th century, the lantern displays would last three days. During Sui Dynasty in the 6th century, Emperor Yangdi invited envoys from other countries to China to see the colourful lighted lanterns and enjoy the gala performances. Today, the displaying of lanterns is a big event on the 15th day of the first lunar month throughout China. It is famous for its display of hundreds of multicoloured and intricate lanterns floating above lakes, rivers, mountainside and cities.

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yi er san

Prepare Yuanxiao (glutinous rice balls) Make lanterns from red construction paper and decorate them with pictures, sequence or riddles Attend Chinese Lantern Festival activities sponsored by local Chinese Community. They often include parades, dances, acrobatics and food. Also, many larger cities hold glowing lantern parades!

si

Having lantern festival party. Provide space for people to make their own lanterns. Set off firecrackers and serve traditional Chinese food.

wu

Play Guess the Lantern Riddle

liu

Matchmaker! Lantern Festival is also considered to be Chinese Valentines Day!

English Riddles
It looks green, it opens red. What you eat is red, but what you spit out is black. (fruit: watermelon) When you cry, she cries. When you laugh, she laughs. When you ask her who she is, She says, Who are you? (mirror) Branches grow on its head; it wears spotted clothes. Not a donkey of a horse, it runs like the wind. (animal: deer)
Chinese Riddles

Riddle: Suggest: Answer:

Riddle: Suggest: Answer: Riddles: Suggest: Answer:

Yuan Xiao are small dumpling balls made of glutinous rice flour. The custom of eating Yuan Xiao originated during the Eastern Jin Dynasty in the fourth century, then became popular during the Tang and Song periods.

Dragon Boat Festival

What / When / Why Origin and Purpose Celebrations Food

Dragon Boat Festival

It Is the oldest traditional holiday in China Occurs yearly on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar Since Chinese calendar is lunisolar, the date varies every year

 Celebrated to commemorate the memory of Qu Yuan Legend says that the suicide of Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet, in 278 BCE during the warring states period in China started this festival Qu Yuan drowned himself in the Miluo River on the 5th day of the 5th month when the state of Chu was captured by the State of Qin, Local people respected and admired Qu Yuan. They took their boats to the river to find his body and threw sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves to feed the fish so they dont eat his body Sometimes it is called Poets Day

Dragon Boat Festival Origin and Purpose

Dragon Boat Festival Festival Celebrations

Dragon boat races
Largely responsible for festivals fame

A team member plays the drums to encourage the other people to roar fast and in unison. The team that wins brings prosperity to their town. Eat zongzi and drink realgar wine Tie perfumed, colorful silk pouches onto kids in order to protect them against evil

Dragon Boat Festival Special Food

Zongzi: pyramid-shaped glutinous rice wrapped in reed or bamboo leaves are the main food item
It has different shapes and various fillings.

In the north part of the country, people favor the jujube as filling, while the Southerners prefer sweetened bean paste, fresh meat, or egg yolk. People also drink Realgar wine