There are many tales to explain the origins of the Chinese New Year celebrations. The legend of the Nian is one of the most colourful!
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The Nian was a fierce monster who came to torment humans every New Year. People were powerless to stop its attacks and the creature was free to eat as many of them as he pleased. One day, a wise old man, came to the help of the people and tricked the Nian into eating other beasts and monsters instead of humans. "They are far more worthy opponents." he reasoned.
With the Nian no longer a threat, and with the other dangerous animals now more than a little scared, people could once again lead peaceful and happy lives.
According to one version of the legend, the old man also warned the people to put up red decorations on their windows and doors. "Red is the colour the Nian fears most!" he said and this would protect them from the monster if it came back to trouble them again.
Another version says that the Nian actually did come back, but was scared away by children playing with firecrackers!
Although the Nian is unlikely to cause too much trouble at a Chinese New Year party today, red decorations and firecrackers remain an essential part of the colour and fun of the event. Here are a few more of the best known traditions.
has both practical and symbolic value. It is seen as a way to "sweep away"' any ill fortune or unpleasantness from the previous year and at the same time prepare the house for any good luck that the new year will bring!
is a common way of thanking friends and colleagues for the help they've given in the past and also a means of strengthening friendships for the future.
and cards on New Year's eve brings all the family together to enjoy each other's company before the firework celebrations begin at midnight.
on New Year's day is a time for forgetting any old grudges and creating a feeling of goodwill for the future. Gifts of cash wrapped in red paper are often given to children and unmarried couples!
ends the celebrations with singing, dancing and lantern shows.
Fortune cookies containgood luck messages for the New Year.
Are you a rat, a snake or a rabbit? These are just three of the 12 animals that Chinese people believe, 'hide in your heart.'
Out of all the animals only 12 came to pay final respect to Buddha before he left the earth. As a reward they each had a year named after them. The animal associated with the year you're born in is said to influence your personality!
On 12 February 2002, for example, the year of the Black Horse began. People born in this year are said to be cheerful, popular and hard working with great enthusiasm and ambition. However, they also tend to be short-tempered, impatient and a little selfish! Clint Eastwood, Barbara Streisand and Rolf Harris are among the famous people born in the year of The Horse.
Like many Chinese New Year traditions, food prepared for the occasion is deeply linked with ideas of good fortune for the coming year.
Red Meat would almost certainly not be on the menu due to the bad luck associated with eating it at this time. Fish, however, with its image of long life and plenty, is a traditional New Year favourite. Savoury dumplings called 'Jiaozi', eaten at the New Years eve family gathering, are thought to encourage large and happy families (the name literally means, 'sleep together and have sons') However, truly bad luck would be waiting on anyone who served them on or ate them from cracked or chipped plates!
Whatever lucky foods are served at the party there's certain to be a lot of it. A table full of leftovers after everyone's eaten their fill is another happy sign of future prosperity!
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Vladan Sretenovic writes: “I read your article about Chinese New Year with pleasure. I don't know a lot about Chinese history and legends and I would like to find out more about them. They like New Year Eve and they enjoy it. It is very important for them. Everybody from the family has dinner together. The seniors, their daughters, sons and grandchildren are happy during New Year' s Eve. Remember, there is always someone who waits for you and who wants to be with you during New Year' s Eve. The Chinese visit their neighbours and friends on New Year day, give gifts wrapped in red paper to children and unmarried couples and create a feeling of goodwill for the future, which is nice."
‘Administrador Aulas Virtuales’ writes: “I do not celebrate Chinese New year, but I feel kindly towards all those celebrations other communities have. I think Chinese New Year is nice, I do deeply enjoy watching the events, my children love this celebration, they like the animals involved in the celebration, and we also like the food.”
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Asif Shahzad writes “I read the article published on your site. It was very interesting and informative for me as it reflected an ancient Chinese story and I knew today why the colour red is used in almost all Chinese architecture and household items. It was also interesting to know that they connect different animals with the overall personality of a person and his or her behaviour. I would love to read more about Chinese history in future.”
Polina Shapourco writes “We don't celebrate the Chinese New Year in Russia, but a lot of people know about the Chinese horoscope. I hope that the Red Dog brings me luck! The modern Russian New Year hasn't any sharp distinctions from those in Europe. We believe that it is a family celebration. But at the same time many people (mostly the young) celebrate it in the open air, in fancy dress.”
Pei Shi writes “Celebrating Chinese New Year is not only celebrated to remember ancient history or to have fun. It is really meant for a family to get together after a stressful and busy year. Nowadays, people are busy with their career development and achievement, but neglect the seniors and their family. This is the time for people to remember and spend time in each others’ company. Sharing sorrow, joy, success and loss. The Reunion dinner, a day before Chinese New Year, is very important to a Chinese family. Everybody from the family will go back to their home town to have their dinner, no matter how far they are from there, the family members will travel a million miles to do so! The seniors at home wait for 12 months, just waiting for this reunion dinner to see their sons/ daughters, grandsons/ granddaughters. So, don’t forget that there is someone out there waiting for you for a year or more.”
Tatiana Kuznetsova writes “I don't celebrate the Chinese New Year, but many of our traditions are similar. We clean our homes before New Year, we have plenty of food when we celebrate it, share presents and I think that the tradition of celebrating with fireworks at midnight came from China.”
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Do you celebrate the Chinese New Year? If so, tell us more about it. Do you celebrate New Year in a different way? If so, tell us more about it. What do you think of this article? Send us your texts and/or opinions.
Wikipedia: Chinese New Year
http://www.new-year.co.uk/chinese/index.htm
http://chineseculture.about.com/cs/newyear/index.htm
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