| Year | Chinese New Year Begins | Animal Sign |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | February 18 | Pig |
| 2008 | February 7 | Rat |
| 2009 | January 26 | Ox |
| 2010 | February 14 | Tiger |
| 2011 | February 3 | Rabbit |
| 2012 | January 23 | Dragon |
| 2013 | February 10 | Snake |
| 2014 | January 31 | Horse |
| 2015 | February 19 | Sheep |
| 2016 | February 8 | Monkey |
| 2017 | January 28 | Rooster |
| 2018 | February 16 | Dog |
| 2019 | February 5 | Pig |
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Chinese New Year and Animal sign
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year
Traditions
Preparation
Red envelopes
Symbolic Chinese Foods
1. Eggs
2. Noodles
3. Fish
4. Duck
5. Chicken
6. Seeds (lotus seeds, watermelon seeds, etc)
7. Fruit - Tangerines, Oranges and Pomelos
8. Cake
9. Vegetables
10. Symbolic Recipes
The Chinese new year celebrations will be end with Lantern festival
Chinese New Year celebrations have their origin with end-of-harvest celebrations. People would offer thanks to gods for good harvests and entreaty for a good crop in the following year.
Chinese New Year to China is like Christmas to the West.
In the Gregorian calendar, Chinese New Year falls on different dates each year, usually a date between January 21 and February 20.
People following Gregorian Calendar often wonder why the date for Chinese New Year changes each year.
The Chinese calendar is a combination solar/lunar calendar, based on a number of rather complex astronomical calculations, including the longitude of the Sun.
Chinese New Year falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice (all months begin with a new moon).
Chinese New Year to China is like Christmas to the West.
In the Gregorian calendar, Chinese New Year falls on different dates each year, usually a date between January 21 and February 20.
People following Gregorian Calendar often wonder why the date for Chinese New Year changes each year.
The Chinese calendar is a combination solar/lunar calendar, based on a number of rather complex astronomical calculations, including the longitude of the Sun.
Chinese New Year falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice (all months begin with a new moon).
Chinese New Year celebrates the animal of that particular year as well as marking the New Year.
This year (2010) is the Year of the Tiger.
The Tiger is seen as vivid, lucky, engaging, and lively, meaning that 2010 should be an exciting year. Bravery and courage are other attributes of the Tiger, leading it to represent protection against evil in the coming year.
Most representations of the tiger have a special Chinese character stylized on the forehead.This character, "wang", means king.
In China, the tiger is king of the jungle and it is believed that the black stripes in the orange fur illustrate this.
This year (2010) is the Year of the Tiger.
The Tiger is seen as vivid, lucky, engaging, and lively, meaning that 2010 should be an exciting year. Bravery and courage are other attributes of the Tiger, leading it to represent protection against evil in the coming year.
Most representations of the tiger have a special Chinese character stylized on the forehead.This character, "wang", means king.
In China, the tiger is king of the jungle and it is believed that the black stripes in the orange fur illustrate this.
Traditions
Preparation
To prepare for the New Year, the Chinese cut their hair, pay their debts, and buy new clothes. They clean their homes completely, "sweeping of the grounds" to remove any bad luck and make way for the incoming year of good luck, happiness, and wealth.
Colorful celebrations include street parades with dancing lions, martial arts dancers, and fireworks to frighten away evil spirits and bad luck. Red, a color of joy, is the main color for clothes and decorations.
Red envelopes
One of the traditions during Chinese New Year is the giving of red envelopes and red packets called “Yang Pan”.
These yang Pan are usually passed out during the Chinese New Year’s celebrations, from married couples or the elderly to unmarried juniors.
Red packets almost always contain money, usually varying from a couple of dollars to several hundred. Per custom, the amount of money in the red packets should be of even numbers. The number 8 is considered lucky (for its homophone for “wealth”), and $8 is commonly found in the red envelopes in the US.
These yang Pan are usually passed out during the Chinese New Year’s celebrations, from married couples or the elderly to unmarried juniors.
Red packets almost always contain money, usually varying from a couple of dollars to several hundred. Per custom, the amount of money in the red packets should be of even numbers. The number 8 is considered lucky (for its homophone for “wealth”), and $8 is commonly found in the red envelopes in the US.
Symbolic Chinese Foods
1. Eggs
2. Noodles
3. Fish
4. Duck
5. Chicken
6. Seeds (lotus seeds, watermelon seeds, etc)
7. Fruit - Tangerines, Oranges and Pomelos
8. Cake
9. Vegetables
10. Symbolic Recipes
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Longevity Noodles
- Peking Duck
- Red Cooked Chicken or Soy Sauce Chicken
- Sago Tarts
- Sweet and Sour Fish
- Tea Eggs
Flowers
The following are popular floral decorations for the New Year and are available at new year markets.
| Floral Decor | Meaning |
| symbolizes luck | |
| Kumquat symbolizes prosperity | |
| Narcissus symbolizes prosperity | |
| Chrysanthemum symbolizes longevity | |
| Bamboo a plant used for any time of year | |
| Sunflower means to have a good year | |
| Eggplant a plant to heal all of your sickness | |
| Chom Mon Plant | a plant which gives you tranquility |
The Chinese new year celebrations will be end with Lantern festival
Gung Hay Fat Choy! Wishing you prosperity!
Friday, February 12, 2010
Dragon dance and Lion dance for Chinese New Year
Dragon and lion dances are common during Chinese New Year. It is believed that the loud beats of the drum and the deafening sounds of the cymbals together with the face of the dragon or lion dancing aggressively can throw out bad or evil spirits.
The Lantern Festival
The Lantern Festival or Yuanxiao will be celebrated on the final, or fifteenth day in the Traditional Chinese New Year Calendar of Events.
This marks the end of Chinese New Year celebrations with a party under the full moon. Traditionally chinese make paper lanterns to illuminate and march under the full moon. Sometimes there are competitions to see who has the most beautifully decorated lantern.
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