Chinese New Year: what year it is in China and when it is celebrated. Today we dedicate this article to our dear students from China. We are going to talk about the Chinese New Year and find out all the details about this holiday: What date is the Chinese New Year celebrated. What are your
Today we dedicate this article to our dear students from China.
Let's talk about Chinese New Year and to know all the details about this party:
If you are in Spain, this Chinese festival is celebrated in many cities and is worth appreciating. We will tell you everything you need to see and enjoy it. 🐉
Did you think the Chinese celebrated the New Year's Eve party on December 31? You may be surprised that this is not the case.
The Chinese New Year, also known as "Spring Festival in China», happens a few weeks later, sometimes even more than a month after December 31.
Furthermore, one of the great peculiarities of this tradition is that each year corresponds to an animal, and that has meanings and symbologies specific.
If you meet someone from China and want to congratulate them on the new year, do you know how to say happy new year in Chinese?
Xīnnián kuàilè! (新年快乐)
Maybe your pronunciation is not the best, but if you say it with a big smile they will surely understand you. 😁
What day is Chinese New Year?
In 2023, the Chinese lunar new year begins the day January 22.
But do you know that every year is a different day? To determine exactly when the Chinese New Year is, the Chinese use the lunisolar calendar, which measures the phases of the Sun and the Moon.
What is celebrated in Chinese New Year It is exactly the moment in which the new moon is closer between winter solstice (December 21 – 23) and spring equinox (March 20 – 21).
How often is Chinese New Year celebrated? Well is celebrated every yearWhat were you thinking?
Although unlike Western culture, due to the lunar calendar, the dates of the Chinese New Year They are different every year.
For example, in the year 2022 this holiday fell on February 1; in 2021 on February 12; in 2020 on January 25…
Although it always happens between January 21 and February 20.
Now you know that the moment in which the moon is between the summer solstice and the spring equinox is why the Chinese New Year. How interesting!
Another very curious thing about Spring Festival in China is its duration:sixteen days! 😮
Furthermore, people have a week of vacation during the holidays.
Why in the West doesn't our New Year's Eve last the same? We have many things to learn from Asian culture, without a doubt this is one of them. 😁
When does Chinese New Year start?
These 16 days of festivity always begin with the Chinese New Year's Eve(this year it is January 21).
And when does Chinese New Year end?
Ends with the Chinese Lantern Festival (this year it will be February 5).
On this day the first full moon of the year takes place. The streets are filled with red lanterns and people come out to watch the moon just above the lanterns at the same time as the fireworks are launched. It is a beautiful spectacle that closes the New Year festivities.
Those are the three most important days from this party:
Every year, during these two weeks of festivity, the largest migration on the planet takes place: millions of Chinese return to their country to celebrate their most important holiday with their families.
The Chinese Lunar New Year It is a very old tradition, it has more than 3,000 years. The Chinese New Year is thought to have its origins in the 19th century. XIV BC c. during the Shang dynasty.
The History of China It has a long tradition of myths and legends. The main legend in the Chinese New Year is the of the monster Nian.
It is said that this monster was half dragon and half unicorn. your name means "year" in Chinese and lived at the bottom of the sea.
However, it always appeared in Chinese coastal areas on New Year's Eve to spread terror by eating livestock, crops and people.
To avoid this catastrophe, people would put food on their doors for Nian. Also, the monster was afraid of loud noises, that's why people threw firecrackers.
People also painted their doors red, lit lanterns and decorated their houses with objects of this color because an old beggar realized that Nian couldn't stand the color red.
Thanks to these rituals, the Chinese have managed to drive away the monster ever since. Do you know that they still do these rituals today?
What is the Chinese New Year?
With the customs that we will see later, the Chinese say goodbye to the old and all the negative things of the year and give the welcome to the new year in hopes that it will bring good fortune.
The chinese new year festival It is such an important event that it is also celebrated in other asian countries such as Vietnam, South Korea, Singapore or Indonesia, among others.
If you are wondering what time the Chinese New Year begins, it is at 00 on the indicated day, exactly the same as in the West.
The Chinese calendar is not the same as the Western one. As we have said before, the lunar calendar is used for the change of year.
Did you know that each year refers to an animal?
In the chinese astrology there is twelve annual cycles that correspond to twelve animals. That is, every twelve years the year of the same animal is repeated.
Below I will tell you which Chinese New Year we are in.
The Chinese New Year animal 2023 is the rabbit.
It was also 12 years ago in 2011, and in 1999, in 1987, in 1975... Do you understand how it works? Every twelve years is the year of the same animal.
And what is the meaning of the year of the rabbit? In China, this animal is associated with great virtues such as ingenuity, prudence, kindness, diplomacy or attention to others.
Do you want to know which are the rest of the animals that make up the Chinese horoscope and which one do you correspond to?
I will tell you all the details about this later, but first let's talk about how the Chinese celebrate the New Year. Keep reading! 😉
Maybe you are wondering:
Finally it's time to talk about the traditions of this festival so you know everything that is done from the beginning to the end.
Before seeing the main details, I want to talk to you about the preparations.
The preparations for the Spring Festival They are another part of the tradition. There are two main traditions in these preparations:
It inaugurates the beginning of the Chinese New Year period. In 2022 it took place on December 30.
The main traditions of this day are praying to the ancestors and gifting the gods with food.
The typical food of this day is the Laba rice soup, in Chinese "Laba zhou"together with him lava tofu and the lava noodles.
This is done a week before from the beginning of Spring Festival.
Why do the Chinese carry out this cleaning? It is a ritual to get rid of the negative of the old year and welcome the new year with clean and positive energy.
It is important DO NOT clean the house in the first days of the New Year, since that would symbolize sweeping away the good luck of the new year.
Once these preliminaries are done, the entry into the New Year is sure to go smoothly. Let's see what the main characteristics of the New Year in China and its traditions are!
The chinese cities They begin to decorate themselves a month before the holidays. Although the home decoration It is usually done on the eve of Chinese New Year's Day.
In homes, red fish called "Yu" and the figures called «Guardians of the Doors».
It is said that these figures scare the Nian dragon. Do you remember the story I told you before? The color red also scared him away.
On the other hand, in Chinese culture the color red It symbolizes many good attributes such as good fortune, happiness or success.
For these reasons, many people paint the doors of their houses red.
In the streets they hang Chinese New Year lamps that have this color. In banks and government buildings they put red squaresof New Year's Eve.
Sayings of good luck are written on the doors and placed red spring couplets that speak of happiness, prosperity or family well-being.
Now you can get an idea of how the streets are decorated in China during the Chinese New Year celebration. It must be super nice! TRUE? 😍
It's time to talk about food. Without a doubt, Chinese cuisine is one of the most delicious on our planet. During the Chinese New Year period, food, as you might imagine, is of great importance. 😋🍛
The most important dinner of the year takes place in the eve of Chinese New Year. That is, in new year's eve. We do agree on this!
Families gather around the table to eat lots of traditional dishes.
In many regions of China, there are seven dishes to eat. Because? Because they are the good luck dishes and each one symbolizes an essential value to have a good year.
The 7 plates are the following:
The The most common fish for New Year's Eve are carp, crucian carp or catfish.. It can be steamed, boiled or simmered.
The fish symbolizes prosperity.
There are many superstitions around food. For example; The pescado should be the last dish to eat and the head should always face towards the oldest guests, as a symbol of respect.
This is a dish with more than1,800 years old. The shape that the empanadillas take is made of silver ingots because they symbolize wealth. Therefore, the more dumplings you eat, the more wealth you will accumulate in the new year. 💰
All over the world spring rolls They are one of the best-known Chinese dishes. Did you know that they receive that name because it is an essential food for the Spring Festival?
They are made with that rectangular shape and golden color to simulate a gold ingot. Spring rolls also symbolize wealth.
The main ingredients of the niángao They are rice, sugar, chestnuts, Chinese dates and lotus leaves.
This cake served at Chinese New Year dinner symbolizes growth year after year in different senses. It can be height growth for children, salary increase, getting better grades, getting a promotion, etc.
In many regions of China, these sweet rice balls are the traditional food during the Lantern Festival, which celebrates the end of the New Year.
This food represents the family reunion.
These noodles They are served fried or boiled with hot broth. Since the noodles are long, they represent a long and healthy life.
Fruits eaten during the Chinese lunar new year period are tangerines, oranges and grapefruits.
The pronunciation of the names of these fruits in Chinese sound the same as words that bring good luck, that's why they are called "lucky fruits."
During the festivity of Chinese lunar year could not miss the gifts.
Some of the most typical gifts for the friends are tea herbs, tobacco or household objects, while for the elderly is preferable give clothes. To the children they are usually bought candy, toys or school supplies.
But without a doubt, everyone's favorite gift is red envelopes. What's inside these coveted envelopes? Money and good luck. 🙌
From the beginning of New Year, The sky throughout China is filled with the noise and color of the fireworks.
During the two weeks of holidays There are many public events with fireworks. It is very common for people to throw firecrackers of light.
If you remember the legend of Nian, the Chinese New Year dragon, firecrackers made the monster afraid.
Setting off firecrackers is a way to scare away evil spirits and celebrate the arrival of the new year. Plus they are so much fun!
One of the most special celebrations for the Spring Festival day is he parade with traditional Chinese music and dance of the dragons
Have you ever seen those videos on TV of people from China celebrating in the streets with dragons made of silk, bamboo and paper?
They are the Chinese New Year parades! The dragon is the most popular Chinese New Year costume.
This mythological animal is not only recognized by the legend of Nian.
the dragon It is one of the most majestic animals in Chinese culture. According to their mythology, there are dragons of four colors that symbolize different things.
Can you imagine what is the chinese new year costume most popular?
Indeed! The red dragon costume
During the two weeks of the Spring Festival, people usually have a vacation week.
What are you doing this week?
They take the opportunity to meet up with their family and friends in their hometowns and celebrate the holidays with great meals. Just like Westerners!
Another typical tradition is that on New Year's Day people must wear new clothes.
Favorite colors are red and gold which are the ones represent wealth and good luck. It is not necessary to dress only in these colors, just wearing an accessory is enough.
what NEVER what you should do is dress with black clothes on this day, since it brings very bad luck.
Also, depending on the animal you are in the Chinese horoscope, there will be colors that will benefit you the most. In the case of rabbit, they are gold and gray.
We have already talked about some Chinese New Year superstitions.
The main things that give good luck they are:
And what things do they give bad luck?
You can't understand the chinese new year calendar without him Horoscope of this culture.
As we have already mentioned before, in the chinese horoscope there is 12 animals.
Each of these animals chinese calendar It corresponds to exact years and personal traits. We tell you what these animals are and the last five years:
The current Chinese New Year animal is the rabbit.
And you? What year are you? If you happen to be born on some of the rabbit dates... you're in luck! This year 2023 is sure to be especially good for you. 🥳
In addition to the animal, in the Chinese New Year horoscope there are five elements. Each person also has one of these elements depending on their year of birth:
This year is the water rabbit.
2022 was the Chinese New Year of the Water Tiger.
2021 was the Chinese New Year of the Metal Ox.
2019 was the Chinese New Year of the Earth Pig.
And 2017? Could you tell me what year it was? Chinese New Year of the Fire Monkey, grab it now! 🐒🔥
There are some personal characteristics for each element. You can see if they really correspond to your way of being. 😉
Chinese New Year is such a spectacular event that It is celebrated in many parts of the world.
Apart from China, it is in others asian countries where this festival is most popular, especially in Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Taiwan, Philippines and South Korea.
One of these countries that offers the most spectacle is Singapore. During theSpring Festival they organize chinese food markets and it They prepare music festivals and other events.
Highlights the Chingay parade with his boat races and dance shows.
In South Korea They also celebrate the new lunar year, although they give it their own name: Korean New Year (Seollal).
There are various rituals In this period, as Charye, which consists of offer tea and food to ancestors as a sign of respect, or the Sebae, in which the young Koreans kneel in front of their elders and wish them a happy new year.
In Vietnam It also has its own name, Tet Nguyen Dan (Vietnamese New Year).
The way they celebrate the festival is very similar to how the Chinese do: the days before they clean the house, they get together with the family, there are many fireworks, parades with dragons, etc.
Did you know that a quarter of the population of Malaysia Is it of Chinese origin? Therefore, in this country the Chinese Lunar New Year is a national holiday.
Some of the Chinese New Year activities in this country they are very surprising, like the door opening.
During the holidays, people open their doors to let all the friends and family who want into their homes. Celebrities also do this and anyone can enter their luxurious homes.
Can you imagine? Touring Malaysia and ending up swimming in a Malaysian politician's pool.
but Chinese New Year is not just limited to Asia. It is also celebrated with devotion in many European and American countries.
As you can imagine, within Western countries where it is most celebrated is in cities that have a large Chinese population such as London, Madrid, New York, Paris, Berlin…
For example, in New York, people go out at streets of chinatown to enjoy the spectacular parades, traditional Chinese dances and the thousands of fireworks that are launched to eliminate bad spirits and attract good luck.
And in Spain? Is Chinese New Year relevant in the country of Cervantes? The truth is that in the big capitals yes.
In the capital of Spain you live with a lot of passion. The Chinese Culture Center organizes a nice Chinese New Year parade in Madrid. In addition, there are exhibitions of Chinese artists, concerts and dance performances.
In the Madrid neighborhood of Usera It is especially striking, where the characteristic red Chinese New Year lanterns are placed and fireworks are launched into the lake in Pradolongo Park.
The Chinese New Year in Barcelona It also has a strong presence. In fact, there is a web platform that disseminates everything related to Chinese culture and the Chinese population of Barcelona. It is called «Any Nou Xinès amb Barcelona».
In Valencia There are also celebrations, especially in full city center, next to the North Station, where the largest Chinese community neighborhoods are concentrated.
The Confucius Institute of Valencia It usually organizes a parade with dragons and Chinese artists who perform martial arts and dance, dressed in Chinese New Year clothes.
And, you know what? In addition to enjoy the Chinese New Year in Valencia, here you can learn Spanish in Hispania, Spanish school.
Our school has been recognized as the best Spanish school in the world in recent years.
So… if you are passing through Valencia and want to give your Spanish a boost, you can take a look at our face-to-face Spanish courses or our online Spanish courses. It's not going to go badly for you! 👌
How many things we have learned today about Chinese culture!
we have seen When the Chinese celebrate the New Year, We have learned a lot about the Chinese New Year and its customs, how the streets are decorated during this festival, you have learned about the 12 animals of the Chinese horoscope with their dates, some countries that celebrate it and much more.
Surely after all this information you want to live the Chinese New Year experience, would you like it? Have you ever been to this party in China or other countries? How was it?
Tell me in the Comments, I'm curious.
Xīnnián kuàilè! 🎉
Article written by Carlos Martinez for Hispania, Spanish school
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