Chinese New Year

Lunar New Year (traditional Chinese: 農曆新年, 中國新年; simplified Chinese: 农历新年, 中国新年; pinyin: nónglì xīn nián, zhōngguó xīn nián) is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunar calendar. In Chinese culture and East Asian countries, the festival is commonly referred to as the Spring Festival (traditional Chinese: 春節; simplified Chinese: 春节; pinyin: Chūn Jié) as the spring season in the lunisolar calendar traditionally starts with lichun, the first of the twenty-four solar terms which the festival celebrates around the time of.^[2] Marking the end of winter and the beginning of the spring season, observances traditionally take place from New Year’s Eve, the evening preceding the first day of the year to the Lantern Festival, held on the 15th day of the year. The first day of Lunar New Year begins on the new moon that appears between 21 January and 20 February.^[3] In 2021, the first day of the Lunar New Year will be on Friday, 12 February, which is the Year of the Ox.

Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays in China, and has strongly influenced Lunar New Year celebrations such as the Losar of Tibet (Tibetan: ལོ་གསར་) and of China’s neighbouring cultures, including the Korean New Year (Korean: 설, seol), and the Tết of Vietnam.^[4] It is also celebrated worldwide in regions and countries with significant Overseas Chinese or Sinophone populations, including Singapore,^[5] Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar,^[6] Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines,^[7] and Mauritius,^[8] as well as many in North America and Europe.^[9][10][11]

Lunar New Year is associated with several myths and customs. The festival was traditionally a time to honour deities as well as ancestors.^[12] Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the New Year vary widely,^[13] and the evening preceding Lunar New Year’s Day is frequently regarded as an occasion for Chinese families to gather for the annual reunion dinner. It is also traditional for every family to thoroughly clean their house, in order to sweep away any ill-fortune and to make way for incoming good luck. Another custom is the decoration of windows and doors with red paper-cuts and couplets. Popular themes among these paper-cuts and couplets include that of good fortune or happiness, wealth, and longevity. Other activities include lighting firecrackers and giving money in red paper envelopes. For the northern regions of China, dumplings are featured prominently in meals celebrating the festival. It often serves as the first meal of the year either at midnight or as breakfast of the first day.

Source by Wikipedia