Chinese Lunar New Year
Chinese Lunar New Year in Chinese Family
Calendar
According to the Chinese traditional lunar calendar, the Chinese New Year is also known as the Lunar New Year, starting from the new moon and ending at the full moon, from the first day of the new year to the 15th day. The last day of the New Year (the 15th day of the first lunar month) is called the Lantern Festival. The actual date of Lunar New Year is not a fixed date, but is based on the annual Chinese lunar calendar.
where does it come from
Because the 12 lunar cycles do not last a full year, it is necessary to occasionally increase one month. The Chinese calendar used this custom as early as 1600 BC. By the sixth century AD, the Chinese calendar was spread to South Korea, then spread to Japan, and eventually adopted in other parts of Asia.
what to do
Preparations for the Lunar New Year celebrations begin before the actual date of the holiday. As the old year draws to a close, people tend to want to end loose goals and get things organized so that there is a new beginning and a clean slate at the new year. During the New Year holidays, Chinese people will catch up with family and friends, watch Spring Festival Evening or fireworks show, share the wealth with loved ones, clear out last year’s clutter and splurge on new threads, etc.
Dumplings
food
Certain dishes are cooked and eaten during the Lunar New Year for the symbolic meaning, especially on the New Year’s Eve. Such as fish-and increase in prosperity. “Fish” in Chinese sounds like “surplus”, Chinese people always like to have a surplus at the end of the year; or Chinese dumplings, which represent wealth. After making dumplings, people waited until the clock hit midnight to eat. This makes dumplings the first meal of the year；or glutinous rice cake, which sounds like it means getting higher year by year.
Chinese Eight Treasures Rice
Mooncake Festival
Calendar
Many East Asian communities celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. In China, this is the family reunion time, just like Thanksgiving. The Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the Moon Festival or the Mooncake Festival. It traditionally belongs to the Chinese Lunar Calendar on the 15th day in August, that is, the September or the early October in the Gregorian calendar.
Mid-Autumn Lantern in The River
where does it come from
The early form of the Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the Zhou Dynasty moon worship custom over 3,000 years ago. In ancient China, emperors worshipped the moon every fall because they believed that this would bring them a plentiful harvest in the following year. Over time, this practice has been accepted by the public and become increasingly popular. After thousands of years of evolution, the Mid-Autumn Festival has gradually become the second most important traditional festival in Chinese culture. Today, many traditional activities are disappearing from the Mid-Autumn Festival, but new trends have emerged. During the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, people go out to travel with family or friends, or watch the Mid-Autumn Festival Gala on TV at night.
what to do
The Mid-Autumn Festival has many traditions and new celebrations. For example, dinner together - Mid-Autumn Festival represents family reunion, and the family will have dinner on that night. People who don't have time to spend with their parents will try to go home, at least eat together; eating moon cakes - the most representative tradition of the festival. Moon cake is a traditional Chinese pastry. It is made from wheat flour and sweet fillings such as sugar and lotus seed powder. It is a symbol of family reunion, traditionally cut into pieces equal to the number of people in the family; making colored lanterns - a favorite activity for children. Making colorful lanterns is a pleasant activity between family and children. Lanterns come in different shapes and can also resemble animals, plants or flowers. Family and children make them hang in trees or houses, or float on rivers.
Mooncake Cake
(All pictures from Google picture)