The Chinese New Year is the most important Chinese festival. It is celebrated on the first day of the year defined by the traditional Chinese calendar, known as the lunisolar calendar, or simply lunar calendar.
The Chinese New Year is generally celebrated for a total of 16 days, starting from New Year’s Eve, to the 15th day of the Lunar year. Prior to the Chinese New Year, people buy new clothes; and houses are decorated with red lanterns and couplets. The festival (especially the New Year’s Eve) is a period of reunion. It is celebrated with family and people will often travel long distances to reunite. Train tickets in China are often completely sold out during this time. Fireworks, traditional Chinese New Year Shows, and delicious foods are common ways to celebrate the festival.
very interesting tradition during the Chinese New Year is that children receive ‘red pockets’ that consist of money inside. In Chinese, this is called yāsuìqián, and literally means the money that supresses the evil spirit. The amount of money in the red pocket should be even, and amounts that consist of 8 is especially preferred as it is a homophone for ‘becoming wealthy’ in Chinese, 6 is also favourable, however, the number 4 is strictly forbidden as it is pronounced the same way as the word for death. The Chinese New Year is a very interesting holiday in China. If you would like to learn more about Chinese culture contact VLLC.
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