What is Chinese New Year?
Chinese New Year is the most important of the Chinese holidays, and is a time of feasting with the family, celebration, fireworks and gift-giving. It is a 15-day holiday, beginning on the first day of a new moon and ending with the full moon on the day of the Lantern Festival.
The Chinese calendar is based on the lunar year, so the date of Chinese New Year changes every year. The Chinese calendar follows a 12-year pattern with each year named after an animal. There are various stories which explain this. The simplest is that Buddha (or the Jade Emperor) invited all of the animals to join him for a New Year celebration, but only 12 animals turned up. To reward the animals that did come, Buddha named a year after each of them in the order that they arrived, starting with the Rat, followed by the Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat (or Sheep), Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.
Depending on the year you are born, you are believed to have the various character traits of that year's animal.
The Chinese calendar is based on the lunar year, so the date of Chinese New Year changes every year. The Chinese calendar follows a 12-year pattern with each year named after an animal. There are various stories which explain this. The simplest is that Buddha (or the Jade Emperor) invited all of the animals to join him for a New Year celebration, but only 12 animals turned up. To reward the animals that did come, Buddha named a year after each of them in the order that they arrived, starting with the Rat, followed by the Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat (or Sheep), Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.
Depending on the year you are born, you are believed to have the various character traits of that year's animal.
Traditions of Chinese New Year
Ancient Chinese legends tell of the Nian, a man-eating beast from the mountains which came out every winter to feast on humans. To scare the Nian away, the people used loud noises such as firecrackers and fireworks, and bright colours, particularly red. These customs led to the first New Year celebrations. Learn about Chinese New Year, its traditions and the items associated with it.
Click here to watch a short story that will show you some of the traditions of Chinese New Year
Getting Ready for Chinese New Year
In the run up to Chinese New Year, homes are spring-cleaned thoroughly so that all the bad luck of the previous year is swept away (and on the first day of the new year, brooms and dustpans are put away and never used in case the good luck of the new year is swept away!) Often houses are freshly painted. Traditional Chinese homes sometimes get a new coat of red paint, as red is a particularly lucky colour. Homes are decorated with paper-cuts.
Chinese Couplets
Also used to decorate homes are Chinese couplets. These are two tall posters, usually consisting of 4 Chinese characters each (as eight is a lucky number), which are hung on either side of the front door. The couplets express traditional good wishes for the year ahead
Red Packets or Red Envelopes
At Chinese New Year parents, family and friends give money to children in red envelopes. The red colour symbolizes good luck, and the amount of money can be anything from a small coin to a larger amount. Lucky money envelopes are also known as Red Packets or Red Envelopes.
Chinese New Year Firecrackers
It used to be traditional to set off firecrackers at Chinese New Year, to see off the old year and welcome in the new.
Watch the following video which shows the Lion Dance
What do people in Australia do?
Like in many countries around the world, Chinese New Year celebrations in Australia include the following events and activities:
Click on the following to link to more information about Chinese New Year:
Explore Chinese new Year
Chinese New Year for kids
- Street festivals featuring arts, entertainment and children’s activities.
- Chinese New Year markets showcasing arts, crafts and food stalls.
- Dancing, music and people wearing colorful costumes to welcome the Chinese New Year.
- Vibrant displays of Chinese lanterns, firecrackers and fireworks.
Click on the following to link to more information about Chinese New Year:
Explore Chinese new Year
Chinese New Year for kids