Hi this is Charity from Ms. Illes’ Grade 5 PA-MOJA Club! I wanted to share with you a little bit about the Chinese New Year. My mom is from Taiwan and my dad is from China.
The Lunar New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese calendar.
The festival date changes every year. This is because it follows the lunar calendar, based on the movement of the moon. Usually, it falls on a day between mid-January and mid-February. In 2020, Chinese New Year falls on January 25.
Chinese New Year starts a new animal’s zodiac year.
In China, each lunar cycle has 60 years and 12 years is regarded as a small cycle. Each of the 12 years is defined by an animal sign: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. 2020 is the Year of the Rat and 2021 is te Year of the Ox.
Dragon Dance
Dragon is a symbol of China and is an important part of Chinese culture. Chinese dragons symbolize wisdom, power and wealth, and they are believed to bring good luck to people.
Lantern Festival:
- When: the celebration lasts for 15 days till Lantern Festival.The peak time of the entire celebration is on Chinese New Year’s Eve and the first day of the lunar new year. The 15th day is called Lantern Festival, marking the end of the celebration.
- What do lanterns look like? See pic
- What do we eat on the Lantern festival? Tangyuan: is a glutinous rice ball typically filled with sweet red bean paste, sesame paste, or peanut butter.[
What do we do?
- Reunion dinner is a ritual. The reunion dinner on Chinese New Year’s Eve is a big feast to commemorate the past year. This is the most important time to be with families.
- “Red Packet” – usually parents or grand parents put money in Them and wish kids good luck for the new year.
- Learning a Chinese Phrase:
- Xin Nian Kuai Le – Happy New Year in Mandarin
- san nin fai lok – Happy New year in Cantonese (Richmond)
I wish you all a happy Chinese New Year!
What special holidays or traditions does your family celebrate?