Chinese New Year Festival

The New Year of the Chinese Lunar calendar is a movable feast, usually falling somewhere between January 21 and February 19, depending on what date the new moon appears. The traditional Chinese New Year celebrarions continue to follow the lunar calendar, beginning with the new moon, which marks the first day of the first lunar month, and ending on the 15th day with the brilliant lights of the Lantern Festival.

The most colorful, exciting, and joyous of all Chinese festivals is the Lunar New Year. There is a fascinating legend about New Year, and it also explains why Chinese people during this time with everything in red color. Before the New Year, people clean and decorate their houses. Everywhere in China and overseas, Chinese communities and families prepare for a series of celebratory events that can last from one to three days to two weeks. People will buy new clothes and shoes and wear them on the first day of New Year. There are a lot of traditional activities will be held during this period of time. Some customs, like New Year Eve's dinner, the elders give the children red evenlops, and so on. At mid-night, people will go to Temple for pray a good coming year. The Chinese Astrology also plays an important role in Chinese custom. The sign of Animal will represent some meanings for the next year. For example, the sign of this year is Tiger. That means this year we would have some troubles in our country. maybe floods, typhoons, or other disasters. On the first day of the New Year, people will wear the new clothers and shoes and call their friends or relatives to congratulations each other and wish each other has a better year. They will also visit each other or invite friends to home for a dinner. This is called " New Year Visit" ( Bui Nian ).There is always some special food for the visitors. Chinese people will say " Gung chi" to their neighbors or when they see someone on the street. Some people will go to temple for good luck and fortunetellers. On the second day, the married girl can go back to thier mother's home. In Chinese tradition, they can not go back home until the second day of the first moon. The girl may stay at her home with her husband for New Year Eve's dinner. But they must leave before 12 o'clock midnight, otherwise it will bring bad luck to her family.

During the festival time, marketplaces will be full of color - plum blossoms, red azaleas, oranges, and tangerines fill streetside stalls. Sidewalk tables are covered; with bright red paper couplets expressing good fortune, window decorations, lunar calendars, and almanacs. Children all are excited about setting off the fire-crackers. Often accompanying the fire-crackers, is theLion Dance and Dragon Parade A good performance of the dance is believing to bring happiness and good luck to the Festival.