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The first day of the first lunar month is the start of the Chinese New Year and this important celebration lasts for fifteen days. The Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in China and is also celebrated throughout Asia, not only in China. The Chinese zodiac, a twelve-year cycle, and the heavenly stems, a ten-year cycle, all coincide with the Chinese New Year.
The tale behind the Chinese New year is that villagers tried to protect themselves from a mythical beast called Nian or "Year". Each year on the first day of the New Year the beast would come to eat crops, villagers, livestock and particularly children. Villagers would put out food from Nian and hang red colored lanterns, as Nian was afraid of the color red. Nian eventually was scared off. Now to celebrate the banishment of this creature the New Year is celebrated by hanging red lanterns and using firecrackers.
The most travel in Asia occurs around the Chinese New year as this is a time to visit friends and relative. The day before the New Year the house will be thoroughly cleaned to get rid of last years bad luck and usher in the next year's good luck. Often time's individuals will wear new clothes to symbolize a new start.
Specific days of the New Year have specific traditions. The first day of the New Year welcomes the deities of heaven and earth. All meals are prepared a day in advance as knives and lighting fires are considered to be bad luck. The most senior family members are visited on this day. On the second day any married women can visit their birth parents and prayers are sent up to the gods and ancestors.
The third and fourth day are prone to arguments so no traveling is done. Traveling stops also to respect those loved ones that may have died over the past few years. The fifth day celebrated the Chinese god of wealth by eating dumplings, a symbol of wealth.
On the seventh day everyone turns one year older as this is the common mans birthday. On this day friends congregate and feast on colorful raw fish salads. The Jade emperor of Heaven's birthday is on the ninth day. Offerings of sugarcane are made to the Jade emperor and honored guests will drink tea. On the last day of the New Year lanterns and candles are lit to guide back wayward spirits. |
