How much do you know about CNY
Serena
Sunny Glassware
2016-02-16 16:48:09
Hello,everyone.
Are you still losing yourself in CNY?
How much do you know about CNY?
I would like to share you something.
Why Do People Celebrate Chinese New Year?
Although there are many interesting legends and stories explaining the start of the Chinese New Year festival, the main two reasons for the festival are:
To celebrate a year of hard work, have a good rest, and relax with family
To wish for a lucky and prosperous coming year
How Do the Chinese Celebrate the Festival
The main traditional celebrations of the festival include eating reunion dinner with family, giving red envelopes, firecrackers, new clothes, and decorations. More modern celebrations include watching the CCTV Gala, instant message greetings, and cyber money gifts.
A Festival for Family – Chinese get together and enjoy family time.
Chinese New Year Eve's dinner Chinese New Year's Reunion Dinner
Chinese New Year is a time for families to be together. Wherever they are, people come home to celebrate the festival with their families.
The New Year's Eve dinner is called "reunion dinner", and is believed to be the most important meal of the year. Big families of several generations sit around round tables and enjoy the food and time together.
Decorating Buildings, Houses, and Streets with Lucky Red Items
Every street, building, and house where CNY is celebrated is decorated with red. Red is the main color for the festival, as it is believed to be an auspicious color. Red lanterns hang in streets; red couplets are pasted on doors; banks and official buildings are decorated with red New Year pictures depicting images of prosperity.
Most of the decoration is traditionally done on Chinese New Year’s Eve.
Cultural Activities to Welcome the New Year
Many cultural activities are arranged during the festival. Rural areas and small towns retain more traditional celebrations than the cities, such as setting off firecrackers, ancestor worship, and dragon dances. Setting off fireworks is common during the Spring Festival season all over China.
Giving Red Envelopes to Pass On Best Wishes
Giving Red EnvelopesGiving red envelops or Hongbao is a custom at Chinese New Year
Like Christmas in the West, people exchange gifts during the Spring Festival. The most common gifts are red envelopes. Red envelopes have money in, and are given to children and (retired) seniors. It is not a customs to give red envelopes to (working) adults, except by employers.
Eating Lucky Foods for Increased Luck in the Year Ahead
Certain foods are eaten during the festival (especially at the New Year’s Eve dinner) because of their symbolic meanings, based on their names or appearances.
Fish is a must for Chinese New Year as the Chinese word for fish sounds like the word for surplus. Eating fish is believed to bring a surplus of money and good luck in the coming year.
Other Chinese New Year foods include dumplings, spring rolls, glutinous rice cakes, and sweet rice balls.
Setting off Firecrackers — "Goodbye Old Year; Welcome New Year!"
It has long been a Chinese tradition to set off firecrackers when the New Year clock strikes.
The tradition is to set off one string of small firecrackers first, followed by three big firecrackers, which symbolize "sounding out" the old year and "sounding in" the new year. The louder the three firecrackers, the better and luckier it’s believed it will be for business and farming in the coming year.
Praying in a Temple to Receive a Year-Long Blessing
Praying in a temple during Chinese New Year is said to be a particularly blessed activity, and will lead to a smooth coming year. In Shanghai, China's biggest city, thousands flock to Longhua Temple, the city's biggest temple, to pray for good fortune.
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