Chinese New Year fireworks will mark the beginning of the Chinese New Year festival which normally last for 15 days. The sound of firecrackers tells people the new year has arrived. People offer New Year's greetings to one another. The most popular greeting is Gong Xi Fa Chai (Cantonese pronounces Gong Hay Fat Choy), which means "congratulations and may you make a great fortune." The firecrackers and such greetings are from the story of animal Nian. "Make a fortune" is to wish people rich, because Chinese love to talk about money.
Some Chinese family change the new clothes right after midnight or after the Rat hour in the Chinese New Year Eve. Then they choose the lucky hour from Chinese Farmer's Calendar to worship spirits and commemorate ancestors with candles, fruit, rice cake, tea, long noodle and candies. The purpose of this worship to tell spirits and ancestors the new year has arrived. At the end of the ceremony, they will open the door, select a lucky money direction to explode the firecrackers, which means to get rid of old bad stuff and welcome a new chapter of their life. Some Chinese families give the Red Envelope to children at this time before the children resigns to bed.
After dawn, it's time to say Chinese New Year greetings to neighbors, friends, coworkers, and relatives. Before the time of the telephone and various social networking apps, school teachers will go back to school to greet each other. Government employees will go back the office to say happy new year. Now many people say Gong Xi Fa Chai by phone or send the greeting by e-mail.
In the morning, all the children are supposed to wear new clothes, pants, shoes, hat or jacket. Every family should prepare many different kinds of sweet candies in a tray for visitors. If a child goes with an adult to visit someone and says Gong Xi Fa Chai, he can receive a Red Envelope. In Taiwan, the president, city majors and temples will prepare many Red Envelopes for their supporters. Since the number of Red Envelopes is limited, people have to go earlier and wait in a long line in order to have a handshake and Red Envelope.
Chinese New Year day is closed to the early spring. That means it's a beginning of blossom season. The popular flowers for Chinese New Year are orchid, narcissuses, peach flower, chrysanthemum, kumquat, cherry blossoms, camellia and so on. So some people like to visit the flower gardens or attend flower expo to enjoy the sight of flowers or buy some flower pots home.
Some Chinese would like to take the whole family to the countryside to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Some like to go to temples to see the crowd and pray for good luck for the new year. Today, more young people go to department stores to spend their Red Envelope money and shop for the New Year special bargains or go to the movies with friends. And there are some who like to sit by the Mah-Jong ( a game using tiles shown below) table to earn money.
Lion dancing or dragon dancing are welcomed activites in most of the modern city street. Some people have to go to national culture streets to see the Chinese New Year traditional activities. Over there, people can see lion dance, the god of money, parade, open theater opera, puppet show, etc. They also can buy different traditional candies, their zodiac animal symbols, food, gifts from the culture stores.
The Chinese has kept the lion dancing custom because they think the lion image can expel the evil spirits away. The Chinese believe that the dragon is in charge of rain. Hence, dragon dancing is praying for appropriate rain to grow the more crops during the farmer society. Also, the dragon is an auspicious and notable symbol which can bring people good luck.
The unique style of music for Chinese New Year can be hear at Chinese New Year Music. You can hear those music from department stores, radio stations, TV stations, and during the lion dancing or dragon dancing on the street.
There are some taboo on the Chinese New Year Day.
Since everybody is in a festival mood under a joyful and hilarious atmosphere, people shouldn't argue with each other. Also parents shouldn't scold or punish the children. Otherwise, you will have more argument in the new year.
Women shouldn't use a knife or shear in the kitchen, which indicates evil, anger, danger and cutting out one's luck. As such, women do not cook new dishes on this day, people eat leftover meals.
Breaking any dishes, bowls or cups means bad luck would come. In case you break anything, then put all broken pieces in a round container until the next trash day.
A married women shouldn't go back to her mother's home, otherwise her mother's family will get poorer.
To sweep the floor or dump the trash will take away the wealth and luck from the house.
Don't have a lunch nap at noon, otherwise people will be lazy year long.
To wash your hair will wash your good luck away.
Don't wear black or white to visit friends, because black and white are the funeral colors in China
One shouldn't visit a friend's house, if they have a family member who just past away.
Don't eat rice porridge for breakfast, otherwise you won't get rich because only poor people eat rice porridge in the past.
Don't eat meat in the morning breakfast, because many gods who are vegetarians arrive New Year Day festival in the morning.
Don't eat unnecessary medicine during the day, otherwise you will become unhealthy this year.
Don't wash clothes, because New Year Day is the birthday of the god of Water.
If someone owes you money, do not ask for the money back on this day. Otherwise, you will be asking for money for the rest of the year.
Here's wishing all a Blessed Lunar New Year !!
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