Feb. 1 marks the Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year and Spring Festival, which celebrates the start of a new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, a calendar that combines moon and solar cycles.
The Lunar New Year Marks the end of winter and the beginning of the spring season. The first day of Chinese New Year begins on the new moon that appears between Jan. 21 and Feb. 2. Observances traditionally take place from the evening preceding the first day of the year until the Lantern Festival, held on the 15th day of the year, which is the first full moon of the year.
According to chinesenewyear.net, the festival is associated with several myths and customs. It’s traditionally a time to honor deities and ancestors and the evening before New Year’s Day is often an occasion for Chinese families to gather for a reunion dinner.
It’s also traditional for every family to thoroughly clean their house, sweeping away any ill fortune and making way for good luck.
According to the same website, the Chinese New Year started with a mythical beast called the Nian, which lives under the sea or in the mountains. The Nian would eat villagers, especially children, during the night.
One year the villagers decided to hide from the beast.
An old man appeared before the villagers and said he would stay the night and avenge them. The villagers then went into hiding. The old man put red papers up and set off firecrackers. The next day, the villagers returned and saw nothing had been destroyed. The villagers then understood the Nian was afraid of the color red and loud noises.
Traditions developed as the New Year approached. The villagers would wear red clothes, hang red lanterns, and red spring scrolls on windows and doors and used firecrackers and drums to frighten away the Nian.
The website also notes red clothing is commonly worn throughout Chinese New Year to scare away evil spirits and bad fortune. Wearing new clothes is also a custom during the festival that symbolizes beginnings as in the New Year.
According to chinahighlights.com a reunion dinner (nián yè fàn) is held on New Year’s Eve in or near the home of the most senior member of the family. The dinner usually includes dishes of meat (pork and chicken) and fish.
Most reunion dinners also feature a communal hot pot as it is believed to signify the coming together of the family members for the meal.
Commonly referred to as the Chinese Horoscope, a 12-year cycle is named for animals—dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, pig, rat, ox, tiger and rabbit. Feb.1 begins the Year of the Tiger.
The Lunar New Year is celebrated in other Asian cultures. In Tibet it is known as Losar and in Vietnam as Tét.
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