The Chinese New Year does not correlate with that celebrated by the rest of the world. Instead, their New Year celebrations, otherwise called the Spring Festival, usually come after the year starts, generally between the 21st of January and the 20th of February. That’s because all Chinese holidays follow their traditional calendar system, but modern China still adheres to the Gregorian calendar system for regular use.
Notably, of all the Chinese holidays, none other is as relevant and celebrated as the Chinese New Year, which lasts for days as all Chinese in the world make merry as they reunite with their families. It is an essential Chinese heritage celebrated by well-over 20% of the world, and given it lasts for approximately 3-10 days, you can start formulating an idea of how momentous the Spring Festival is. Given its long history dating back 4000 years, the Lunar New Year is not without interesting facts that are worth noting. But before we get down to those facts, let’s look at the history and origin behind the Chinese New Year to get a bit of context.
In actuality, the celebration acknowledging the Chinese New Year initially began as a religious ceremony that was observed at the year’s end during the rule of the Shang Dynasty between 1766 BC and 1122 BC. However, before then, there were small scale celebration-type events that were in practice when Emperors Yao and Shun seized ancient China’s rule. At the time, those celebrations were held between mid-winter and early spring. As the solar base calendar was updated, however, exact dates to celebrate the New Year became precisely mapped. Afterwards, it was indicated that the first day of the first month, according to the traditional Chinese calendar, would mark the start of a New Year, and thus, the New Year celebrations were also set.
Below are a few key development periods of the Chinese New Year as it is documented:
Beyond this formal origin of the Chinese New Year, there is a legendary tale surrounding its origin, as well. It depicts a mythical monster referred to as the “Year” that came out to terrorize the Chinese people, their property, and animals every New Year’s Eve, and the only way they could keep it at bay was to use red Dui Lian to launch fireworks, and use to decorate their houses and property.
The Chinese New Year is not only celebrated in China but also across the world, especially in those countries that have significant Chinese populations. Beyond that, other countries that have their history and origin rooted in Chinese also embrace the New Year celebrations as their own. They include:
Now that you are well-acquainted in the history and origin of the Chinese New Year, here are 5 interesting facts about this momentous celebration.
1. It’s a time to honor deities and ancestors
The 4000 years of history that lay the foundation for the Chinese New Year started solely due to the tradition of honor and respect accorded to Chinese deities and their ancestors. This was chiefly because the Chinese people valued a good harvest, and thus, they prayed for a productive season to come, at the same time, showing how grateful they were for their earlier harvest. Even now, the Spring Festival maintains this heritage through celebration directed towards honoring their gods as all Chinese reunite, eat, and make merry.
2. It’s responsible for the largest migration of Chinese people in the world
As the Chinese New Year nears, it is mandatory as it is customary for families to reunite and share the New Year’s Eve dinner together. With many Chinese people now living in the cities and abroad, away from their rural homes, travel arrangements have to be made in advance. For those living in the major cities in China, it means making those arrangements 60 days in advance to avoid the last minute rush.
3. There is no cleaning or showering allowed
The onset of the Spring Festival marks a time when some Chinese taboos are allowed and freely practiced. For instance, any form of cleaning activity is not allowed before a certain time, and neither is showering. It is believed that the act of cleaning or showering washes away good luck. There is, nevertheless, a day designated explicitly for cleaning before the New Year to wash away any bad luck as the commencement of the New Year.
4. There is a zodiac animal for every year
To the Chinese, each of the 12 zodiac animals represents the whole year, unlike the western zodiac signs, which change every month. People believe that your Zodiac animal will determine how your life will progress for that entire year, including in terms of your career, health, and friends, for instance.
5. Everything is decorated red for the celebration
Everything used as a form of decoration must be bright red in color, even the clothes that people wear. The color red is invaluable as it symbolizes protection, and wearing new clothes in red is also believed to bring good luck.
Is traveling to China during the Chinese New Year a good experience?
Though busy, the New Year period in China is a good time to travel and experience, first-hand, the Spring Festival in its entirety. It is an incredible experience as you learn about the history and heritage that started it all. That experience, which is inclusive of different Chinese delicacies makes traveling to China during the New Year worthwhile.
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