The Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is one of several Lunar New Years in Asia that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the Lunar calendar. The festival is an important holiday to Chinese people and celebrated by more than 20% of the world. Chinese New Year is also known as chunjie (春節) or Spring Festival that people welcome spring, new beginnings and fresh starts.
Chinese New Year is one of the largest public holidays in Taiwan and it occurs on January 23rd in 2020. Therefore, Taiwan has a very special atmosphere during the Spring Festival. Since it is an important festival, many stores in Taiwan close during the Spring Festival. This makes many business districts of Taiwan to be tranquil and broad. Since Chinese New Year is the most vibrant holidays in Taiwan, people celebrate the Spring Festival with various traditions.
What we do in Chinese New Year
1. Clean up
People would clean up completely their home of office before the New Year to finish a year and welcome a new year. Some people believe that it is time to clean up and rearrange all around so that good fortune would be coming without obstacle. According to Feng Shui, it is also believed that a clean cosy environment is easy to summon good fortune and more attractive to luck god. On the Contrary, messy environment is easy to gather bad fortune and bad things due to the nasty atmosphere. Therefore, some people believe that they could remove the unlucky through wipe the dust and clean up the messy and welcome the good luck for the new year with the cosy environment.
2. Pray to the gods and honour your ancestors.
Some people worship in temples to pray for good fortunes during the celebrating period. You can burn incense sticks and have your fortunes told to gods in the temples. You also can ask a question and drew a numbered stick to get respond from gods.
According to tradition, people also prepare food and fruits show gratitude and respect for what their ancestors have done for them in the whole year.
3. Reunion dinner
Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) is very important for Taiwanese people, so people would get together with their family wherever they are in the Chinese New Year Eve. They would have dinner and do something fun together called “reunion dinner”, that family can get a union at the end of the year and welcome the new year.
4. Give gifts of money in red envelopes
According to tradition, adults give lucky envelopes of money to children during this holiday. Sometimes they are given to employees or friends as well.
5. Dragon and Lion Dances
To spot Dragon dances and lion dances are traditional performances to enhance the festive atmosphere. It is believed that performing dragon or lion dances (during the Spring Festival) is a way to pray for good luck and drive away evil spirits.
Chinese New Year Folk storey
There is an interesting folk story about Chinese New Year. It is about a beast named Nian(年) came to town to eat people and animals every New Year’s Eve, and people were so scared that moved to the mountain every New Year Eve.
One-day, an old woman showed up and told people that red things and firecracker can scare Nian. People successfully scared Nian away with red new year couplets and firecracker. Afterwards, people start to past new year couplets on the door and display firecracker every New Year Eve as a culture till now.
