Chinese New Year Traditions
How to Celebrate the 15 Days of Chinese New Year
By Greg Rodgers
Chinese New Year traditions vary from region to region in China, and within ethnic groups who migrated away from the mainland. While some traditions have fallen victim to modern times, many are still celebrated by even those who claim not to be superstitious.
First, read about Chinese New Year preparation so that you're ready in time, then learn about Chinese New Year celebrations across the world.
Don't just watch the fireworks and lion dances; you'll get more out of the celebration once you understand some of the Chinese New Year traditions!
Celebrating Chinese New Year's Eve:
The eve of Chinese New Year is typically celebrated with a family dinner of fish and dumplings -- which symbolize wealth because of their shape. Southern Chinese celebrate by preparing a special cake known as niangao, and by giving small pieces of it to friends and family.
After dinner, many groups go to temples to pray in the new year, although some families now stay at home and do an actual Western-style countdown.
Firecrackers and spectacular fireworks displays -- meant to scare away evil spirits -- can be seen in many cities on the eve of Chinese New Year.
Chinese New Year Traditions
Spread over 15 consecutive days, these Chinese New Year traditions have been observed for centuries.
Day 1
The first day of Chinese New Year is celebrated the most widely. Many cities across the world consider the first two days of Chinese New Year to be a public holiday; businesses and offices are usually
2 Comments
Nice Work
This is an informative post. It is nice to know some traditions. With this, it allowed us to know if we were practicing some of their ways. Oftentimes, we are celebrating a special occasion without knowing that we were also practicing a particular tradition. Thanks for this post.