This year as January 31st turns to February 1st, fireworks will be lit by families in celebration of the Chinese New Year as festivities will begin. Gifts will be passed, red will be worn, and a feast will be held as the festivities begin. The holiday has a long tradition, and the story behind it goes back many years.
In Ancient China, a mythical beast called Nian would eat people and children during the spring festival. One year all the villagers decided to hide from the beast despite the threat to their home. However, an old man showed up before they left and promised he would get revenge on Nian. When they returned, they found that nothing had been destroyed and thought the man was a deity. As it turns out, he had just found that the Nian was afraid of loud noises and the color red. And thus the tradition of Chinese New Year was born.
The Chinese New Year lasts around two weeks and has different activities for each day. On the first day, the fireworks and bamboo sticks are lit, as the lion dance commences in the street to ward off evil spirits. Families meet together and exchange gifts such as mandarin oranges for good luck, and the married people in the family give red envelopes containing cash to the younger generation to ward off the aging and harshness of the new year.
The second day involves giving money and offerings to the god of wealth to pray for prosperity in the coming year. The third day involves staying at home and burning paper over trash fires and is generally seen as unlucky to visit and have guests during this time, but also a propitious day for having your future told.
The fourth day is when business returns to normal, and on the fifth day, it is customary to eat dumplings. The sixth day of Chinese New Year is when people throw out their trash from the festivals to drive away the ghost of poverty. The seventh day is when everyone grows a year older.
The eighth through the tenth days all revolve around celebrating the Jade Emperor’s birthday, with festivities taking place on the 9th day, while it is celebrated nationally on the tenth day.
Even if you celebrate it or not, the fireworks and fun festivities will certainly be a sight to see. So have a great Chinese New Year Norman North!