Chinese traditional new year. New Year traditions in China. Ancient and Chief

People tend to spend New Year holidays outside the state. Some go to the States, others to Europe, and others to the Middle Kingdom. Those who prefer the latter option are often disappointed because they do not know when New Year is in China.

As a result, they arrive in the country either too early or too late, while a short vacation does not allow them to stay.

Chinese people celebrate New Year on the first full moon. It comes after the full lunar cycle and precedes the winter solstice. Let me remind you that this event falls on December 21st. As a result, Chinese New Year can fall on January 21, February 21, or any day in between.

In 2013, the Chinese celebrated the New Year on February 10, 2014 for them began on January 31, and 2015 on February 19.

How to celebrate New Year in China

In China, as in other countries, New Year is the main and favorite holiday. True, called Chun Jie.

Residents of the state have been celebrating the New Year for more than two thousand years. According to historians, the Chinese first began celebrating the New Year during Neolithic times. At that moment, they celebrated several holidays that were prototypes of the New Year.

In the Celestial Empire, New Year is celebrated at the end of winter Lunar calendar. The date is floating, so the New Year holidays begin differently.

After the transition to the Gregorian calendar, the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire call the New Year the Spring Festival. People call him “Nyan”. Let's talk more about the celebration in China.

The Chinese New Year celebration is a real festival that lasts for half a month. At this time, every citizen of the country can count on a week of official holidays.
China hosts theatrical performances, pyrotechnic shows, and spectacular carnivals. Each of these events is accompanied by the launch of fireworks and the popping of firecrackers. The Chinese spend a lot of money on New Year's attributes. And this is not without reason!

Myths of the New Year

As it says ancient myth, on the eve of the New Year, the depths of the sea erupted a terrible monster with horns, devouring people and livestock. This happened every day until an old beggar with a cane and a bag appeared in the village of Tao Hua. He asked local residents shelter and food. Everyone turned him down except elderly woman, who fed the poor man New Year's salads and provided him with a warm bed. In gratitude, the old man promised to drive out the monster.

He dressed in red clothes, painted the doors of houses with scarlet paint, lit fires and began to make loud noises using “fire rattles” made of bamboo.

The monster, having seen this, no longer dared to approach the village. When the monster left, the villagers staged big holiday. From that moment on New Year's holidays The cities of the Celestial Empire turn red with decorations and lanterns. Fireworks constantly light up the sky.

This is how a list of mandatory New Year's attributes was formed: firecrackers, incense, firecrackers, toys, fireworks and red items.

Regarding the celebration, we can say that on the first night it is strictly forbidden to sleep. The people of China watch the year at this time.
On the first five-day holiday, they visit friends, but they cannot bring gifts. Only small children are given red envelopes with money.
Among the festive New Year's recipes, the Chinese prepare dishes whose names are consonant with good luck, prosperity and happiness. Fish, meat, soybean curd, cake.
As part of the Chinese festival, it is customary to honor departed ancestors. Each person makes small offerings of jewelry and treats to the spirits.
The New Year ends with the Lantern Festival. They are lit on every street of cities, regardless of size and population.

You have learned the intricacies of celebrating the New Year in China and are convinced that the Chinese New Year holidays are a colorful, amazing and unique event.

Traditions for Chinese New Year

In China, the New Year is celebrated differently from other countries in the world, since the Chinese remain faithful to their ancestors and do not forget New Year's traditions.

New Year's holidays are accompanied by general fun. Every family creates as much noise as possible in the house with the help of firecrackers and firecrackers. The Chinese believe that noise drives away evil spirits.
At the very end of the noisy celebration, the Festival of Lights is held. On this day, colorful events are held on city and rural streets with the participation of lions and dragons who engage in theatrical combat.
Celebrating the New Year in the Middle Kingdom is accompanied by the preparation of special dishes. All of them consist of products whose names sound the same as words symbolizing success and good luck.
Usually fish, oyster mushrooms, chestnuts and tangerines are served on the table. These words sound like wealth, prosperity and profit. Meet on New Year's table meat dishes and alcoholic drinks.
If you are celebrating the New Year visiting a Chinese family, be sure to bring two tangerines to the owners of the house. Before leaving, they will give you the same gift, since two tangerines are the consonance of gold.
A week before the New Year, Chinese families gather around the table and report on their last year before the gods. The God of the Hearth is considered the main one. He is pampered with sweets and smeared with honey.
Before the celebration, five are hung on the door paper strips. They mean five types of happiness - joy, luck, wealth, longevity and honor.
Evil spirits are afraid of the color red. It is not surprising that during the New Year holidays it is red that dominates.
In many countries, it is customary to put up a Christmas tree for the New Year. In the Celestial Empire, the Tree of Light is erected, which is traditionally decorated with lanterns, garlands and flowers.
The Chinese New Year table is rich in abundance. True, they are in no hurry to use a table knife at the table, because this way you can lose happiness and good luck.
In China, New Year is celebrated until dawn. Adults are given objects that symbolize the desire for luck and health. These include flowers, sports memberships and lottery tickets. Beautiful and pleasant

New Year traditions vary greatly in different parts of China. The traditions presented below are the most typical for all Chinese.

New Year's Eve dinner

New Year's dinner is of great importance for the Chinese on this day. During the feast, a family reunion occurs, which is especially important for those whose family members have left home and live separately. The festive dinner usually includes fish. And in northern China, dumplings are an integral dish. These two dishes symbolize prosperity. Other dishes depend on personal preferences. Most Chinese have New Year's dinner at home rather than in restaurants.

New Year's fireworks

In ancient times, fireworks were used to drive away evil from China. Since then, it has become a tradition and immediately after 12 o'clock at night on New Year's Day, fireworks are launched, which symbolizes the advent of the New Year and the expulsion of evil. There is a belief that people who set off fireworks on New Year's Day will have good luck in the coming year.

Shou Sui

Shou Sui is a festive family time after the New Year. Family members usually stay up all night watching holiday shows on TV and setting off fireworks. Although some may only stay until the middle of the night when the fireworks stop.

According to legends, there was a mythical monster called “God”. The “year” appeared on the night of the new year of the Chinese calendar and caused harm to people and livestock. Over time, people discovered that “Year” is afraid of the color red, fire and loud sounds. Therefore, to the Chinese New Year's Eve they began to set off fireworks, decorate everything red and stay awake all night to drive away the “Year.”

Red envelopes

Red envelopes usually contain from one to several thousand yuan. Money amount must be even (usually according to the first digits (for example, 30 and 50 are not even, although you can still often find banknotes of 30-50 yuan, but they must be freshly printed, since everything New Year should be new, bring good luck and wealth) , since an odd amount is given for a funeral. The number 8 is considered lucky, as it is consonant with the word wealth, and the number 6 is also a good number, as it is consonant with the word “smooth”, i.e. wishing for a successful year. Coins are usually given by adults, especially by married couples, to children on New Year's Day. There is a belief that the red envelope drives out evil from children, makes them healthy and increases their life expectancy.

Gift exchange

In addition to red envelopes, it is customary to give small gifts (usually food or sweets), usually given by elders to younger ones, or between friends or relatives. Typical gifts are fruits (usually oranges, but pears are excluded), pies, biscuits, chocolates, candies, sweets, etc.

New Year's fairs

On New Year's days, fairs open where you can buy all kinds of New Year's goods, such as clothes, fireworks, decorations, souvenirs, food, etc. Usually such fairs are decorated with a large number of lanterns.

Small year

The minor year begins on the 23rd or 24th last month year. It is said that on this day, the god of food leaves the family to go to heaven and report to the Emperor of Heaven about the family's activities. On this day, the Chinese hold a religious ceremony to bid farewell to the god of food, which includes burning a painting of the god. During the Chinese New Year holidays, people buy a new painting of the food god and hang it in their kitchen.

Cleaning

A few days before the onset of the Chinese New Year, the Chinese organize general cleaning in the house, which symbolizes getting rid of the old and welcoming the new. In ancient times, when not everyone had a bath, the Chinese used to take a bath to celebrate the New Year.

Decoration

After cleaning is completed, people decorate their homes to welcome the New Year. Most of the decorations are red. The most popular decorations are Fu, Dui Lien, lanterns, New Year's painting, door god and others.

Flowers

Popular flowers for decoration during Chinese New Year, usually sold at New Year fairs

Familyphoto

Very important Chinese New Year's tradition is joint photo all the assembled relatives. The oldest man, the head of the family, sits in the center.

Spring (New Year's trip)

Traditionally, Chinese families gather on New Year's Day. IN modern China, Chinese people in various cities in China return home for family dinners on New Year's Eve. Usually it starts 15 days before NG. This 40-day period is called Chunyun - "spring transportation", which is known as the world's largest annual migration. During this period, there are so many internal movements that the number is greater than the entire population of China.

For the Chinese to hear “Happy New Year!” on January 1st. just as wild as if you were congratulated on March 8th in winter. The Chinese New Year comes later than the Western one and, unlike the banal change of the calendar, carries much more meaning.

Chinese New Year is a spring festival. It falls on one of the days between January 21 and February 21. And this is what happens in China two weeks before and two weeks after the holiday.

Firstly, it is customary to celebrate the Spring Festival at home with the whole family, which means that approximately half of China working in big cities returns home at this time.

Secondly, the Chinese are not entitled to vacation. There is no such clause in the Chinese Labor Code. That is, national holidays are the only opportunity to travel. This means that within two weeks after the holiday, half of China is intensively exploring the tourist spots of the Celestial Empire.

Thirdly, in 2016, the population of China was (for a second!) 1.3 billion people. Now imagine 750 million people moving from one place to another at the same time.

Traditions for celebrating Chinese New Year vary across provinces and cities:

In the Wudang Mountains (Hubei Province), all houses are thoroughly cleaned, and on the door there is a red and gold image of the character Fu 福 (happiness, prosperity) straight or inverted. The same is done throughout China. The doorposts are also decorated with red inscriptions wishing good luck in the new year. They often hang like this throughout the year and change on the eve of a new holiday.

Also common here the custom of hanging an image of the “sweet god” in the kitchen. Before the New Year, housewives smear his lips with honey or sugar syrup, so that when this god goes to heaven to report on the behavior of his charges, only sweet speeches would flow from his lips.
The New Year's meal is one of the most plentiful. In Udan, on the eve of the holiday, pork sausage is prepared and hung outside to dry.

Making dumplings with the whole family is an integral tradition. Many families make dumplings in the shape of ancient money bars, and put a coin in one of them. The year will be especially successful for the one who receives this surprise.

There can be more than 20 dishes on the New Year's table. Among them there must be fish, chicken, pork, beef, duck - often all dishes at the same time. In poor families, only one meat dish is placed on the table, but no one touches it - to show the neighbors that they can afford it, and not to actually eat it.

A typical New Year's gift is a hongbao, a red envelope with money, which in Hubei Province is usually given to children or the elderly. The amount depends on the wealth of the giver and the status of the recipient. The older the person, the more money it is customary to give.

On the first day of the new year they go to visit each other. The Chinese give practical gifts : cigarettes, alcohol, large bottles of vegetable oil or packages of milk. No romance, but a lot of benefits.

New Year in China is red. This is connected with the legend of the terrible monster Nian, who crawls out on the last day of the old year and is afraid of the color red. Red also symbolizes happiness and good luck. Well, thirdly, according to legend, people whose year begins in accordance with the Chinese cyclic calendar (year of the Rat, Rabbit, Tiger, Ox, etc.) will have a difficult year. To ward off trouble and attract good luck, they are shown wearing red underwear, which appears in huge quantities in stores on New Year's Eve.

The Chinese have a tender love for fireworks, launching them for any occasion: wedding, birthday, funeral, moving, new position. But on New Year's Day, flashes and roars from fireworks occur throughout the day approximately every 10–20 seconds.

In general, don’t miss the opportunity to get together with friends again on January 28: the first day of the Chinese New Year falls on this date in 2017. And don’t give unnecessary plush toys, but give food - best gift from the Chinese point of view.

The history of New Year's celebrations Chinese calendar originated in ancient times.

It does not have a fixed date; it is calculated according to the lunisolar calendar and occurs on one of the days between January 21 and February 21. In 2019, it will come on the night of February 5th.

The arrival of the New Year according to the Chinese calendar is eagerly awaited not only in Asian countries. The whole world froze in anticipation of the new patron of the year, but few people know the history of the origin of this holiday.

Story

Chun Jie has ancient history, dating back to the rituals of sacrifice to deities and remembrance of ancestors, which were performed at the end and beginning of the year in the Shang era 1600-1100 BC.

According to legend, a terrible monster named Chun or Nian (in Chinese means “year”), with horns on his head, who lived in the depths of the sea, got into the habit of crawling into the nearest village on New Year’s Eve and devouring everything in sight - animals, grain, supplies, etc. even people.

People were afraid of the monster and prepared in advance for its annual appearance. To protect their families, on the eve of the holiday they stored food at the doorstep of their home. It was believed that the more you put in, the more likely it was that the beast would be satisfied with the offering and would not harm the people. And they themselves, taking with them the most important things, left the village for the mountains.

This went on for many years. One day, on the eve of the day when the monster was supposed to emerge from the sea, an old man appeared in the village with a sack on his shoulders, gray mustache and a staff.
However, due to the bustle, no one paid attention to him. Only one old woman advised him to leave quickly, since Nyan would appear soon. He replied that if they left him for the night, he would drive the monster away once and for all. The woman let the old man into her house, gave him food and left him to spend the night, but did not hope to find him alive in the morning.

The surprise of the returning villagers knew no bounds when the grandfather, safe and sound, moreover, having driven out the terrible monster, rested peacefully on the threshold of the house in a red painted robe.

The fire crackled merrily in the hut, front door was painted red, and the remains of firecrackers lay on the floor. The old man said that Chun is most afraid of the color red and loud noise.

Other versions also say that the boy in red allegedly scared the monster. Whether this is true or a beautiful fiction is unknown, but no one has seen the monster since then.

And the Chinese to this day decorate their houses with red lanterns and scrolls and celebrate the New Year cheerfully and noisily, with firecrackers, garland lights and other tinsel that drives out evil spirits.

Later, fireworks were used to scare Chun away.

How to prepare

The Chinese begin preparing for the New Year by cleaning their home, during which they throw away all the trash and unnecessary things that have accumulated over the year. Together with garbage and rubbish, they throw out old, stagnant energy, giving way to new and living energy.

Particular attention is paid to decorating the house with traditional red color and its shades. The Chinese have a special ritual - paired inscriptions are posted at the entrance to the house, the walls of apartments and houses are decorated with special paintings from paper patterns.

REUTERS/Sheng Li

It is customary to decorate houses with 8 ripe, juicy tangerines, since this number symbolizes infinity.

Not only homes are decorated with red; it is customary to wear special red clothes. After all, it is this color, according to legend, that drives away misfortune and sorrow from the house.

The Chinese do not put up a Christmas tree - they replace it with trays of oranges and tangerines. But they need to be laid in a special way - always in a circle and there should be exactly 8 pieces of each fruit, no less and no more.

However, more and more often you can find those who, instead of citrus fruits, decorate small artificial trees, which are decorated with dried fruits or fresh fruits in sugar.

How to celebrate

In the old days, the holiday lasted a whole month; nowadays, the Chinese have reduced the number of days off by half. Therefore, the holiday ends on the fifteenth day - the grandiose Chinese Lantern Festival.

Traditionally, China celebrates the holiday for 15 days, each of which has its own traditions and customs.

The first day of the Chinese New Year begins with a festive dinner, loud fireworks and noisy festivities. The whole family must burn bamboo sticks. The Chinese believe that the louder the holiday, the happier and more joyful it will be. a year will pass. Also on this day they go to the cemetery to visit their relatives in order to honor their memory.

The second day begins with prayer: families ask for health and happiness to all their loved ones; old people - longevity; business people and businessmen - prosperity and enrichment. For beggars, the second day of the holiday is a great success, because they can come to visit and ask for food and alms.

In the next two days, the Chinese try to respect all their friends and relatives and wish them a Happy New Year. They believe that this day must be spent with loved ones in order to be together next year. Since this period, all large corporations have started their work and everything is gradually returning to normal.

The fifth and sixth are dedicated to wealth and business, which is why the rest of the companies start working, but they don’t just go to work, they definitely set off fireworks.

The seventh day of the holiday, like the second, is customary to begin with prayer and veneration of God. It is believed that man was created on this day. In order for income to increase and business to flourish, the Chinese prepare a special raw fish salad called “Yusheng”.

Eighth, ninth, tenth - all the Chinese are already returning to work, and in the evenings they have small family festive dinners, always with prayer, after which they go to the temple to light special smoking candles.

The eleventh day is the day of the son-in-law, when the father-in-law always arranges a noisy and rich holiday for his daughter’s husband. Every father tries to respect him and arrange the best holiday for him.

For the next three days, everyone is mostly busy preparing for the main holiday - the Lantern Festival. Everyone buys decorations, lanterns, lantern canopies, and so on.

On the fifteenth and last day, concerts and theatrical performances are usually held, people with lit lanterns walk around the square with their families, and fireworks, firecrackers and firecrackers thunder around.

Traditions

On New Year's Eve, all family members, wherever they are, come home and gather for a richly laid festive table. Therefore, the Chinese call this holiday “meeting after separation.” This is the most enduring tradition of celebrating Chinese New Year.

The whole family discusses the past year - what has been achieved, what has been learned and what remains to be accomplished.

Residents of the Celestial Empire believe that on New Year's Eve the spirits of deceased ancestors are present at the table, who are also participants in the holiday.

The main dish on the New Year's table is dumplings, which are shaped like a gold bar. Residents of the Middle Kingdom are confident that this symbol of prosperity and wealth will bring good luck with the first minutes of the New Year according to the Chinese calendar 2019.

The table should also include treats such as fish and tofu. With these dishes, the Chinese thank the patron of the outgoing year for his generosity and indulgence.

Festive clothes are a must bright colors- red, gold, pink, green. The brighter the outfit, the greater the chance that an insidious and cunning spirit that can bring grief and loss will not penetrate the house.

It is not customary to give serious gifts for the New Year. More often they present red envelopes with money, various souvenirs, amulets and amulets, sweets and images of the symbol of the coming year.

Any gift, according to the rules, must be paired. The owner must be presented with two tangerines.

The color of the gift also plays a huge role. The main rule is neither a gift nor gift paper should not be white or blue. In this country, these colors represent death and funerals.

The gift itself is presented only in private and with both hands. But it is necessary to distribute gifts not chaotically, but from senior to junior.

It is also indecent to open a gift in front of everyone; this must be done in private, so as not to offend the giver with a careless look or word.

In Singapore and Malaysia there is an interesting and romantic tradition on this holiday. To do this, single ladies attach their phone number to Mandarin and then send the fruit along the river. Single men, in turn, catch these tangerines, eat them, and then call to meet the lady.

What not to do

On New Year's Day, during the festive feast, it is not customary to talk about the past year - all thoughts and conversations should be directed towards the future.

A festive outfit cannot be combined with black and white, since black is a symbol of failure, and white is the color of mourning.

The number “4” is also a symbol of death, so it should not be anywhere - neither on a gift, nor on money, and the number of bills should be either more or less.

During the first three days of Chinese New Year, the house should not be cleaned. During the New Year, good deities appear in all homes, giving happiness and good luck, which settle in the form of dust.

Usually, after the Chinese New Year, you should not buy shoes to avoid getting into trouble. And all because, “shoes” in Chinese is consonant with the Chinese “difficult”.

Also, in the first month you cannot cut your hair, otherwise failures will fall like an avalanche on your uncle on your mother’s side.

In the first days of the New Year celebration, you should not use knives or other sharp objects so as not to cut off your happiness.

Washing your hair during the New Year holidays means washing away good luck.

You cannot quarrel, sort things out, swear, shout or utter curses.

Borrow money. You must give away all the money you borrowed.

According to the Chinese calendar, February 5th will be the year 4719 - the Year of Yellow Earth Pig, which will last until January 25, 2020, when it will be replaced by the year of the White Metal Rat.

The pig is a revered animal in the Middle Kingdom. It symbolizes family happiness and wealth. The pig represents kindness, gentleness, peacefulness and patience.

The material was prepared on the basis of open sources.

: January 1, as in most Christian countries, and during the new moon - the so-called "Chinese New Year" - Chunjie (Spring Festival).

The history of Chinese New Year celebrations goes back many centuries. It does not have a fixed date; it is calculated according to the Far Eastern lunisolar calendar. The beginning of the year falls on the second new moon after winter solstice and therefore moves between January 21st and February 21st.

Each year is associated with a specific zodiac sign and element.

In northern China, it is customary to eat dumplings (jiaozi) on New Year's Day, while in the south, they eat slices made from glutinous rice (niangao). Northerners prefer dumplings because in Chinese the word “jiaozi” is consonant with the words “farewell to the old and welcome to the new.” In addition, dumplings resemble traditional gold and silver bars in their shape and symbolize the desire for wealth. For the same reason, southerners eat "niangao", symbolizing the improvement of life every year.

The festive New Year's dinner ends with the distribution of "happiness money." Adults give children red envelopes containing money, which are supposed to bring good luck throughout the new year. In ancient times, New Year's money was presented in the form of one hundred copper coins tied together and symbolizing the hope of living to be a hundred years old. After the festive dinner, you should not go to bed so as not to miss your happiness.

In China, there is also a tradition that originated in ancient times: during the New Year celebration, when you come to visit, you present your hosts with two tangerines, and when you leave, you receive two other tangerines from them. The emergence of this tradition is associated with the fact that in Chinese “a pair of tangerines” is consonant with the word “gold”.

In China, in general, on New Year's Day it is customary to give gifts from paired items symbolizing unity, family harmony: two vases, two mugs, and so on.

It is not customary to give watches, especially to older people, or toys and children's things to those who have not yet had children. Usually New Year's gifts Guests give them to the owners before leaving, sometimes even leaving them secretly.

The New Year is followed by three holidays: Chui, Chuer and Chusan, during which friends and relatives pay each other visits and give gifts. Then the holiday resumes, and the festivities continue for another two weeks.

During the festive performances, traditional lion and dragon dances are performed. The lion dance, symbolizing protection in the new year from troubles and misfortunes, began to be performed and spread throughout China during the Chunjie festival in the 14th-16th centuries. The dance of dragons also has a long history.

It was included in festive rituals back in the 12th century and expressed people’s admiration for the dragon.

The dragon, made of paper, wire and willow twigs, can reach 8-10 meters. His body is flexible and consists of a different, but always odd number of parts. Each part is controlled by one dancer using a pole; the undulating, writhing movements of the dragon require great coordination among the participants.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources