Lunar New Year Collectibles

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Lunar New Year—also known as Chinese New Year—comes from the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar, which bases months on the cycles of the moon. A new year begins on the second (or third) moon post-winter solstice. This Chinese calendar was...
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Lunar New Year—also known as Chinese New Year—comes from the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar, which bases months on the cycles of the moon. A new year begins on the second (or third) moon post-winter solstice. This Chinese calendar was hugely influential in the Chinese cultural sphere, adopted in Korea, Vietnam, and the Ryukyu Islands. The Japanese calendar was derived from it, and the Tibetan and Mongolian calendar share elements of it. According the Gregorian calendar used by the United States and modern China, Chinese New Year, now also called Spring Festival, falls between January 21 and February 20. Traditional New Year celebrations in China, thought to have started in the Shang Dynasty (1766–1122 BCE), helped shape the new-year traditions in nearby countries including Korea (Seol), Vietnam (T?t), and Tibet (Losar). In China, the holiday starts on New Year's Eve with a family reunion dinner, and the festivities last for 15 days. The dinner includes dishes thought to bring good luck including fish, dumplings, and New Year cake (niangao). The evening before the New Year, families will tidy up their homes and sometimes use special brooms to remove any bad luck from the past and create space for good fortune to come. Brooms and dustpans are hidden on the first day of the year to avoid disturbing the newly arrived blessings. Chinese families will adorn their windows and doors with red paper cut into intricate designs known as "chu?ng hu?," or window paper cuts, which promote happiness, wealth, or a long life. They also might hang two scrolls with a Chinese poetry couplet that's deep but succinct, expressing hope for the days ahead. Red is thought to be an auspicious color representing good fortune and warding off evil, so elders give young or unmarried people (under the age of 25 or 30) cash in special red envelopes. New, red clothes are worn on New Year's Day. The Chinese Zodiac is based on a 12-year cycle derived from watching the orbit of...
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