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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...
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 Jupiter, which is part of a constellation the Chinese call "Sheti." Each year in the cycle is assigned an animal and its characteristics, starting with the rat. The Year of the Rat is followed by Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Each animal in the Chinese zodiac is associated with one of the "five nature elements"—wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. This type of astrology is also popular in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Vietnam, Mongolia, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Bhutan, and Nepal.
Mythology around Chinese New Year—much of which may have been developed or embellished in the early 20th century—involves a lion-like beast called Nian (which means "year or "new year") who comes out in winter, hungry, and eats everything in sight, from animals and crops to adults and children. A monk named Hongjun Laozu, known as the "ancestor of great balance," is said to have discovered that Nian is afraid of the color red. The beast also is startled by loud noises. So New Year's festivities involve a lot of red clothes, red lanterns, and firecrackers. The lion dances performed at Lunar New Year parades with red robes, drumming, and firecrackers are thought to be an effective means of scaring Nian away.
Dragon dances are also central to Chinese New Year festivities. These dances are created by a team that manipulates a large dragon puppet so that it appears to be undulating like a snake or a river. Dragons represent Chinese culture, and stand for wisdom, dignity, power, and fertility. The longer the dragon in the dance is the more prosperity it is believed to bring the community.
Lunar New Year celebrations are held around the globe—particularly in cities with substantial Chinese populations, including Sydney, London, and San Francisco. The latter city has the oldest Chinese New Year parade outside of Asia; Chinese immigrants came to San Francisco for the Gold Rush in the 1850s and first celebrated the Lunar New Year in Chinatown in 1858. Today, it is the largest in the United States, with floats, marching bands, lion dancers, Chinese acrobats, 600,000 firecrackers, and the 268-foot-long Golden Dragon operated by 100 members of the White Crane martial arts group.
Continue readingLunar 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...
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 Jupiter, which is part of a constellation the Chinese call "Sheti." Each year in the cycle is assigned an animal and its characteristics, starting with the rat. The Year of the Rat is followed by Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Each animal in the Chinese zodiac is associated with one of the "five nature elements"—wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. This type of astrology is also popular in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Vietnam, Mongolia, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Bhutan, and Nepal.
Mythology around Chinese New Year—much of which may have been developed or embellished in the early 20th century—involves a lion-like beast called Nian (which means "year or "new year") who comes out in winter, hungry, and eats everything in sight, from animals and crops to adults and children. A monk named Hongjun Laozu, known as the "ancestor of great balance," is said to have discovered that Nian is afraid of the color red. The beast also is startled by loud noises. So New Year's festivities involve a lot of red clothes, red lanterns, and firecrackers. The lion dances performed at Lunar New Year parades with red robes, drumming, and firecrackers are thought to be an effective means of scaring Nian away.
Dragon dances are also central to Chinese New Year festivities. These dances are created by a team that manipulates a large dragon puppet so that it appears to be undulating like a snake or a river. Dragons represent Chinese culture, and stand for wisdom, dignity, power, and fertility. The longer the dragon in the dance is the more prosperity it is believed to bring the community.
Lunar New Year celebrations are held around the globe—particularly in cities with substantial Chinese populations, including Sydney, London, and San Francisco. The latter city has the oldest Chinese New Year parade outside of Asia; Chinese immigrants came to San Francisco for the Gold Rush in the 1850s and first celebrated the Lunar New Year in Chinatown in 1858. Today, it is the largest in the United States, with floats, marching bands, lion dancers, Chinese acrobats, 600,000 firecrackers, and the 268-foot-long Golden Dragon operated by 100 members of the White Crane martial arts group.
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