Chinese new year is just around the corner! Chinese New Year, also known as lunar new year or spring festival, is a holiday that is celebrated by many Asian countries including China, Korea, Vietnam, and Tibet. Chinese new year is to Chinese people like Christmas is to Americans. It’s a wonderfully festive time filled with food, decorations, and cheer!
And just like Christmas, Chinese new year has many traditions that might not be commonly known by many, including my husband Doug! As an ABC (American-born Chinese), he doesn’t keep up with the traditions much, but he loves celebrating it because it teaches our kids so much about our culture. They love everything about it – the decorations, the food, the firecrackers, and especially, the red envelopes! But with all of the fun, also comes traditions and superstitions that need to be learned as well. As the biggest holiday in all of China, we thought it’d be a great idea to teach all of our friends here about Chinese new year! Without further ado, let’s dive into all the fun facts!
CHINESE NEW YEAR FUN FACTS
- Why is Chinese new year on a different date every year?
- Chinese new year is based on the lunar calendar and the lunar calendar changes every year!
- Why can’t you wash your hair and clothes on Chinese New year?
- Chinese people believe that if you wash your hair and clothes on Chinese new year, you’ll wash your luck and fortune away.
- Why do you have to clean 3 days before Chinese New year?? 年二八大掃除
- This tradition is similar to spring cleaning in America. This is important because it is believed that when you clean your house on this day, you’re sweeping away all the bad luck and starting off the new year with a new start and good luck will come your way.
- Why do we decorate with oranges, tangerine, and pomelos?
- Because these fruits are orange and yellow, it symbolizes gold. When you’re giving people these fruits it means you’re giving people wealth and good luck, so next time you go to your family’s house, remember to bring some tangerines or oranges!
- Why do you give red envelopes (also known as hongbao)
- This has been a long Chinese new year tradition. Giving someone a bright and beautiful RED envelope with money inside signifies sending good wishes and luck. (Keep in mind, it is very impolite to open the envelope right away!)
- Why should you wear new clothes (red, in particular) and have a new hair cut on Chinese new year?
- Wearing new clothes and getting a new haircut represents starting a new year with a fresh start. And of course, when you wear red that means good luck and good fortune. Are you starting to sense a pattern here? (Make sure not to wear black or white on Chinese new year)
- Things you can’t say on Chinese New year??
- Basically anything remotely negative! Don’t talk about death, being sick, in pain, or anything negative because negativity= bad luck! (Don’t say any of these things on Chinese new year, nobody wants bad luck right?!)
- Why do we light firecrackers?
- The night before Chinese new year we light firecrackers to scare off the monsters and ghosts, but on the day of Chinese new year, we light firecrackers to welcome the new year with good luck and good fortune.
- Why can’t you sweep on the day of Chinese new year??
- Sweeping symbolizes sweeping away good luck and good fortune. But being the clean freak that I am, I found a loophole to this superstition. Instead of sweeping, I vacuum instead, so I’m sucking in all the good luck and good fortune. That works right?
- Why do you eat Nian Gao dessert on Chinese New year??
- This dessert symbolizes promotion, so everyone who is looking for promotion should definitely have a piece of this dessert!
- Chinese new year candy and decoration
- Every household stores a tray with 8 kinds of sweets and snacks. This symbolizes luck and togetherness, so make sure you buy some sweet candy and snacks for your family.
Luck, fortune, good wealth, and good health. Chinese new year sounds pretty fun, right? Growing up, we always abided by these traditions but didn’t fully understand them. But now as adults, it’s such a treat to teach our kids about our culture so that they can pass on these traditions one day as well. Chinese new year is a super festive time, so remember to have fun with it, and don’t take it too seriously. I am so proud to celebrate my Chinese culture with my family and friends. For us it’s not about wealth and money, for us, our health is the wealth!
Happy new year everyone and have a healthy year of the ox! I hope everyone has a prosperous year! Take care!
Love
Tiffany
