Although the Chinese have long been living according to the Gregorian calendar together with the whole world, and they have a day off on January 1, the main holiday of the country is still considered to be the meeting of the New Year according to the old calendar, lunisolar. The date of Chunjie - the Spring Festival - is constantly changing, but always falls between January 21 and February 21. This is the second new moon after the winter solstice.

Like us, the Chinese love to celebrate New Year for a long time. Holidays used to last several weeks. The 21st century sets new pace, and in 2018 the festivities were reduced to 15 days. Their 4716 year of the Yellow Earth Dog did not begin until February 16th. On the last day of the old year (in 2018 - March 2) you can witness the closing of the holiday with a spectacular Lantern Festival.

Why go to China for the local New Year? To admire elegant houses and squares, get into traditional street costumed lion or dragon dances.

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Chinese New Year Traditions. Legend of Nyan

This is not about Mary Poppins or Arina Rodionovna, but about a monster named Nyan (Nen). Translated from Chinese - "year". According to legend, the beast came on the first day of the year and completely ate the peasants. In order to save their supplies, livestock and children from the glutton, people left some food on the doorstep of the house, while they themselves went to the mountains. So it was, until one day it turned out that the monster can be scared away by bright coloring and loud noise. Many important traditions are connected with the Nyan myth.

Red color

During the meeting of the Spring Festival, red dominates everything. Red paint and decorations on the walls of the house, scrolls, lanterns and, of course, clothes (down to underpants). However, in costumes, tones of the zodiac color of the encountered year are also acceptable, in 2018 - yellow, corresponding to a yellow dog. In any case, the shades should be as bright as possible to drive the Nanny away.

Noise, fire, incense

Flappers, fireworks, pyrotechnics, bright garlands and sparklers are indispensable attributes of Chunjie. Therefore, the celebration of the New Year in the most populated country in the world takes place literally with a twinkle and can scare not only an evil monster. Incense bamboo sticks are also quite popular these days.

Cleaning

On the eve of the apartment, be sure to carefully clean it up, clearing it of rubbish and “old energy”. But in the first days of the new year, on the contrary, it is not worth cleaning, because together with the dust, good spirits throw happiness and good luck into the house.

Family meeting

Chunjie is considered the most family-friendly of the holidays. These days, the Chinese return home from all over the world (employers must provide migrants with official leave). It is believed that even the spirits of ancestors join the assembly at a common festive table. In the next few days, everyone goes together to pay many visits to other relatives, acquaintances and neighbors.

Those who someday want to celebrate the Spring Festival in China should take into account that the entire large nation these days is going to their historical homeland to their parents. Transport is crowded and stuck in traffic jams, and tickets can no longer be bought. Therefore, it is better to prepare in advance.

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What do the Chinese cook for the New Year and what gifts do they give

The table for crowded gatherings is always bursting with food, even in poor families. One of new year traditions- to mold jiaozi, dumplings in the form of gold ingots, and bake a coin in one of them. Of course, the one who gets it on the tooth will find happiness. If only the tooth survived. You can also put yuan in niangao rice cakes, also a traditional New Year's dish.

Like us, the most New Year's fruit is the tangerine. Beads are even made from them, and guests and hosts often give each other in exchange. Other popular gifts are sweets, amulets symbolizing prosperity, figurines in the form of a symbol of the year and other trinkets. Or vice versa, practical little things, milk packaging, cigarettes. For the sake of family harmony, it is customary to make gifts in pairs, with an even number of items (but not 4, because in Asia this is the traditional number of death).

Very often, the Chinese give hongbao - money in an envelope, but always in red! Most often, children, the elderly and work colleagues are presented this way. Now gift certificates are also in vogue.

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

Chinese New Year is a spring festival. It falls on one of the days between January 21st and February 21st. 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, that is, about half of China working in big cities returns home at this time.

Secondly, the Chinese are not supposed to leave. 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 developing tourist places in the Middle Kingdom.

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

The traditions of celebrating the Chinese New Year in the provinces and cities differ:

• In the Wudang Mountains (Hubei Province), all houses are thoroughly cleaned, and a red and gold image of the character Fu 福 (happiness, well-being) is hung on the door straight or upside down. The same is done throughout China. Doorposts are also decorated with red inscriptions wishing good luck in the new year. Often they hang like this throughout the year and change on the eve of a new holiday.

• Also common here the custom to hang an image of the "sweet god" in the kitchen. Before the New Year, the housewives smear his lips with honey or sugar syrup, so that when this god goes to heaven to report on the behavior of his wards, only sweet speeches would flow from his lips.
• The New Year's meal is one of the most plentiful. In Wudang, 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 form of ancient money ingots, and a coin is placed in one of them. The year will be especially successful for the one who will get 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 put 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 as a gift to children or old people. The amount depends on the wealth of the giver and the status of the recipient. How older man, topics more money accepted to give.

• On the first day of the new year, they visit each other. The Chinese give practical gifts: cigarettes, alcohol, large bottles of vegetable oil or packaging with portioned boxes of milk. No romance, but a lot of good.

• Chinese New Year is red. This is connected with the legend of the terrible monster Nian, crawling out on the last day of the old year, which is afraid of the color red. Red also symbolizes happiness and good luck. And, thirdly, according to popular belief, people whose year comes in accordance with the Chinese cyclical calendar (the year of the Rat, Rabbit, Tiger, Ox, etc.) will have a difficult year. To scare away trouble and attract good luck, they are shown to wear red underwear., which appears in large quantities in stores on the eve of the New Year.

The Chinese Have a Tender Love for Fireworks, launching them for any occasion: wedding, birthday, funeral, moving, new position. But on New Year's Eve, flashes and thunder from fireworks are heard throughout the day approximately every 10-20 seconds.

In general, do not miss the opportunity to gather with friends again on January 28: it is on this date in 2017 that the first day of the Chinese New Year falls. And do not give unnecessary plush toys, but give food - best gift from the point of view of the Chinese.

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

Chinese New Year is a spring festival. It falls on one of the days between January 21st and February 21st. 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, that is, about half of China working in big cities returns home at this time.

Secondly, the Chinese are not supposed to leave. 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 developing tourist places in the Middle Kingdom.

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

The traditions of celebrating the Chinese New Year in the provinces and cities differ:

• In the Wudang Mountains (Hubei Province), all houses are thoroughly cleaned, and a red and gold image of the character Fu 福 (happiness, well-being) is hung on the door straight or upside down. The same is done throughout China. Doorposts are also decorated with red inscriptions wishing good luck in the new year. Often they hang like this throughout the year and change on the eve of a new holiday.

• Also common here the custom to hang an image of the "sweet god" in the kitchen. Before the New Year, the housewives smear his lips with honey or sugar syrup, so that when this god goes to heaven to report on the behavior of his wards, only sweet speeches would flow from his lips.
• The New Year's meal is one of the most plentiful. In Wudang, 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 form of ancient money ingots, and a coin is placed in one of them. The year will be especially successful for the one who will get 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 put 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 as a gift to children or old people. 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 visit each other. The Chinese give practical gifts: cigarettes, alcohol, large bottles of vegetable oil or packages with portion boxes of milk. No romance, but a lot of good.

• Chinese New Year is red. This is connected with the legend of the terrible monster Nian, crawling out on the last day of the old year, which is afraid of the color red. Red also symbolizes happiness and good luck. And, thirdly, according to popular belief, people whose year comes in accordance with the Chinese cyclical calendar (the year of the Rat, Rabbit, Tiger, Ox, etc.) will have a difficult year. To scare away trouble and attract good luck, they are shown to wear red underwear., which appears in large quantities in stores on the eve of the New Year.

New Year in China is a celebration of the imminent arrival of spring and the start of sowing. It is celebrated according to the lunar calendar. There is no fixed date for the New Year in China. This holiday is the longest in the country. It symbolizes the beginning of the awakening of nature after winter and the beginning of the life cycle of both each person and the whole country.

About the specifics of the holiday

New Year in China lasts 2 weeks. Fireworks, bright concerts with performances by famous artists, congratulations and gifts - all this happens in the same way as in all other countries of the world.

The New Year in this country is interesting in symbolism: 12 animals correspond to certain years and are talismans. Some countries gladly follow Chinese traditions, using the animal symbolism corresponding to each year.

What date is Chinese New Year

This holiday occurs between January 12 and February 19, depending on the lunar cycle. For Russians who are accustomed to the Gregorian calendar, the calendar date of the New Year in China seems random. The Chinese associate this holiday with the first new moon of the year, which follows the winter solstice. In China, after the culture of the West penetrated into Asia, the New Year began to be called Chunjie, that is, the Spring Festival.

About the history of the holiday

New Year has been celebrated in China for thousands of years. The history goes back centuries to the rites of sacrifice and the cult of commemoration of ancestors. The holiday is associated with the era of the Shang Dynasty (1600-1100 BC). Then the tradition was born to give a red envelope filled with money to all the children who entered the house.

In mythology

New Year in China is associated with the legend of the horned monster Nian. All year he lives at the bottom of the sea. And only once Nian crawls ashore, eating domestic animals and food supplies, scaring away the villagers. The monster was only afraid of the red color. The savior from the monster in one version of the legend is a child, in another - an old sage.

According to mythology, a rich table protects from the monster, which can feed him to his full. Based on this fact, the New Year in China is usually celebrated with a variety of delicious dishes. Also, the Chinese hang up red posters with congratulatory inscriptions, which depict the golden character Fu, which means "welfare".

new year 2018

What date is Chinese New Year? In 2018, the Spring Festival begins on February 16th. As usual, the holiday will last 2 weeks. Although earlier the Chinese celebrated the New Year for almost a whole month! But, obeying the business regime, the country decided to reduce the number of days of rest. The traditions of the New Year in China require the whole family to gather at the festive table. The Chinese believe that dead ancestors celebrate this holiday together with the living. Therefore, it is also called "Meeting after parting."

The patroness of this year will be the Earth Dog. She will replace the Fire Rooster. Peace, goodness and tranquility are expected from the Dog in all spheres of life. To properly meet her, you need to know her character and habits. The element of the Dog is the Earth, which is responsible for the balance of relationships and the stability of life. Fire Rooster will carry away violent passions. They will be replaced by the desire for peace. The dog is honest, faithful, devoted, friendly, although, on the other hand, it can be unpredictable.

How to prepare for the holiday

The Chinese, following tradition, throw away their old clothes, do a general cleaning, thus letting positive energy into their home. When the holiday comes, brooms, mops and rags should be hidden. In China, it is believed that the settling dust on the holiday symbolizes good luck. Anyone who cleans up on New Year's Eve runs the risk of losing happiness.

On the eve of the holiday, people not only carry out a thorough cleaning in their homes, but also hang a red cloth with a gold image of the Fu character in a straight or upside down form on the door. And in the kitchen they hang the image of the “sweet god”. Before the holiday, women generously smear his lips with sugar syrup or honey, so that when he goes to heaven to report on human behavior, he can only speak kind words.

Festive table

In different regions of China, there are different traditions for serving the New Year's table. However, they are united by the fact that dumplings are one of the main dishes. They symbolize prosperity, abundance and prosperity. Dumplings are made by all family members. In China, New Year's dumplings are often shaped like ancient precious ingots. In one dumpling, the Chinese put a coin. The lucky one who gets it will be lucky all next year.

There should be more than 20 dishes on the table, among which chicken, fish, beef, pork and duck must be present. In families with a good income, all these dishes are present. Poor families put only 1 meat dish on the table, even though no one eats it, so that the neighbors can see that they are able to afford it.

On the eve of the holiday, they prepare pork sausage, which is dried on the street.

Also very popular are tangerines, which symbolize the rebirth of life. There should be 8 of them on the table - the number of infinity.

About traditions

Spring Festival in China is celebrated in the family circle. New Year celebrations are long enough, so the Chinese have time to see all their relatives.

Interesting fact: the Chinese do not have holidays. It turns out that New Year's weekend is the only chance to travel. One can only guess how crowded there are for 2 weeks after the holiday in the popular tourist areas of China.

People really like to participate in traditional entertainments and processions. On New Year's holidays, a festival of lanterns is held, as well as the launch of crackers. Undoubtedly, the main decoration of the holiday are the dances of dragons - giant bright dolls of fabulous monsters. This action attracts to China a large number of tourists. How is New Year celebrated in China? Of course, as in all other corners of the planet: bright and fun.

In China, there is a rather strange tradition: in order to scare away trouble and attract success, people put on red underwear for the holiday, which appears in large quantities on store shelves on the eve of the New Year celebration.

Superstition breeds tradition. Even the launching of firecrackers and fireworks is a tradition that has its origins in Ancient China. So it was customary to scare away evil spirits that, on the eve of the New Year holiday, strive to enter people's houses. The Chinese have a special love for fireworks. Therefore, they decorate any celebration with their magical radiance.

Gifts

Chinese people give their loved ones such gifts that symbolize family unity and harmony: mugs, paired vases, hongbao (red envelopes with money), niangao (rice cookies). The Chinese also give gifts such as fruits, clothes, cosmetics, perfumes to their friends and relatives. In China, it is generally accepted that gifts should be useful. And do not hesitate to present the essentials. But donated ties, necklaces and belts are regarded as a hint of an offer of intimate relationships.

The gift box is mostly red or gold, because these colors will bring good luck and wealth.

When the first day of the year arrives, the Chinese pay visits to friends and relatives. They bring gifts with them, based on practicality: cigarettes, alcohol, bottles of vegetable oil or milk packages.

Hongbao is usually given as a gift to either children or the elderly. The amount put in the envelope depends on the financial situation of the giver, as well as the status of the recipient. How more man years, the greater the amount they give him. Only new banknotes are placed, as old banknotes are considered a sign of disrespect. But it must include the number 8, which, according to any Chinese, is a lucky number.

Residents of China are sure: it is impossible to congratulate those families who buried a loved one less than a month ago on the New Year. According to belief, this will bring a repeated repetition of such misfortune in the near future.

When receiving and giving a gift, the Chinese use both hands, as this expresses mutual respect.

Chinese New Year is celebrated twice. According to European tradition, it is celebrated on the night of December 31 to January 1 and is called Yuan-dan. Residents of the country celebrate it in the family circle, modestly and calmly. Since ancient times, the New Year in China has been celebrated on the second new moon after the winter solstice (on one of the days between January 21 and February 21).

New Year January 1

The country's main Christmas tree is installed and decorated in the center of Beijing, on the historic shopping street - Qianmen. Due to the influence of Western European culture and the influx of foreign tourists, the spirit of new year holidays more than in other cities. In large shopping and office centers are installed artificial Christmas trees. Dressed-up Santa Clauses walk the streets. AT new year's eve people leave their homes and gather in the main square - Tiananmen, congratulate each other and admire the festive fireworks.

Traditions and rituals

New Year on January 1 in China is a young holiday. It has no ancient established traditions. European culture had a great influence on its holding.

the day before New Year's Eve Chinese housewives clean houses. It is customary to celebrate the holiday in new clothes, which should attract order and success.

According to Buddhist tradition, midnight is announced by the ringing of bells in temples. The bells ring 108 times. The Chinese believe that every person has six vices (greed, anger, stupidity, indecision, frivolity, envy), which have 18 shades each. With each stroke of the bells, a person gets rid of one of the pernicious traits. In the first minutes of the coming year, the Chinese try to laugh and smile at each other so that the year passes happily and peacefully.

The tradition of decorating homes for the New Year is not common in all parts of China. In large cities, Christmas trees are set up in public places and christmas decorations. Trees in parks and squares are dressed up with multi-colored electric garlands.

The Chinese New Year's feast has no outstanding features. The hostesses serve a family gala dinner. The main ingredients of the national cuisine are rice, noodles, soybeans, chicken and pork meat. The most popular dishes are pork in sweet and sour sauce, gongbao chicken with chili, mapo tofu with ground beef and vegetables, wontons - flour products stuffed with minced meat or shrimp, chow mein - fried noodles, Peking duck.

As desserts, there are traditional sweets on the tables: apples or bananas in caramel, peanuts in sweet glaze, fried bananas in batter, egg tartlets, rice balls with honey, caramelized peaches. For the holidays, Chinese housewives love to bake fortune cookies inside.

In China, it is not a common tradition to give gifts to each other by January 1st. The Chinese send presents and e-cards to your friends from Europe and countries for which the New Year is the main holiday.

history of the holiday

The tradition of celebrating the New Year on the night of December 31 to January 1 came to China after the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1911. To avoid confusion between the European and Lunar New Years, on September 27, 1949, the government of the republic approved the official names of these holidays. First day lunar calendar began to be called Chun Jie, and January 1 according to the Gregorian calendar - Yuan-dan, which literally translates as "beginning of dawn." Yuan-dan became official public holiday and day off.

Cities and resorts

China is an amazing country with a lot to see. New Year holidays it will bring unforgettable impressions and new emotions.

The capital of the People's Republic of China - Beijing - will amaze you with its scale, active nightlife, an abundance of hotels and restaurants. Among tourists, excursions to the Great Wall of China are the most popular. This unique structure was built during the Ming Dynasty. It reaches 10 meters in height and 6000 kilometers in length.

The famous sights of the capital of the Middle Kingdom include: Beihang and Jingshan parks, the Summer Imperial Palace (Yiheyuan), the Temple of Heaven (Tiantan), the Gugong Imperial Palace. Beijing has the world's largest square - Tiananmen, Asia's largest zoo and aquarium.

The port city of Dalian is located in the northeast of China. It is famous for clean air, magnificent pebble beaches, a combination of ancient Chinese and Japanese culture. There are many opportunities for tourists to spend their holidays in an interesting and unusual way: excursions to mountain waterfalls, fishing, yacht trips, visiting golf and tennis clubs, shopping at Chinese bazaars. There are many sanatoriums in Dalyan that offer their clients ancient folk methods diagnosis and treatment.

Beach lovers will love Hainan Island, which is located in a tropical climate zone. In the city of Sanya, they will be able to stay in a luxury hotel on the bay, soak up the clean sandy beaches.

Zhangjiajie Natural Park is located in the northwest of the Chinese province of Hunan, famous for its rich flora, fauna and unique landscape. In winter, this place maintains a positive temperature, which will make walking comfortable. On the territory of the park there are unique attractions: the Yellow Dragon Cave and the ancient Buddhist temple "Heaven's Gate".

An exotic type of New Year's holiday will be a trip to the cultural and spiritual capital of Tibet - Lhasa. Tourists will be amazed by the grandeur of landscapes, ancient temples and monasteries.