文化 | Hello China - Happy Spring Festival!

Chinese New Year, usually known as the Spring Festival in modern China, is an important Chinese festival celebrated at the turn of the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. It is one of several Lunar New Years in Asia. 

Celebrations traditionally run from the evening preceding the first day, to the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first calendar month. The first day of the New Year falls on the new moon between January 21 and February 20. In 2018, the first day of the Lunar New Year was on Friday, 16 February, initiating the year of the Dog.

It is one of the world's most prominent and celebrated festivals, and involves the largest annual mass human migration in the world. It is a major holiday in Greater China and has strongly influenced the lunar new year celebrations of China's neighbouring cultures, including the Korean New Year (seol), the Tết of Vietnam, and the Losar of Tibet. It is also celebrated worldwide in countries with significant Overseas Chinese populations, including Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Australia, the Philippines and Mauritius, as well as many countries in North America and Europe.

The New Year festival is centuries old and associated with several myths and customs. Traditionally, the festival was a time to honour deities as well as ancestors. Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the Lunar New Year vary widely. Often, the evening preceding Lunar New Year's Day is an occasion for Chinese families to gather for the annual reunion dinner. It is also traditional for every family to thoroughly clean the house, in order to sweep away any ill-fortune and to make way for incoming good luck. Windows and doors are decorated with red colour paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of "good fortune" or "happiness", "wealth", and "longevity". Other activities include lighting firecrackers and giving money in red paper envelopes. In about one third of the Mainland population, or 500 million Northerners, dumplings (especially those of vegetarian fillings) feature prominently in the meals celebrating the festival.

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PART 1.

What’s Chinese New Year?

中国新年是什么？

Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival, is an important traditional Chinese holiday.

中国新年，也就是春节，是很重要的中国节日。

Chinese New Year celebrations traditionally run from Chinese New Year’s Eve, the last day of the last month of the Chinese calendar, to the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month, making the festival the longest in the Chinese calendar.

传统上，中国新年庆祝活动从除夕开始到元宵节结束，也就是农历十二月最后一天到新年的一月十五号，所以中国新年是农历当中最长的节日。

PART 2.

The origin of Chinese New Year and Mythology.

中国新年的起源与传说。

According to tales and legends, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with a mythical beast called Nian. Nian would come on the first day of New Year to eat livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. To protect themselves, the villagers would put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year. It was believed that after Nian ate the food they prepared, it wouldn’t attack any more people.

上古传说，中国新年起源于一种叫「年」的野兽，年兽总是在新年第一天出没，年兽十分凶残会吃掉牲畜、作物，甚至是村民还有小孩子，为了躲避年，村民新年会在门前放食物，因为传说年会吃掉他们准备的食物，就不会攻击人们了。

One day a villager decided to take action. A god visited him and told him to put red paper on his house and to place firecrackers in front. The villagers then understood that Nian was afraid of the color red. When the New Year was about to come, the villagers would hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. People also used firecrackers to scare Nian away. From then on, Nian never came to the village again. Nian was eventually captured by Hongjun Laozu, an ancient Taoist monk and became his mount.

有一天，有人打算报复年兽，神明便拜访这位村民，并叫他准备红纸还有鞭炮。村民们便了解年兽虽猛，但惧怕红色、火光和巨响。年兽要来的时候，家家户户挂起红灯笼，在门口和窗上贴红春联，放炮竹以吓走年兽，从此之后，年兽就不赶再靠近，年兽最后还是被道士洪钧老祖抓起来，并成为洪钧老祖的坐骑。

PART 3.

What We Do on Chinese New Year.

新年要干嘛？

The evening preceding Chinese New Year’s Day is an occasion for Chinese families to gather for the annual reunion dinner.

新年的前一天，家人团聚一起吃一年一度的团圆饭。

It is also traditional for every family to thoroughly clean the house, in order to sweep away any ill fortune and to make way for incoming good luck.

另一项传统则是大扫除，彻底打扫家里，扫去恶运，迎接好运。

Windows and doors will be decorated with red paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of “good fortune", “happiness", “wealth", and “longevity."

窗上和门上则会贴上红纸，还有对句，上面写着常见的好运、快乐、财富、长寿等吉祥话。

Other activities include lighting firecrackers and giving money in red paper envelopes.

其他活动包括放鞭炮，还有发红包。

PART 4.

Must-know Vocab for Chinese New Year.

你不可不知的新年单词。

Chinese New Year’s Eve 除夕夜

Red envelopes/ Red packets 红包

Reunion dinner 团圆饭

Firecrackers 鞭炮

Dragon dance 舞龙舞狮

Lantern 灯笼

Ask the gods for a prophecy 求神问卜

Spring rolls 春卷

Steamed fish 蒸鱼

Incense 香

Play mahjong 打麻将

Worship ancestors 祭祖