Chinese New Year is my favorite holiday and my favorite time of the year. For the Chinese culture, there is much more to the holiday than just celebrating the changing of the calendar: it’s about honoring the past, making things right in our lives, and welcoming in the new and good.
Also called the Lunar New Year, the holiday actually spans 15 days and begins on the new moon that occurs in January or February and then ends at the following full moon. Much like celebrations around the world, Chinese New Year usually involves fireworks — and then we also utilize the color red (for luck!) in decorations, clothes, and in red envelopes that are gifted with money inside. You’ve probably seen lanterns and dragons in relation to Chinese New Year. The “Lantern Festival” is usually the last event before New Year’s Day and can involve a nighttime parade with a colorful dragon, which is considered a symbol of good fortune.
In my family, we visit the gravesites of those who have passed, and we honor our living elders. We take time to think about our lives and what we want for our next year — as well as solve anything that needs our attention and/or come to peace with anything we need to leave behind. For example, we try to settle old debts and settle any disagreements we’ve had. It’s a good time to “clear out” anything we’d like to let go. We also deep clean our homes before the holiday to get rid of any bad luck or bad energy that might be hanging around and to make space for new good luck. Finally, we celebrate with a big family reunion dinner the night before the New Year. Food and family are very important.
It’s said that what we do on New Year’s Day is what our year will look like so we make sure the day is a fresh start filled with family, goodwill, and thoughts of a prosperous, fortunate year. Only good attitudes and good words! We’ll often start the day with brand new clothes and shoes, too.
There are also many things we don’t do. For example, sweeping the floor is believed to be sweeping away wealth so there is no sweeping on New Year’s Day. We also don’t leave the house through the back door, and kids get a day off from scolding, even if they misbehave. It’s a happy day all around!
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