The Chinese New Year festival is celebrated for thousands of years since the ancient Chinese civilisation. Today this festival is observed and celebrated by Chinese, Japanese and Korean throughout Asia and by Chinese communities spread throughout the world.
The festival begins on the first day of the Chinese calendar year, which is the start of the new moon, and is celebrated for 15 days ending on the 15th day on the full moon. The 15th day of the New Year is celebrated as the Lantern Festival
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The New Year's Eve usually called the 29th night or 30th night, depending on the number of days of the last month of that particular Chinese calendar year. The Eve and the New Year's Day are customarily celebrated exclusively as a family reunion and thanksgiving feast.
The most auspicious event of the New Year's Eve is the family reunion dinner banquet which symbolises the unity of the family. During the dinner banquet, the presence of the ancestors is acknowledged with dinner arranged for them at the family banquet table. The family feast called "weilu" or "surrounding the stove" symbolises the family unity and honours the past and present generations and the spirits of the ancestors and the living members celebrate the family feast as one great family.
Traditionally the first amd second day of the New Year will be marked with a religious ceremony given in respect and honour to Heaven and Earth, the Chinese dieties of the households and the family ancestors. Offerings made on the family altar to the the dieties and ancestors are considered an important ritual to unite the living members of the family with those departed who are remembered and respected as they are responsible for establishing the foundation for the fortune and glory of the family. Some people abstain from meat on the first day of new year as it is believed that this will ensure and long and happy lives for them.
The third and fourth days of the New Year are for respects to be paid by the sons-in-laws to their parent-in-laws. The fifth day, called 'Po Woo" are for staying at home to welcome the God of Wealth. Visiting of family and friends on that day is discouraged as it is believed to bring both parties "bad luck."
The sixth day to the tenth day of the New Year is free for visiting relatives and friends. Visits to temples to pray for good fortune and health is common.
The seventh day of the New Year is for farmers to celebrate and display their produce. They prepare a drink made from seven types of vegetable for the occasion. The seventh day is believed to be the birthday for all human beings. Noodles are consumed believed to promote and symbolise longevity and raw fish for success.
The eighth day is a celebration for the Chinese people of Fujian (Hokkien) dilectic group where they celebrate another family reunion dinner, and at midnight pray and make offerings to the God of Heaven, "Tian Gong."
The ninth day of the New Year is for offerings to be made to the Jade Emperor. The tenth to the twelfth days are traditionally for inviting friends and relatives for dinner. On the thirteenth day usually simple rice cognee and mustard greens are consumed to cleanse the system after so much rich food are taken in the past day.
The 14th day are usually for preparations to be made for celebration of the following day. The 15th day, called "Chap Goh Meh" or the "15th Night," is the Lantern Festival which is celebrated at the night of the full moon with lantern procession and displays. Usually children will be carrying lanterns in a parade.
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The Chinese folklore relates that once upon a time a ferocious beast known as "nien," which incidentally is the Chinese word for "year," would encroach onto the village to prey and feed on domesticated animals during the winter season. One winter then it could not find its prey, it turned to attacking and eathing people. The beast starts terrorising the villiage continuously prompting the people to find ways to rid of the beast.
While observing the nien, the people found that the beast is fearful of the red colour, loud noises and fire. When winter came again, the villagers hunged red peach slates on the doors of their homes, beat on instruments to make loud noises, and set bonfires in front of each homes. When the beast returned to prey on the villagers, its was teror stricken by the sight of the red colour, the blazing bondfires and the loud thunder of noises that it flee to the mountains and thereon never to return to the village again. The people kept guard throughout the night to prevent the beast from returning to terrorise the village. When the light of day starts to dawn upon the village without any incident, the people celebrated their victory over the beast with much enthusiasm and joy.
This folklore is said to be the origin of the custom of hanging red spring couplet, playing firecrackers and fireworks, and the tradition of staying up late to greet the new year.
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The Chinese calendar system dates back a few thousand years in ancient Chinese civilisation. and it is a living testament of the advancement in science and cosmology in ancient China. Chinese calendar now and several thousand years ago are one and the same calendar and has remained intact, unlike the the historical development of Gregorian calendar that we use today which was amended time and again in history since the Julian system. The precision and accuracy of the Chinese calendar beyond questionable doubt.
Developed from the observations and studies by ancient Chinese scientists and cosmologist, it is based on precise and accurate computation of the combination of astronomical solar and lunar cyclical movements. A lunar month is a period the moon completes its full phasic cycle of 29 and a one-half days, thus making the lunar year eleven full days shorter than the solar years. Therefore to reconcile with the solar movements, the difference is inserted every 19-year cycle by adding seven lunar months. This is similar to the addition of an extra day for every leap year in the Julian calendar. For this reason, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year of the Julian solar calendar.
The twelve lunar months are futher divided into 24 solar divisions distinguished by the four seasons and times of heat and cold, all bearing close relationship to the yearly cycle of agricultural work.
Since the ancient Chinese civilisation till the first half of the 20th century, the Chinese rely exclusively on the Chinese calendar systems to determine the times of planting, harvesting, festivals and events. Today China uses the western calendar for most practical purposes while still maintaining the old systems as the basis for determining numerous festivals and events. The coexistence of both these calendar systems have long been accepted by the Chinese people not only in China but all over the world.
