Chinese New Year 2022~ The year of TIGER~
Chinese New Year, which is also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival is the most important holiday in China. It is also celebrated in Vietnam (Tet), North and South Korea (Solnal), Tibet (Losar), and many other Asian nations. The date is tied to the Chinese lunar calendar and this year’s new year falls on February 1st, 2022.
History of Chinese New Year
The origin of the Chinese Lunar New Year is ingrained in the legend. One of the legends is that thousands of years ago, a monster named Nian ("year") attacked the villagers at the beginning of the new year. The monsters were afraid of loud noises, bright lights, and red colors, so those things are used to chase away the beast. Therefore, firecrackers, fireworks, red clothing, and ornaments are often included. However, this is one of the many existing legends, hence, the exact origin of the celebration is not exactly known.
Chinese New Year 2022 Dates
Even though the new year is on February 1st this year, the new year is celebrated for 16 days.
January 24th to 31st: Little Year, (preparations for the new year)
February 1st to 11th: Spring Festival
February 12th to 15th: Lantern Festival (preparations begin on 12th, the festival happens on 15th)
Chinese zodiac signs (Sheng Xiao/生肖)
The 12 zodiac animals are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. Each animal is associated with the lunar year and the Lunar New Year marks the transition from one animal to the next. Your birth date determines your Chinese zodiac sign, however, as it follows the Lunar Calendar where the date of the new year changes year by year, individuals with birthdays in January and February need to be careful to decide your sign.
Each animal is associated with its characteristic which determines the personality traits, romantic compatibility, as well as fortune of each year. For instance, this year’s sign, tiger, is known for courageous and active people who love a good challenge and adventure in life.
Since every zodiac sign has its trait, it would be interesting to discover and explore your sign if you haven't already!
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Chinese New Year Traditions
Food and drink are a crucial part of the celebration. Members of the family sit around a big table to have a New Year's Eve dinner ( Nian Ye Fan / 年夜饭). Other traditions are worship of their ancestors, older members of family give the younger ones a good luck pocket money (Ya Sui Qia/ 压岁钱) in a red envelope (Hong Bao/ 红包).
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Some other traditions include putting up decorations, firecrackers and fireworks, and
watching lion and dragon dances. These are some of the general events, however, traditions differ among different regions.
Chinese New Year Food
Many of the traditional dishes eaten during the Chinese New Year often have its meaning behind. One of the most common dishes is the Chinese dumplings and spring rolls which symbolize “wealth”. Almost all Chinese people make dumplings by themselves by wrapping the dough with a “wrapper” made of wheat flour and water. The dough usually consists of minced meat (such as minced pork, beef, anc chicken or diced shrimp, fish, and vegetables) depending on the flavor. The dumplings are then cooked by either boiling, steaming, frying, or baking. It is pretty simple to make dumplings so why not try to make them during the Chinese New Year?!
Other traditional food such as hot pot, nian gao (glutinous rice cake), and many other dishes are made during the new year!
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Now, since you’ve got to know some traditions of Chinese New Year, why not celebrate together? Try making dumplings by watching our posted video on instagram is a great way to start off!!
Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Chinese-New-Year
https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-food/chinese-new-year-food.htm
