Chinese new year 2020 : When is it and how is it marked?
The Chinese New Year 2020 or the Spring Festival (Lunar New Year) is celebrated on Saturday, January 25th , according to the traditional Chinese Calendar.
In the Chinese astrology, each year is represented by an animal. 2020 is the year of the Metal Rat, which is predicted to be a lucky year.
The rat has also been celebrated in 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008.
The Rat has the first position in the zodiac. The Rat is a representation of diligence, kindness, and generosity.
The Chinese New Year, one of the world’s most important and popular festivals is the cause of the largest annual mass human migration in the world.
This holiday is celebrated in countries like Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Australia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia and Mauritius, but also Europe, Australia, New Zeeland, America, Canada, especially in the areas with a big Chinese community.
Lunar New Year 2020 Calendar
The chinese calendar is not like the Gregorian calendar, and the first day of Chinese New Year starts with the new moon, that appears between January 21 and February 20(on january 25 2020), and the last day known as Lantern festival (February 8 2020), celebrated with night lantern displays, ends 15 days later on the full moon.
New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve are celebrated with family. Traditionally, family celebrations were religious affairs, given in honor of the household and ancestors.
The most important religious ritual, was the sacrifice to the ancestors. Loved ones, dearly departed are remembered with greatest respect, as they are responsible for the present and future good family fortune.
The family celebration on New Year’s Eve is known as the “surrounding the stove” or weilu. This comprises of a dinner arranged for the spirits of the ancestors, together with the living and represents past and present, and one strong community.
The most important New Year custom is for married couples to give lucky money called ‘lay-see’ to unmarried relatives, especially children.
‘Lay-see’ is a red packet containing ‘lucky money’ which people believe will bring luck to both the receiver and giver.
Older family members must also give lucky money to all those who are younger in the family, including those who are married. Kung hei fat choy!
Why Does The Date Change?
The Chinese New Year is based on a lunar year instead of a fixed number of day. Each month the moon come back as a new moon on a different date. On average about 29.53 days. So some month will be 29 and others will be 30 days long. 12 lunar months will take 354.36 days, short of the 365 days in a solar year.
To fix this the Chinese added an extra month every third year. In the Chinese calendar, the beginning of the month is marked by the dark moon. The new year starts on a new moon. A full moon occurs in the middle of the month.
Chinese New Year Dates 2020–2042
Spring Festival: The 15 days of Lunar New Year
Day one - January 25, 2020 The first day of the Metal Rat lunar New Year . The gods of heaven and earth are welcomed and meat is avoided to promote longevity and happiness
Day two : Prayers are sent to the gods and ancestors.
Day three and four Son-in-laws pay respect to their bride's parents.
Day five : Named Po Woo, this day is spent at home to welcome the God of Wealth. It is bad luck to visit anyone on this day.
Days six to ten : The Chinese are now free to visit their loved ones, and pray for good fortune in the temples.
Day seven: The birthday of all humans celebrated with a drink made by the farmers from seven types of vegetable. Raw fish is eaten to promote success, and noodles for longevity.
Day eight: Prayers are sent at midnight from the Fujian people, to Tian Gong, the God of Heaven.
Day nine: Offerings are made to the jade Emperor.
Days 10 to 12: Invites are sent to friends and relatives, to visit for dinner.
Day 13: Simple foods are eaten so as to detox after rich foods at friends and relatives.
Day 14: Time is taken for preparation for the Lantern Festival celebration on the 15th night.
Day 15: Jai, a vegetarian dish is enjoyed by the family.
Decoration
The preparations for the holidays start one month prior when people buy presents, materials for decorations, food and clothes.
Also then starts the house cleaning to chase away bad luck, and the doors and windows are being repainted, usually in red.
These are then decorated with red paper strips (Chun Lian) with different wishes of happiness, prosperity and long life written on them.
What are the lucky colors for 2020?
Although this holiday is traditionally dominated by red, during the Metal Rat Year, the colors that will bring good fortune and wellness are pink and orange.
Cinese Traditions
All debts must be paid by New Year’s Day. Nothing should be lent on this day – anyone who does so will be lending all the year.
One should not use bad language, unlucky words, negative terms and the word ‘four’, which sounds like the word for death.
Death and dying are never mentioned and ghost stories are totally taboo.
References to the past year are avoided as everything should be turned toward the New Year and a new beginning.
It is believed that if you shouldn’t cry as to cry on New Year’s day means the coming year will be sorrowful. For this reason children are not told off on this day.
On New Year’s Day, you are not supposed to wash your hair or clean the house, for fear that good luck will be washed and swept away.
Shooting off firecrackers is the Chinese way of sending out the old year and welcoming the New Year.
On the stroke of midnight on Chinese New Year’s Eve, every door in the house, including windows, must be opened to allow the old year to go out.
The Dragon Dance is an ancient traditional Chinese dance, usually performed during big holidays, in hope of attracting peace and prosperity for the whole nation.
As millions of Chinese people stated to emigrate abroad, the tradition of this dance has become common in many countries. In time, the Dragon Dance became a symbol of the Chinese culture.
People wish each other good luck, happiness and abundance for chinese the new year 2020.’
Gong xi fa cai’ translates ‘Have a prosperous new year !’
Tags : Chinese Traditions, Chinese new year 2020, when is chinese new year 2020, chinese new year 2020 calendar, chinese new year 2020 dates
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