1 year ago
60
(CNN) — Grab your favourite reddish shirt; it's clip to observe the Lunar New Year, besides known arsenic Spring Festival.
Saying goodbye to the Tiger, we participate the Year of the Rabbit connected January 22, 2023.
Millions of families worldwide are preparing celebrations for 1 of the year's biggest festivals.
If you're a Lunar New Year newbie, here's a speedy usher to the astir communal traditions and superstitions associated with the occasion.
The Legend of Monster Nian
There are countless folktales attached to Lunar New Year, but the story of "Nian" stands retired arsenic the astir iconic and fun.
Legend has it Nian was a ferocious underwater beast with crisp teeth and horns. Every Lunar New Year's Eve, it crawled onto the onshore and attacked a adjacent village.
On 1 specified occasion, arsenic the villagers rushed into hiding, a mysterious aged antheral showed up and insisted connected staying successful the colony contempt being warned of impending doom.
To the villagers' surprise, the aged antheral and the colony survived utterly unscathed.
The antheral claimed to person frightened Nian distant by hanging reddish banners connected the door, lighting firecrackers and wearing reddish clothes.
This is however wearing the fiery colour -- close down to undergarments -- on with hanging reddish banners with auspicious phrases and lighting firecrackers oregon fireworks became Lunar New Year traditions, each of which are inactive followed today.
Fun aside, Lunar New Year tin really beryllium a batch of work.
Festivities often past for 15 days -- oregon adjacent much -- with antithetic tasks and activities taking spot implicit that period.
It each begins astir a week up of the caller year.
Before we get started, a speedy note: portion determination are antithetic ways to accidental "Happy caller year!" depending connected wherever you are, we're sticking with Mandarin and Cantonese successful this story. We person included the romanized versions of some languages successful our descriptions of the assorted traditions.
January 15: The preparation
The week earlier Lunar New Year, festive cakes and puddings are made connected the 24th time of the past lunar month.
The connection for cakes and puddings is "gao" successful Mandarin oregon "gou" successful Cantonese, which sounds the aforesaid arsenic the connection for "tall."
As a result, eating them is believed to pb to improvements and maturation successful the coming year. (If you haven't prepared your ain "gou" yet, here's an easy look for turnip cake, a beloved Lunar New Year dish.)
But nary Lunar New Year mentation would beryllium implicit without hanging reddish banners bearing auspicious phrases and idioms (called fai chun successful Cantonese, oregon chunlian, successful Mandarin) astatine location -- opening with one's beforehand door.
January 19: The eventual cleanup
A large cleanup is done successful homes connected the 28th time of the past lunar month, which fell connected January 19 this year.
The purpose is to escaped your location of immoderate atrocious luck that's accumulated implicit the past year. Plenty of different rules and superstitions are attached to the Lunar New Year.
For instance, don't lavation oregon chopped your hairsbreadth connected the archetypal time of the caller year.
Why? The Chinese quality for hairsbreadth is the archetypal quality successful the connection for prosper. Therefore washing oregon cutting it disconnected is seen arsenic washing your luck away.
You'll besides privation to debar purchasing footwear for the full lunar month, arsenic the word for shoes (haai) sounds similar losing and sighing successful Cantonese.
January 21 (Lunar New Year's Eve): The large feast
A large household reunion meal is usually held connected Lunar New Year's Eve, which falls connected January 21 this year.
The paper is cautiously chosen to see dishes associated with luck, including food (the Chinese connection for it sounds similar the connection for "surplus"), puddings (symbolizes advancement) and foods that look similar golden ingots (like dumplings).
In China, the foods served astatine these classical dinners alteration from northbound to south. For instance, bluish Chinese thin to person dumplings and noodles, whereas confederate Chinese can't unrecorded without steamed rice.
But nary substance which dishes you prefer, Lunar New Year foods are a feast of wordplay.
January 22 (Lunar New Year): Family visits
The archetypal fewer days of the Lunar New Year, particularly the archetypal 2 days, are often a trial of one's stamina, appetite and societal skills, arsenic galore radical person to question and sojourn contiguous family, different relatives and friends.
Bags are stocked with presents and fruits for each of the elders' and friends' homes visited, who volition ablution the visitant with gifts and snacks successful instrumentality aft exchanging conversations implicit Lunar New Year treats.
Married radical besides person to springiness retired reddish packets to those who haven't yet tied the knot -- some children and unmarried juniors.
It's believed these reddish envelopes could support children from evil spirits called xie sui. The packets are known arsenic yasui qian/Ngaat seoi cin and intended to ward disconnected those spirits.
January 24: Chi kou/Cek hau, oregon Red Mouth
Day 3 of the Lunar New Year (which falls connected January 24 this year) is named "chi kou/cek hau," oregon reddish mouth. It's believed that arguments are much apt to hap connected this day, truthful radical volition sojourn temples and debar societal interactions.
Every year, definite Chinese zodiac signs clash with the stars negatively. A temple sojourn is simply a bully mode to resoluteness those conflicts and bring bid successful the coming months.
January 28: The people's birthday
The seventh time (January 28) of the Lunar New Year is said to beryllium the time erstwhile the Chinese parent goddess, Nuwa, created humanity. Thus, it's called renri/jan jat (the people's birthday).
Different communities successful Asia volition service assorted day foods connected that day.
For instance, radical successful Malaysia bask yeesang, oregon a "Prosperity Toss" of earthy food and shredded vegetables, whereas Cantonese radical volition devour saccharine atom balls.
February 5: Lantern festival
The item of the full Spring Festival happens connected the 15th and last time (February 5 successful 2023).
In past Chinese society, it was the lone time erstwhile young girls were allowed to spell retired to respect the lanterns and conscionable boys. As a result, it's besides been dubbed Chinese Valentine's Day.
Nowadays, cities worldwide inactive enactment connected monolithic lantern displays and fairs connected the festival's last day.
English (US)