Chinese New Year Explained
As you are reading this, 1/6th of the world's population across the globe is on the move. All in a frenzy, getting their lives organized for the next two weeks of celebration.
As you are reading this, billions of people are:
Wearing their lucky red clothing
Boarding flights, trains, and buses to go back home
Deep cleaning the house to remove evil spirits
Cooking up a storm in the kitchen
Lighting red lanterns and firecrackers
Pasting red paper decorations to their doors
All in the name of prosperity and longevity.
Giant multinationals to small, local shops have paused their operations. Most employees get 7-12 days off work, and students get a month off their studies. If you want to get something done, right now is the wrong time to do so.
So, what in the world has motivated millions of people to act in such a coordinated way?
Why, because it's the Lunar New Year, or the Chinese New Year, of course.
In the western world, we have Christmas. But many of us westerners have no idea an equivalent, an even more massive celebration is happening on the other side of the world.
When Is It?
This year, the Chinese New Year will be on January 25th, 2020. We're celebrating the year of the Rat, more specifically, the metal rat.
The reason why the Chinese New Year changes every year is that it follows the lunar calendar. However, you can always count on it to happen between late-January and Mid-February.
A bit of history, in China, each lunar cycle has 60 years and 12 years is regarded as one cycle. Each of the 12 years is defined by an animal sign: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, or Pig. Each animal is also associated with an element: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal (Gold), Water.
What’s in store for 2020: Year of the Rat?
To determine what your fortune will be for 2020, consult google. Different signs have different predictions. But generally, a rat is known for being shrewd (legend has it the rat tricked the cat and convinced the ox for a place on the zodiac), intelligent, and because of their fast reproduction rate, married couples pray to the rat for children.
What do you eat?
Now, this is the fun part! The best way to celebrate the Chinese New Year is to EAT!
Eat, eat, eat, eat, eat. Eat as much, and as frequently as you can. Chinese New Year is all about luck and symbolism, the food served is no different. Some lucky foods you should eat are:
Dumplings - Their adorable shape looks similar to the Chinese gold and silver metals used in ancient times.
The promise: The more dumplings you eat, the wealthier you will be.Long noodles - Chinese people view noodles as your life span.
The Promise: The longer the noodles, the longer life you will live.Fish - The word fish in Chinese, Yu, sounds very similar to many lucky Chinese expressions related to abundance. Fish is best enjoyed steamed, and leave the head and tail on, they're considered good luck.
The Promise: If you eat fish, you will always have a surplus of more than you need.Tangerines, Oranges, and Pomelos - These fruits are considered lucky because they are round and gold in colour. But the most important reason is that these fruits spoken in Chinese, sound similar to Chinese words that mean luck.
The Promise: If you eat round, full, gold-coloured fruits, you will have an abundance of wealth and wholeness-doesn't that sound nice?
Me personally, I am not talented enough to hand-pull some longevity noodles, I'll be enjoying some BBQ Duck wrap and dumplings.
What about the red envelopes?
How could I forget the red envelopes!! Giving red envelopes or Hong Bao is one of the most recognized Chinese New Year traditions, children, teenagers, employees, unmarried adolescents, and acquaintance's children all get red envelopes with crisp bills. If you are a boss, parent, or senior, it is expected that you are the one doing the giving.
Depending on your relationship, the amount you give varies. If you are a poor student, you can use chocolate coins instead. In Chinese tradition, it's impolite to open the envelope to see how much money you received, so don't do it.
Giving red envelopes isn't only during the New Year, on special celebrations and occasions people also give red envelopes.
What's after Chinese New Year?
After the two weeks of Chinese celebrations are done, so begins the Festival of Lights or the New Moon festival, this is where you get to eat mooncakes and celebrate the first new moon of the year.
If you are interested in celebrating Chinese New Year, you don't need to do much, call up your friends, make some dumplings, brew some tea, and remember to be grateful as you look into the new, Lunar New Year.