Chinese New Year is the longest and most important festivit

1
CHINESE NEW YEAR
2
origin

• The first Chinese new year festival was
  celebrated over 3,000 years ago. Chinese New Year
  is the longest and most important festivity in
  the Lunar Calendar.
• They celebrate for the New Year and Spring
• Dates
• 2007 - Feb. 18
• 2008 - Feb. 7
• 2009 - Jan. 26
• 2010 - Feb. 14
• 2011 - Feb. 3
• 2012 - Jan. 23

3
PREPARATIONS

• Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the
  first day of the New Year and ends on the full
  moon 15 days later. Firecrackers are the Chinese
  way of welcoming the New Year and expelling the
  old. The entire house is cleaned before New Year
  because if you dust or clean you might sweep away
  good luck

4
FOOD OF CHINESE NEW YEAR

• Usually more food is consumed during the New Year
  celebrations than any other time of the year.
  Other foods include a whole fish to represent
  togetherness and abundance, and chicken for
  prosperity. The chicken is served with its head,
  tail and feet to symbolize completeness. Noodles
  should served be uncut, as they represent long
  life.

5
Festivities on Chinese New Year

• For the Chinese New Year celebrations, people
  wear red clothes, they decorate with poems on red
  paper and they give children "lucky money" in red
  envelopes.

6
Decorations

• People decorate their houses with red and gold
  because it wards away spirits.
• Red symbolizes happiness and gold symbolizes
  wealth.

7
Superstitions

• If you cry on New Year's Day, you will cry
  throughout the year. So, children are not
  spanked, even if they are mischievous.
• All debts have to be paid by the New Year. Anyone
  who doesnt pay will be lending all year.

8
Superstitions cont.

• Red means fire, which according to legend can
  drive away bad luck.
• People stay awake at night because they believe
  that their aged parents will live a happy,
  healthy, long life.