Chinese New Year

1
Chinese New Year
Festivities, Food and crafts
Festivities, Food and crafts

• Festivities,
• Food and
• Crafts

2
The Little New Year

• The last month is spent preparing for the New
  Year, its a time of hard work and thanksgiving.
• Everything is made in advance, shops and markets
  will be closed and there will be no cooking
  beyond reheating.
• A picture of Tsao-Chun, the god of the kitchen ,
  hangs on the wall. He watches over everything and
  the family tries hard to please him.

3

• A week before New Year begins, Tsao-Chuns
  picture is taken down and burned.
• With a burst of firecrackers, the kitchen god is
  sent back to heaven where he reports on the
  people who live in the house.
• He returns on New Years eve and the real
  celebration begins!

4
New Years Eve

• There are two periods
• the hai from 9pm-11pm, incense are lit and
  placed on a table, which has been arranged to
  meet the spirits who descend to earth.
• the tsu from 11pm-1pm, offerings are made to
  the gods, a new picture of Tsao-Chun is hung to
  welcome him.
• The gods are asked to bring peace, health and
  prosperity.

5
The Five Days of The New Year

• First day This is a family affair, you wear new
  clothes and wish each other Bai-nien, Happy New
  Year!
• Packages of money, wrapped in red and gold are
  given to children to spend as they wish.
• Everyone eats po-po (boiled dumplings). If you
  bite in and find a surprise, you will have good
  fortune throughout the year.

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The Five Days of the New Year

• Second day Large pine and cypress branches are
  placed in a vase and decorated with coins, paper
  flowers, fruit charms and other adorments.
• Third day You can see the firecrackers and
  dragon dance.
• The Lion dance goes through the fifth day.

http//www.chcp.org/mpeg/SUMMER.MPG
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The Five Days of the New Year

• Fourth day much like the third day, its a day
  of open house, casual acquaintances, even
  strangers may drop in to visit
• Fifth day ends the celebration, its a day to
  visit those who stay far away
• food may be cooked again and shops are reopened
• Seventh day Everyones birthday is typically
  celebrated then

8
The Lantern Festival or Feast of the First Full
Moon

• The festival of lanterns begins about ten days
  later, with the first full year of the new year
• Lanterns are hung from storefronts
• Doorways are decorated with glass beads and
  colored lamps
• Honoring the full moon, women wear white and put
  on their pearls
• Little round pastries called moon cakes are eaten

9
Food for the New Year
10
Words to know

• Chinese Lunar Calendar a calendar based on the
  phases of the moon
• Chinese New Year the new year is celebrated in
  the spring
• Firecrackers Chinese people believe that
  firecrackers scare away evil spirits
• Lion dance a dance that Chinese people believe
  brings good luck to homes and/or businesses

11
References

• Chambers, Catherine. Chinese New Year. A World of
  Holidays. Austin, Texas Raintree Steck-Vaughn,
  1997.
• Cheong, Colin. China. Festivals of the World.
  MilwaukeeGareth Stevens, 1997.
• Hoyt-Goldsmith, Diane. Celebrating Chinese New
  Year. New York Holiday House, 1998.
• Moyse, Sarah. Chinese New Year. Festivals.
  Brookfield, Conn. Millrook Press, 1997.
• Chinese New Year
• http//www.familyculture.com/Chinese_new_year.htm
  
• Chinese New Year
• http//www.new-year.co.uk/chinese
• Happy Chinese New Year!
• http//www.cofc.edu/ho/cny
• Origins of Chinese New Year
• http//jasono.hypermart.net/legends.htm