CHINESE
NEW YEAR IN UNITED KINGDOM
What do people do?
Chinese communities across the UK hold New Year parades and public celebrations close to the first day of the Chinese year. These often include:- Lion dances in city centers and shopping malls.
- Performances of traditional and contemporary Chinese dance and music.
- Communal meals and tasting sessions of traditional Chinese and Chinese inspired foods.
- Short courses and lectures on Chinese history, language and culture.
- Exhibitions of art and crafts created by artists from China or of Chinese decent.
- Displays of lanterns and
fireworks.
Leeds,
Birmingham and Sheffield.
Families, community centers
and student associations often also hold private celebrations. These
may be small parties at home or larger events for hundreds or
thousands of people. Special dishes representing luck and happiness
in the Chinese New Year are often served.Public life
Chinese New Year is not a public holiday in the UK. Parades and large scale public celebrations may cause some local disruption to traffic, particularly in city centers and Chinatown areas. Some Chinese shops and other businesses may keep different hours during the Chinese New Year period.Background
The Chinese New Year festival has been celebrated for thousands of years. It is also called the Spring festival as it falls between the
December
solstice and the March
equinox and China is in the Northern hemisphere. The Chinese New
Year traditionally marks the start of a new cycle of sowing and other
farming activities in China. More information on the background to
this festival is given in our general article on the Chinese
New Year.
Symbols
Symbols of Chinese New Year include red lanterns with gold characters, red envelopes containing gifts of money, fireworks, lion dance displays and special types and displays of food. They types of food that people eat during the festival vary according to the region in China from which they or their ancestors came.Many people in the Chinese community make a special effort to wear red clothes. . They often believe that red represents fire and can scare evil spirits away. Other symbols of Chinese New Year include appropriate elements and animals from the cycle of names of years in the Chinese Calender.
CHINESE NEW YEAR
Chinese New Year is celebrated worldwide to mark the first day of the New Year in the Chinese calendar, which differs from the Gregorian calendar. It is also known as the Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year and celebrations can last for about 15 days.
The Chinese New Year for 2014 is on January 31 and marks the start of the Year of the Horse.
The Chinese New Year for 2014 is on January 31 and marks the start of the Year of the Horse.
What do people do?
Chinese New Year is the most important and longest of all Chinese festivals, celebrated in Chinese communities worldwide. Chinese New Year activities include:- Making offerings to household deities.
- Wearing new clothes, particularly in red.
- Hosting a large banquet for family and
friends . - Taking part in lion and dragon dances, as well as festive parades featuring acrobatic demonstrations, beating gongs, and clashing cymbals .
Public life
Chinese New Year is a public holiday in China, which lasts for a few
days. It is also a public holiday in countries such as Brunei,
Indonesia, Malaysia, North Korea, Singapore, South Korea, and Vietnam.
It is not a public holiday in countries such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom or the United States. However, some businesses may close early and some streets may be closed for a short while to allow for festival parades to take place.
It is not a public holiday in countries such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom or the United States. However, some businesses may close early and some streets may be closed for a short while to allow for festival parades to take place.
Background
The Chinese New Year festival is believed go as far back as
prehistory. It marks the start of the new lunar cycle and is called the
Spring Festival (in the northern hemisphere) as it falls between the December solstice and the March equinox.
China follows the Gregorian calendar for daily business but the dates
of the Chinese New Year and other important festivals are determined by
the Chinese calendar.
The Chinese New Year, which is the first day of the first month, in the Chinese calendar is assigned to an animal. According to one belief, Buddha promised gifts to all animals that would pay him homage. Only 12 animals came to honor Buddha so, to favor these 12 animals, each one was given one of the 12 years of the Chinese zodiac. People born during one of the animal's years are said to inherit distinctive characteristics of that animal. The signs repeat every 12 years.
What animal sign were you born under?
The Chinese calendar is based on astronomical observations of the sun's longitude and the moon's phases. It is believed to have been introduced by Emperor Huangdi (or Huang Ti) at some stage around 2600 to 3000 years BCE. According to legend, the emperor invited the calendar in 2637 BCE. This calendar predates the Gregorian calendar, which was introduced in 1582. The Chinese lunar calendar is used to determine festivals, so the dates of these festivals vary each year. Various Chinese communities around the world also use this calendar.
The Chinese New Year, which is the first day of the first month, in the Chinese calendar is assigned to an animal. According to one belief, Buddha promised gifts to all animals that would pay him homage. Only 12 animals came to honor Buddha so, to favor these 12 animals, each one was given one of the 12 years of the Chinese zodiac. People born during one of the animal's years are said to inherit distinctive characteristics of that animal. The signs repeat every 12 years.
What animal sign were you born under?
The Chinese calendar is based on astronomical observations of the sun's longitude and the moon's phases. It is believed to have been introduced by Emperor Huangdi (or Huang Ti) at some stage around 2600 to 3000 years BCE. According to legend, the emperor invited the calendar in 2637 BCE. This calendar predates the Gregorian calendar, which was introduced in 1582. The Chinese lunar calendar is used to determine festivals, so the dates of these festivals vary each year. Various Chinese communities around the world also use this calendar.
Symbols
Chinese New Year has various symbols and traditions. For example,
flowers are an important part of New Year decorations. Two flowers that
are often associated with Chinese New Year are the plum blossom (courage
and hope) and the water narcissus (good luck and fortune). Writings
that refer to good luck are often seen in homes and business
environments. They are usually written by brush on a diamond-shaped
piece of red paper. Tangerines and oranges are also displayed in many
homes and stores as a sign of luck and wealth.
Envelopes with money (Hong Bao, Ang Pao, or Lai See), often come in the color red, which symbolizes happiness, good luck, success and good fortune. The color red is also used on these envelopes to ward off evil spirits. These envelopes are mainly given as presents to children. Each Chinese New Year is associated with an animal name for one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac.
Envelopes with money (Hong Bao, Ang Pao, or Lai See), often come in the color red, which symbolizes happiness, good luck, success and good fortune. The color red is also used on these envelopes to ward off evil spirits. These envelopes are mainly given as presents to children. Each Chinese New Year is associated with an animal name for one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac.
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