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Chinese New Year celebration is a huge event in China, which lasts for
fifteen days unlike the other one-day New Year celebrations in different parts
of the world. It usually takes place on January or February by making the
combination of solar and lunar movements. In 2011, the New Year will be
celebrated on Feb 3, while it was celebrated on Feb 14 on 2010. The date of the
event varies every year, and it is celebrated on the second new moon when the
winter solstice is over, while combining both solar and lunar calendar.
New Year is the biggest celebration in China, and people plan grand
preparations. Every family indulges into planning decoration, shopping, food and
a lot more. If you visit China during its New Year celebrations, you will hear
people screaming out of joy and that experience is not to be missed. It is not
an event that gets over in a day or two. It stays more than two weeks and
therefore, the preparations are grand and mammoth.
This is the period, when families indulge into cleaning their home while those
who believe in feng shui, arrange for decorations of their home accordingly. The
families follow a tradition of staying up late during this time. It is believed
that gods in heaven will provide each family with gold if they stay awake longer
and remain active. They should be ready to accept gold as the gift of god.
Decorating the house is one of the vital preparations of Chinese New Year.
People believe that decorating their homes auspiciously will bring them luck and
fortune in the whole year. While decorating their homes, they make use of
several cut outs that include red packets and papers. They also arrange for
Spring Festival couplets, red lanterns, prosperous orange tree, and a lot more.
However, this orange tree, which is also known as 'kum quat,' is one of the most
popular items for decorating home during this celebration. These trees are
positioned on the frontal portion of the house. and it is believed that growing
this tree means bearing gold.
Decorating homes does not end here as people buy colorful flowers and vases in
huge quantity. They place these vases with flowers to symbolize that they are
bringing back the nature into their house. As a symbol of prosperity and
happiness, they place tangerines and oranges in the house. Along with that, they
also place a candle tray where eight beautiful and different types of candles
are placed. There is certain uniqueness about these candles. These are not
regular candles rather they are made out of longan, coconut, peanuts, red melon
seeds, lotus seeds, candid melon, and much more.
Decorating the house beautifully is not the only preference in China during its
New Year celebrations. Food is as important as decorations as people invite
friends and relatives to their homes and also visit to the houses of other
people. Baking cakes and other feasts are common as some people bake for
presenting them as a gift to friend and family, while some bake for the sake of
selling them during the event. People love to shop for crackers, nuts and
candies during this time. Apart from that, cookies are also very popular to
serve the appetite during the event.
People also make sure that their kitchen has enough stock of items so that they
can enjoy diverse food during the celebrations. Every household stocks for
beverages and mandarin oranges so that they can treat their guests anytime.
When it is the New Year party in China, there has to be some traditional foods.
The hottest traditional foods include noodles, chicken, fish, Jai, and desserts.
There is a symbolic meaning to the different dinner items during this time. The
Chinese dumplings mean wealth as they are prepared in the shape of antique
silver or gold ingots of China. Daikon, a white radish and Jiu, a type of hard
liquor implies longevity; while rice means harmony and red chilies imply good
luck.
People take part in the Dragon Parade, which is one of the important events of
Chinese New Year. People wear dragon masks and dances to the tunes during this
parade. Overall, Chinese New Year is an eventful and joyous celebration.
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