December 30,2020
Things You Didn’t Know About Chinese New Year
Chinese Lunar New Year 2021 falls on Friday, February 12th. It is celebrated by more than 20% of the world! Here are some facts about this festive occasion that you should know!
1. It falls on a different date each year
Chinese calendar by Confucius Institute For Scotland
I was quite surprised when some of my friends told me that they thought CNY falls on the same day every year. The festival date changes every year! This is because it follows the lunar calendar, based on the movement of the moon. Usually, it falls on a day between mid-January and mid-February.
2. It is also called the Spring Festival
In China, you’ll hear it being called chunjie (春节), or the Spring Festival. While wintry weather prevails, 'Start of Spring' marks the end of the coldest part of winter when the Chinese traditionally could look forward to the beginning of spring.
3. Washing, sweeping and taking out the garbage is not allowed
Photo by Sara Erasmo on Unsplash
During the Chinese New Year period, there are many superstitions. Washing hair or clothes is not allowed on the first day of the lunar year because it is seen as “washing one’s fortune away” at the beginning of the year. Sweeping up and taking out the garbage symbolize removing the good luck from the house, so people don’t do that either.
4. Firecrackers
Photo by Macau Photo Agency on Unsplash
Before firecrackers were invented, people would burn bamboo. Originally, burning bamboo's crackling was believed to send away evil demons, so people would burn this on the Chinese New Year's Eve. With the invention of fireworks and firecrackers, however, these replaced the tradition of burning bamboo because firecrackers are much louder!
5. It is the longest Chinese holiday
Photo by May Gauthier on Unsplash
The Spring Festival is technically 15 days. But celebrations start on New Year’s Eve (making it 16 days). You can also say that the holiday season starts in (lunar) December with the Laba Festival (腊八节 / là bā jié). That’s around 40 days of celebrations!
Order your CNY catering on FoodLine for extra good luck in 2021! *winkwink* Link here: https://www.foodline.sg/chinese-new-year-catering
Featured image credits Olivia Colacicco on Unsplash
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