Chinese New Year (also known as Lunar New Year, Spring Festival, or the First Day of the Great Year) originated in 2600 B.C. It is celebrated in many countries with significant Chinese populations and has been the most widely celebrated holiday in the world for over 1,000 years. Chinese New Year is a symbol of letting go of the past and welcoming new beginnings. It is also traditionally a time to honor deities and ancestors.
The New Year celebration is 15 or 16 days long and marks the end of the coldest days in the winter solstice. Chinese New Year never falls on a fixed date, but rather is based on the Lunar calendar, which itself is based on how long it takes the Moon to orbit the Earth. Subsequently, the first day of the Chinese New Year begins on the new moon that appears between January 21st and February 20th. This year, the New Year began on January 25th.
And on Chinese New Year everyone is a year older. It doesn’t matter what your actual date of birth is.
The years are named after animals in a continuous 12 year-cycle: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. 2020 is the Year of the Rat. The Rat is intelligent and intuitive, and is associated with an aggressive attitude and entrepreneurial spirit. Rats can adapt to any situation and solve problems with ease. The Rat will reign until February 11, 2021, and It is believed that all decisions made during this particular year will influence the next 12 years.
For the Tai Chi practitioners out there, the Rat is Yang!
Many Chinese still follow the tradition of eating only vegetarian food on the first day of the New Year as a sign of peace and to ensure joy for the entire year. It is also a time to clean house in order to sweep away any ill-fortune and to make way for incoming good luck. Houses are decorated in red because the color red is believed to scare away monsters. The Lucky birthstone is watermelon tourmaline, and lucky colors are gold, white, and blue to balance energy flows of Chinese cosmology. The combination allows fluidity and brings flexibility and dynamic success to financial transactions and trade.
Gifts are often exchanged, including cigarettes, tea, fruit (but never pears), wine, and liquor. Red envelopes are popular for good luck and to ward off evil spirits. If there is money in the envelope, it must not be divisible by 4, because in Chinese, 4 represents death. Other taboo gifts are items associated with funerals, time (clocks, watches, etc.), sharp objects, mirrors, and items that show you want to walk away from a relationship, such as shoes or sandals.
Also, showering isn’t allowed on New Year’s Day to ensure you don’t wash away any good luck!
Dragon dances and street fairs are very popular, and there are more fireworks set off in China than anywhere else in the world, as it is believed fireworks scare off monsters and bad luck. They are usually set off at midnight, and then again the following morning to welcome the new year and bring luck.
The holiday ends with the Yuanzian (or Lantern) Festival, which falls on the first full moon in the Lunar year. It is sometimes known as Chinese Valentine’s Day, and is looked at as a night for partying and freedom. People carry beautiful paper lanterns and walk along the street to light the way for the New Year!
The Lantern Festival is February 8th, so you still have a lot of time to celebrate the New Year of the Rat!