Spring Festival (Chunjie) - Traditional Chinese New Year according to the lunar calendar main holiday years in China.

New Year in the country is celebrated twice: on January 1 according to the solar calendar, as in most countries, and during the new moon. However, the Chinese people traditionally celebrate the Spring Festival more solemnly and with more joy than the New Year according to the solar calendar. This is due to the fact that most of the country's population are peasants who, by tradition, continue to live according to the lunar calendar, and that's it. field work and holidays are closely intertwined with the lunar calendar.

Chinese New Year is also celebrated as a public holiday in a number of countries and territories where a significant number of Chinese live, primarily in East Asia.

There is no fixed date for the Chinese New Year, it is calculated according to the Far Eastern lunisolar calendar. The Chinese year begins on the second new moon after winter solstice and therefore moves between January 21st and February 21st.

The onset of 2018 (4716 according to the Chinese calendar) falls on February 16, 2018.

Chunjie - family holiday. Millions of Chinese return to their hometowns to celebrate the New Year with their families. The New Year's travel season in China has been given the special name "chunyun" and is considered the world's largest migration event.

Lunar New Year celebration in Yangon, Myanmar

According to scientists, the history of the holiday has more than a thousand years.

It has always been rich in various customs, some of which have survived to this day.

On the eighth day last month According to the lunar calendar, many houses prepare fragrant porridge - "labazhou", which includes 8 types of products: sticky rice, chumiza, grains of Job's tears (bead), dates, lotus seeds, red beans, longyan fruits, ginkgo seed.

The twenty-third day of the last month according to the lunar calendar is called by the people "xiaonian" (i.e. "small New Year"). People who strictly follow the traditions make a sacrifice to the deity of the hearth.

Before the holiday, the country literally blooms with a red bag. Everywhere there are posters with the hieroglyphs “fu” (happiness) and “si” (joy) gracefully written on them, garlands of lanterns and other decorations, and all of them are exclusively red, meaning prosperity, luck and prosperity.

Before the holiday, the house is supposed to do a general cleaning, wash and clean all clothes and blankets. After the house is cleaned, all panicles, scoops, rags are put away in a place where no one could see them during the holiday. The reason for this strange behavior lies in the legend: during the celebration of the New Year, the gods fly around the houses of the Chinese and give them dust, which symbolizes happiness. Therefore, if you clean up during the New Year, you may accidentally sweep all the happy moments of the future out of your house along with the dust.

Houses cleaned to a shine acquire holiday look. All door frames are affixed with paired calligraphic inscriptions made in black ink on red paper. The content of paired inscriptions is reduced to the expression of the life ideals of the owner of the house or good wishes for the new year. Images of guardian spirits and the deity of wealth are pasted on the door in the hope that they will bring happiness and prosperity to the house.

Two large red lanterns are hung in front of the entrance to the house, and the windows are decorated with paper patterns. The walls of the rooms are decorated with bright New Year's paintings, which symbolize the wishes of happiness and wealth.

The night before the Chinese New Year is also called "the night of the meeting after parting." For the Chinese, this is the most important point. The whole family gathers at the festive table for the New Year's dinner, which is distinguished not only by the abundance and variety of dishes, but also by numerous traditions. For example, a New Year's dinner is not complete without dishes of chicken meat, fish and "doufu" - bean curd, called "tofu" in Russia, because in Chinese the names of these products are consonant with the words meaning "happiness" and "prosperity".

By tradition in new year's eve people do not sleep and stay awake until the morning, so as not to miss their happiness. If someone still lies down on New Year's Eve to rest, then he should get up early. There is a popular belief among the people: “If you get up early on the New Year, you will get rich too early.”

With the onset of New Year's morning, people put on elegant clothes. Young people congratulate the elderly on the holiday and wish them longevity. It is customary for children to give red envelopes with pocket money. This money in the new year is supposed to bring them happiness. In ancient times, money was given not in envelopes, but in the form of necklaces, which were made up of one hundred coins. It was a kind of congratulation, wishing a person to live up to a hundred years. One hundred coin necklaces are still very popular in China today.

In the north of China, it is customary to eat dumplings for the new year, and in the south - "niangao" (slices made from glutinous rice). Northerners prefer dumplings, because, firstly, in Chinese the word "jiaozi", i.e. “dumplings” is consonant with the words “seeing off the old and meeting the new”; secondly, dumplings resemble traditional ingots of gold and silver in their shape and symbolize the wish for wealth. For the same reason, southerners eat "niangao", symbolizing the improvement of life every year.

A joyful festive atmosphere fills not only every house, but also reigns in every street of every city and village. On the Spring Festival, for several days in a row, noisy festivities and fairs where lion and dragon dances are performed.

The dance of the lions, according to legend, traces its history back to the events of the era of the Southern and Northern dynasties, when in a decisive battle one of the parties disguised itself as lions (which have never been found in China) and won the battle because the enemy’s war elephants were frightened by terrible masks and ran, dropping their riders. Since then, on solemn occasions, Chinese soldiers have performed the lion dance. In the XIV-XVI centuries, this dance spread throughout China and began to be performed during the Chunjie festival. It is designed to scare away all evil forces that can bring misfortune in the coming year.

The dance of dragons also has a long history. It was included in festive rituals as early as the 12th century and expressed people's admiration for the dragon and requests to him to tame the wind and pour rain for a good harvest. The dragon, made of paper, wire and wicker, can reach 8-10 meters. His body is flexible and consists of a different, but necessarily an odd number of parts (9, 11, 13). Each part is controlled by a single dancer with the help of a pole, the undulating, writhing movements of the dragon require great coherence of the participants.

The first five days of the new year are for meetings. Relatives, friends, classmates, colleagues visit and congratulate each other on the New Year, give gifts.

New Year's festivities end after the Lantern Festival (Yuanxiaojie or Dengjie), on the fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar calendar. Today, exhibitions and competitions of lanterns organized in large city parks are very popular in the capital. Lantern exhibitions continue for several days and form an integral part of the New Year's holiday.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

Meeting each New Year, we try to take into account the characteristics and features of a particular patron animal. This tradition came to us from China. However, few people take into account that the Chinese New Year is celebrated a little later than ours. In China, the date of everyone's favorite holiday is floating, because. it depends on lunar calendar. Traditionally, the Chinese New Year, which in this country is called Chun Ze, is celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month. In 2017, Chinese New Year will begin on January 28th. Unlike our country, its celebration lasts for 15 days and is subject to ancient customs.

New Year in China - the history and traditions of the celebration

Let's start with the history of the Chinese New Year. Read the story of our New Year. According to legend, more than two thousand years ago, the Chinese believed that on New Year's Eve, a terrible monster called Nian comes out of the depths of the sea to the earth. The monster devoured everything around, so for many years the people of China celebrated the New Year by locking themselves in their homes and turning off the lights. Once, before the next New Year, someone forgot to remove the red blanket from their yard. When the monster was released, it set off in search of victims, as usual, but at the sight of the red veil, Nian lost control and evaporated. Since then, the Chinese have been celebrating the New Year by wearing red clothes and hanging red lanterns around the city.

New Year in China - what are the traditions of the celebration

Chinese New Year is usually celebrated in a wide family circle. The day before the holiday, numerous relatives gather in the house of the older generation and begin to prepare for the event.

Preparation for the holiday begins with a general cleaning. Moreover, it is customary to sweep the floor here from the door to the center of the room. After cleaning, all brooms, panicles and mops are hidden in a secluded place and are taken out only after the end of the holiday. This tradition is connected with an interesting legend, according to which, during the New Year, the gods endow the people of China with magical dust that brings happiness. But if someone wants to clean up during the holiday, this dust will turn into ash, which, instead of happiness, will bring trouble to the inhabitants of the house.

With the onset of the first twilight, the whole family sits down at the table. The main New Year's dish in this country is jiaozi - boiled dough with meat, reminiscent of dumplings. This dish symbolizes the health and prosperity of the inhabitants of the house. Also in the festive must be present broth with noodles, symbolizing longevity and meat donuts, as a sign of strength and endurance.
In addition to the feast itself, gifts are exchanged at the New Year's table. The younger generation gives fruits and sweets to relatives, while the older generation pleases their descendants with red envelopes with banknote. It is believed that money donated on New Year's Eve, regardless of the amount, will bring happiness.

After midnight, an interesting ritual of the first exit takes place. All family members leave the house and take ten steps in the direction recommended in their horoscopes. In this way, the Chinese pay tribute to the God of Joy.

The morning after the New Year, it is customary to visit your friends and acquaintances. Interestingly, instead of gifts, Chinese people give a friend two tangerines. It turns out that in Chinese the hieroglyph "mandarin" is consonant with the hieroglyph "gold", and by making such a gift, people wish each other to increase wealth.

New Year Festival in China

Throughout the fifteen days of the holiday, mass festivals are held on the main streets of Chinese cities, marking the beginning of the New Year. During this period, China is literally lit up with fireworks, sky lanterns and bright lights. In addition to the procession itself, various recreational activities- dancing, shows national costumes, sweets fairs, etc. At the end of the action, the inhabitants march, carrying in their hands a huge red dragon, symbolizing the strength and greatness of the Chinese state.

Some festival days are celebrated as separate holidays. For example, the fifth day of the New Year's festival is considered the birthday of the God of Prosperity. On this day, it is customary to shower passers-by with gold coins. The eighth day of the festival is a family holiday. Lonely Chinese on this day must definitely do some nice gift a stranger of the opposite sex, and the family inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom are obliged to spend time with their family. Also interesting traditions associated with the celebration of the ninth and tenth days of the festival. These days, the people of China pray to the Heavenly Jade Emperor and ask him to help all those who suffer. In addition, during this period it is customary to ask for forgiveness and put up with your enemies. The final fifteenth day of the festival is considered the Sky Lantern Festival. On this day, a bright lantern is hung on every city building, and a lit candle is placed on the windowsill. This is done so that souls wishing to visit the human world find their way home as soon as possible.

New Year in China is celebrated twice. On January 1, the European New Year is celebrated, and during the new moon, the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival (Chunjie). And New Year traditions in China depends on what kind of new year they celebrate.

European New Year in China

Yuan tribute (European New Year) is very quiet and modest. There is no sparkle of lights on the streets, no magnificent feasts at home, no decorated Christmas trees. Only in large shopping centers they put artificial Christmas trees and little Santa Clauses. The Chinese do not consider this time to be festive, preferring the original Chinese Spring Festival.

Spring Festival

The history of the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) has more than one century. However, he does not have a specific date. It is celebrated between January 21 and the last days of winter. Warmth comes, a new life cycle begins, hopes for well-being, happiness, and health come.

The traditions of the Spring Festival are very rich. the day before big day The Chinese fasten five strips of paper on the door lintel, which symbolize honor, good luck, wealth, joy and longevity. By ancient tradition New Year should be celebrated noisily and cheerfully, with firecrackers and fireworks. In this way, the Chinese cast out evil spirits so that they do not bring grief and illness. If the spirits find a quiet home, it becomes their haven. Then the owners will be unhappy.

Many, many years ago, before the invention of firecrackers and firecrackers, the Chinese made noise with whatever objects they had at hand. And from the 14th century, the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire threw bamboo sticks into the oven, which burned and made a loud crack. Further, pyrotechnics came to replace the chopsticks. According to popular beliefs, evil spirits are afraid of the color red. Therefore, these holidays are colored in red. In the villages, the tradition is still preserved to tightly close all doors and windows so that evil does not penetrate through them.

Before the Spring Festival, the Chinese clean the house, utility rooms, and yard. Everything should be sparkling clean. On the days of the festival, sweeping and washing the floors is considered a bad omen.

Instead of a Christmas tree, the Chinese install the Tree of Light, which they decorate with flowers, bright ribbons, flashlights.

Festive New Year's table

In China, as in many other countries, They believe that how you celebrate the New Year is how you will spend it. Therefore, a lot of hearty and tasty dishes are served on the table. The whole family sits down at the table a few hours before the New Year. In the north of the country, dumplings are especially loved, in the south - soup with dumplings and noodles. Long noodles symbolize long happy life. After dinner, “money of happiness” is distributed to everyone. They are given in red envelopes, which are supposed to bring wealth and good luck. Until the morning no one sleeps, so as not to miss their happiness.

two tangerines

Since ancient times, there has been a beautiful and interesting custom. Guests should give the owners of the house two tangerines. When the invitees went home, they were presented with a couple of tangerines as a gift, but already different ones, those that were prepared in advance for the guests. This custom arose due to the fact that in Chinese the phrase "two tangerines" is consonant with the word "gold".

The Chinese love to give paired gifts, as they denote harmony in the family, common interests. It is not customary to give watches to the elderly, toys or children's things to couples who are expecting a baby. Gifts are presented before leaving, sometimes they are simply put in a secluded place so that the owners find them on occasion.

Three holidays

After the New Year comes three holidays- chui, chuer and chusan. This is the time to connect with friends and family. Everyone goes to visit each other, exchange gifts, have fun from the heart. The fun continues for another 14 days.

Dances of lions and dragons

In China, during the festivities, dances of lions and dragons are danced, which are considered traditional and sacred. The dance of the lions brings protection from adversity and grief. It has come down to our days from the 14th century. No less ancient dragon dance, which came from the 12th century. He expresses admiration for the dragon.

In every country, the New Year is celebrated according to special traditions. The Chinese New Year is interesting for its ancient rituals, strict observance of traditions, faith in their power. The one who honors the ancestors and their will will always be healthy, rich and happy.

The Best Gift Shops in Russia You Can Trust

1. dolina-podarkov.ru - The gift shop is beyond competition. No one has such an original and large assortment. Very fast response to orders.

Hello dear readers!

Watching the various traditions of large states, it is always interesting to learn something new, to look at something that is not popular in our country.

Such an interesting and breathtaking holiday is the Chinese New Year, which is celebrated not only in China, but also on many islands of the East. Also this ancient holiday celebrate the Chinatowns of various countries (Canada, England, America and even Australia).

According to tradition, the date of the New Year "floats" between January 21 and February 21, depending on the lunar phases. Every year the date of the festival changes, which means that it is convenient to use special calendars to determine the day and symbol of the New Year.

When is Chinese New Year

The end of the winter solstice, as well as the beginning of a new calendar, symbolizes the arrival of spring for the Chinese people. That is why after 1911 the holiday is considered the official Beginning of Spring.

It's amazing how seriously the Chinese take this celebration. unofficial holiday. Many fly from other countries to their homes in order to reunite with their families. Dine together and watch chic theatrical performances, festivals and concerts within your hometown.

Agree, not every person will overcome the path of several thousand kilometers in order to hug his mother and admire the fireworks. The flight time before the holiday is called Chunyun and is recognized as the official vacation period by all employers in the world.

The history of the holiday

According to an ancient legend, with the advent of each year, the population of China suffered from the mythical beast Nian. Nian stole children, stole cattle, and even abducted adults. One day, the peasants noticed that Nian was afraid of people dressed in red. Since then, every year they decorate their streets with red lanterns, pieces of cloth and organize noisy festivities, which, according to legend, should scare away all evil spirits, including the Nanny.

The Chinese authorities are very responsible for this holiday, so the decoration of the streets and the financing of festivals comes from the state budget. This allows residents of the city to enjoy a truly enchanting performance.

In addition to the brightly decorated streets during this period, large crowds of people can be observed in China and Chinatowns. It is the Chinese people watching the big festival that starts the official celebration of the Chinese New Year. .

One of the most important elements of the festival is the big dancing dragon. The most famous artists of the city are engaged in its creation, because such an occupation is very honorable and exciting.

During the festival, the streets are filled with folk artists who not only dance and sing, but also recreate various mythical paintings and theatrical performances.

The costumes of such dancers are the most chic. It is a great honor for every Chinese to participate in the festival.

For those who got to the festival at night, various fire shows arranged by both professionals and amateurs will be interesting.

When the Chinese New Year comes, all the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire must go to temples. On their doors, they hang small signs with the wishes of health and happiness to their loved ones. Decorated with bright red signs, the doors create an even warmer and more family atmosphere on the streets of the city.

Many residents pray with incense, asking the coming year for love and prosperity for themselves and their families.

The traditions of the Chinese New Year allow the festivities to continue for 3-4 days. At the same time, the official holiday period ends on the 15th day after the start of the festival and is called the Lantern Festival.

Throughout the period, actors and ordinary residents amuse the people with beautiful performances and processions that symbolize the meeting of Spring.

The holidays end with traditional fireworks decorating the sky over China, Mongolia, England and other countries where the Chinese nation lives.

In general, if you want to enjoy incredible carnivals, as well as an atmosphere of family love and understanding, go to China, where the traditional Spring Festival will win the heart of any traveler.

New Year is celebrated twice in China. January 1, as in most Christian countries, and during the new moon - the so-called "Chinese New Year" - Chunjie (Spring Festival).

European New Year in China(the so-called Yuan-dan) passes rather quietly. No noisy night feasts, New Year's "Lights", shiny Christmas trees and red-nosed Santa Clauses with bags of gifts. Only in large shopping centers, paying tribute to the West, they put sparkling artificial Christmas trees and puppet Santa Clauses here and there.

"Yuan-dan" - translated as the first, initial day of the new year. The New Year in China until the 20th century was counted according to the lunar calendar, and not at all according to the calendar we are used to, and Yuan-dan was celebrated on the first day of the first lunar month.

Only on September 27, 1949, the government of the newly created People's Republic of China ordered to call the first day of the lunar calendar "Spring Festival" (Chun Jie), and the first of January according to the Western calendar - "Yuan Dan". Since that time, January 1 has become an official public holiday in China.

But even today, the Chinese still do not celebrate this day, not perceiving it as a holiday, marking the change of years. The "Western" new year is not a competitor to the lunar, or Spring Festival.

Celebration Stories Chinese New Year many centuries, and this holiday has no fixed date. Ancient Chinese astronomers calculated that the new year in China will always come between January 21 and the last days of February, when the end of winter comes, it becomes warm and renewal of all living things begins. Therefore, the Chinese New Year is called Spring Festival and since ancient times, the Chinese have associated hopes for the future with it family well-being, health and happiness.

In China, many rituals are associated with the New Year's Eve. New Year's signs. Before the New Year, five long strips of paper were attached to the lintel of the door, which meant "five types of happiness": good luck, honor, longevity, wealth and joy. According to ancient custom, at the meeting of the New Year it is supposed to have noisy fun. To do this, the inhabitants of China launch fireworks, as well as blow up firecrackers and firecrackers. It is imperative to make some noise, because according to legend, on New Year's Eve, evil spirits expelled from everywhere look for a new secluded corner, settle in it and then cause various troubles to the owners for a whole year.

Before the invention of firecrackers and firecrackers, any household items that were nearby were used to create noise. From the 14th century n. e. In China, there was a tradition on New Year's Eve to throw bamboo sticks into the oven, which, when burned, emitted a strong crackle and thereby scared away evil spirits. Later, these sticks (baozhu) were replaced by firecrackers and pyrotechnics, but the name has not changed. The Chinese believe that evil spirits are afraid of red, so red prevails everywhere on this day. Before the New Year, red strips of paper are pasted on a variety of objects.

Some of the old New Year's rites have become a thing of the past in urban metropolitan areas, but are sometimes found in rural areas. These customs include sealing windows and doors with paper. In general, the doors had to be closed all day, so that evil would not enter the house.

According to an old tradition, by the beginning of the New Year's celebration, the house should shine with cleanliness. Cleaning usually starts from the threshold and ends in the middle of the house. In the evening, all work equipment should be removed to secluded places. This rule is connected with the legend that on New Year's Eve, the gods bestow good luck on every house for the entire coming year and that this good luck settles in the form of dust during the celebration. Therefore, it is believed that if someone takes revenge or cleans up during the New Year , then it can sweep away good luck and bring misfortune to the house and to all household members.

Instead of a Christmas tree in China they install Tree of Light. It is cleaned with flowers, garlands and lanterns.

Great importance is attached in China to the festive New Year's dinner, during which all relatives and friends gather at the same table. Places at the table are also reserved for those family members who, for one reason or another, are absent from the celebration.

Satisfying festive table , covered on New Year's Eve, is called "nyanefan"(this is translated as "New Year's Eve Dinner"), but in some areas of China it is called "tuannianfan" (dinner to celebrate the New Year), "hejiahuan" (fun with the whole family), "fensujiu" (front table separating two year), "shousuiju" (front table for waking up on New Year's Eve) or "cisuijiu" (front table seeing off the old year).

According to local beliefs, as you celebrate the New Year, so it will pass. Therefore, the Chinese carefully monitor that the festive table is bursting with various dishes.

A festive dinner is traditionally prepared a few hours before the New Year, so that in the last hours of the old year one does not use a knife, according to Chinese beliefs, they can inadvertently cut off happiness and good luck.

In the north of China, an indispensable traditional dish on New Year's table are dumplings(jiao tzu), which are molded by the whole family, in the south - soup with dumplings and long noodles, which symbolizes long life (hunychun).

New Year's Eve Dinner is Coming to an End distribution "happiness money". Adults give children red envelopes with money invested in them, which are supposed to bring good luck throughout the year. In ancient times, New Year's money was given in the form of one hundred copper coins, which were tied together and symbolized the hope for life up to a hundred years. After the New Year's dinner, no one fell asleep: it was believed that by falling asleep, you can miss your happiness.

In China, there is also an interesting custom that originated in ancient times: during the celebration of the New Year, coming to visit, the owners were given two tangerines, and, leaving, they received two other tangerines from the owners. The emergence of this tradition is due to the fact that the words denoting a pair of tangerines in Chinese resemble the word "gold" in sound.

In China, in general, on New Year's Eve, it is customary to give gifts from paired gizmos, meaning unity, family harmony: two vases, two mugs, etc. It is not customary to present watches, especially to older people; give toys, children's things to those who do not have children or are just waiting for their appearance. Usually, new Year gifts guests hand over to the hosts before leaving, sometimes they even leave them secretly.

The New Year is followed by three festive days: chui, chuer and chusan, during which friends and relatives visit each other and give gifts. Then the holiday resumes, and the fun continues for another two weeks.

During the festive performances they dance traditional dances of lions and dragons. The dance of the lions symbolizes protection in the new year from troubles and misfortunes, has become popular throughout China, it was danced during the Chunjie festival at 14? 16th centuries The dragon dance is also a very ancient dance. He entered holiday program back in the 12th century and expressed the admiration of the Chinese for the dragon.