Traditions to Observe for Chinese New Year 2012
Chinese New Year 2012 is fast approaching! Are you ready to welcome the year of the dragon on January 23? I sure am. Time to bring the year of the rabbit to a close and greet this rambunctious, mythical reptile!
From My Sunset
Many of you may not be familiar with all the festivities that come along with celebrating Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year has been celebrated by the Chinese for centuries! In today’s blog post, I’m going to share with everyone a few traditions that the Chinese still observe to prepare for the new year.
- Color it red – According to the Chinese, the color red is a symbol of wealth, prosperity, and luck. Decorations for this holiday are mostly in red and gold
- Red envelopes – Married elders would give children red envelops filled with crisp new bills to wish them luck and health in the new year
- Large clean sweep – The Chinese believe in bringing in the new year with a clean, fresh slate. Homes are cleaned from top to bottom, dusting out all the “bad luck” from the previous year away
- No showering on the eve - It’s bad luck to shower the night before Chinese New Year
- No haircuts near the new year – If you don’t want to cut your luck short, don’t cut your hair
- Be careful around breakables – It is unlucky to break a vase, glass, etc during Chinese New Year. However, if you do, you must say 落地開花 (which means things will blossom when it hits the floor) to counter the bad luck
- Fruity luck - In Chinese, the word for Mandarin orange and tangerine is called 桔. The sound has a dual meaning which also means luck
Will you and your family be celebrating Chinese New Year 2012? Let us know in the comments below! Share with us traditions that you and your family observe to bring in the new year. We would love to learn more about this holiday!
Hey There Blog,
Speaking of which, Qingyang Metropolis is found in the most eastern piece of Gansu Province in China, the place is the intersection of Shanxi, Gansu, Ningxia in the higher reaches of the Yellow River of the Loess Plateau. It was named Beidi County in the time period of Qin Dynasty, modified to Qing State through Sui Dynasty, and as Qingyang Prefecture in the Tune Dynasty. The community unfold of the Qingyang sachet also recognized as “chu chu” is a kind of folks customs of Qingyang. According to the paper-chopping types, persons use colorful string to embroider a range of designs on the silk, and then sew into assorted designs which fill with cotton and spices to make a little, exquisite, and amazing embroidery goods. This embroidery is also identified as purse or “shua huo zi” in localized way of life of Qingyang. The eternal concept of Qingyang sachet of blessing is to get auspicious and fantastic luck, blessedness and happiness, to circumvent evil and disaster, ailments and misfortune for safe and peace of the remarkable marketplace.
Thx.