Chinese calendars will ring in the New Year on 5th February 2019, also called the Spring Festival, this year is hoped will be full of success and bring good fortune along with affluence. The date is always betwixt 21st January and 29th February, it goes on for 15 days and comes to a completion with the Festival of Lanterns, which plunges on the last day of the First lunar month, implication the date changes every year. 2019 is believed to be the year of the Pig, which figuratively represents cohesion, kindness, and humanitarianism.
Commencing the major jollification is the Little Year on January 28th, with the Spring Festival orderly beginning from February 5th (February 4th is New Year's Eve) and concluding with the Lantern Festival on February 19th.
Here’s the list of the most important dates of The Chinese New Year.
1. January 28th: The Little Year
This is the day of memorial and worship ceremonies. Primary activities include house sanitization to mop away the bad luck and plead to the stove god.
2. February 4th New Year’s Eve
The reconciliation dinner, the most substantial meal of the year, is enjoyed on this day. After dinner, the children will earn red envelopes. The family will then stay awake till late and stick around for the New Year
3. February 5th New Year
The day is kicked off with Firecrackers, greetings, and benediction amongst neighbors. There are no crucial activities besides celebrating the New Year.
4. February 6th To the In Law’s
On this day, married daughters bring their husbands and off-springs to their parent’s humble residence. They also bring with them a gift bag full of fire-crackers and sweets, which their mothers divide amongst the neighbors. This simple gift signifies that “it’s the thought that counts” and expresses the daughters longing for their family.
5. February 7th Day of The Rat
As claimed by folk- anecdote, this is the day that rats get married. People leave a small amount of grains and crackers in corners to distribute their reap with the rats. They then doze off early so that they won’t disturb the “wedding.” In turn, they believe the rats will not disturb them during the year as well.
6. February 8th Day of the Sheep
In Chinese mythology, the world was created by Nüwa(Mother goddess of the Chinese mythology) . Sheep were created on the fourth day. The god of wealth is worshiped to on this day. Presents given to the gods include three types of meat, fruits and wine. At 12 o’clock, people will welcome the almighty in their homes by opening the windows and feasting and drinking booze until daybreak.
7. February 9th Break Five
After praying to the god of affluence, markets and stores are open for business again. Women also go out and give New Year blessings.
8. February 10th Day of the Horse
Nu Wa created the horse on the 6th day. Following the “break five” of the day before, people in actuality start working again. People shoo the spirit of destitution away allegedly a feeble-looking man who was a keen drinker of thin porridge and deliberately transformed his clothing into rags, through igniting scraps and donating banana boat candles.
9. February 11th Day of the Human
It was on the 7th day, that Nu Wa created the humans. Celebrating the Day of Humans emanated from the Han dynasty. Ancient China lived by the custom of putting on a hair accessory known as rén sheng. Clear weather on this day symbolizes a healthy and sound year.
10. February 12th Day of the Millet
As stated in legends, it’s the day millet grain was born. Agriculture was the footing of archaic Chinese society and people highly loved the grain. Beloved pets like fish and birds are freed back into the wilderness to show deference to nature. In today’s era, some families go back to bucolic areas to school themselves on agriculture. This leads to children respecting and understanding farmers’ drudgery and begin to be more environmentally-aware.
11. February 13th Providence Health
This is the birthday of the topmost god, the Jade Emperor. According to Daoism, he is the monarch of the cosmos and is the ultimate depiction of the “sky.” The fundamental task are celebratory observations for the Jade Emperor. In some regions, women offer fragrant flora candles to natural wells, harbors or open space and urge to the gods.
12. February 14th Stone Festival
Ten is pronounced the way the same way as a rock. Therefore, this is the day of the Rock. In a few places, natives freeze a clay jar on top of a glossy pebble the night before. In the morning of the 10th, ten youngsters carry the jar around. If the stone stays fixated, it signifies a good harvest.
13. February 15th Son-In-Law Day
Fathers invite their daughters and their son-in-law’s for a feast on this day.
14. February 16th-18th Lantern Festival Preparations
During this time of the celebration folks commence the preparations of the Lantern Festival, they do so by procuring lanterns and forging light sheds. The saying goes: create sound on the 11th, construct light sheds on the 12th, ignite the lantern on the 13th, light shines bright on the 14th, a full moon comes out on the 15th, settle the lantern on the 16th. This rhymes really well in Chinese and encapsulates the activities of the next coming days.
15. February 19th The Lantern Festival
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Picture Credits- Chinesenewyear.net
The Chinese zodiac also familiar as (Shēng xiào)" in Chinese. It operates around a twelve-year period which swivels between 12 animals, which are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig.
Origin of the Zodiac
Legend has it that the Jade Emperor summoned all the animals for a festivity. The first 12 animals would be in the Zodiac cycle. The Rat and Cat were both exceptionally cunning and hopped on the Ox's back while they were racing. Just before the finish line (arriving at the palace), the Rat shoved the Cat off the OX’s back and into the river, and hopped off the Ox's nose and was placed first in the competition. Legend says that because of this reason, cats and rats are arch nemeses.
