Chinese New Year is celebrated on the 12th February and we have added some facts, fun art activities (more details on the February Pinterest Board) and CBeebies clips to support our understanding of this celebration. The children often talk about their favourite dishes and maybe told we could find China on the map or google maps and see how far way it is from Ireland.
What is Chinese New Year?
Chinese New Year marks the first day of the year in the traditional Chinese Calendar.
Unlike western New Year's celebrations, which are determined by the solar Gregorian calendar, the Chinese use a lunisolar calendar determined by the sun and the moon, meaning that the date of Chinese New Year changes annually.
In 2021, Chinese New Year will take place on 12th February.
Each year of the Calendar represents one of the 12 zodiac animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.
2021 marks the Year of the Ox.
During Chinese New Year there are a few key events:
- Little New Year (5th February)
- New Year's Eve (11th February)
- The Spring Festival (12th February)
- The Lantern Festival (26th February)
Little New Year/Little Festival
This is a week-long celebration beginning exactly one week before New Year's Day, that serves as preparation for the main festival on 12th February.
People traditionally clean their houses to sweep away bad luck and get ready for the Spring Festival.
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve hosts the most important meal of the year; the Reunion Dinner.
After the meal, families exchange red envelopes and stay up to see in the New Year.
The Spring Festival
Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, has more than 4,000 years of history and is the longest holiday of the year.
The original name for this day was Yuán Dàn (元旦), with Yuan meaning “the beginning.”
Firecrackers are often used to start off a day of greetings and blessings.
The Lantern Festival
The Lantern Festival traditionally marks the end of Chinese New Year celebrations.
On this day, people who celebrate Chinese New Year will light candles outside their houses to guide wayward spirits home. Families will also walk around their streets carrying lit lanterns.
What is the story behind Chinese New Year?
The story goes that every year, the horrendous monster å¹´ (Nián) would terrorize villages.
The villagers realized that the monster came every 365 days, and the villagers would hide on this day and ask the ancestors for protection.
Eventually, a child came up with the idea to use firecrackers and scare the monster away once and for all.
This is why firecrackers are a symbol of Chinese New Year.
How do people decorate for Chinese New Year?
Holiday decorations are typically bright red., in order to scare away Nián.
The colour red represents happiness and good fortune.
Cbeebies:
Preparing for Chinese New Year
https://youtu.be/c8ssHXZ9_qU
Celebrating Chinese New Year
https://youtu.be/1cRMRp9-Z08
