Chinese New Year

This upcoming Sunday is a special holiday. It is not just Valentine's Day this year. It is also Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year is figured by the lunar calendar every year, so every year it it is a different day. This year it just so happens to be on Valentine's Day. CNY is the biggest holiday of the year for Chinese people. It is the time that most of them go back to see their family, and it is a holiday where most everyone will take off of work. In years past we have left the country for Chinese New Year (to avoid the chaos), but this year we wanted to get a glimpse of what CNY is like.

So, this week on the blog I thought I would tell you a little about CNY.
CNY usually lasts 2 weeks. The day before CNY, most people spend the day cleaning their houses as there will be many visitors during the holiday.
On the first day, everyone visits their family and has a big meal. So, I can imagine that we might be the only ones out and about on this day. On the second day, people go visit their friends and relatives and they usually take gifts. On the third day, people stay at home and don't go to other people's homes. The 4th-6th day is not very special, and I imagine a lot of people will be out shopping. On the 7th day, it is everyone's birthday. I am not sure what they will do on this day. And then on the 15th day, they all eat a special Chinese food called "yuan xiao". The 15th day is also lantern day. This also has become Chinese people's Valentine's Day. They meet with their boyfriend/girlfriend and eat a traditional food special to this day ...... And they enjoy looking at all the beautiful lanterns.
I imagine our CNY will be very uneventful as we really have not been invited into anyone's home. I imagine we will just take the time to relax. But if we do something very special, I will be sure to take along the camera to document it for you. :)
On a personal note, all of our animals have died (including the turtles that were supposed to live longer than me). But now we have two VERY CUTE hamsters named "Jackie" and "Chan". They are about 5 inches long and they have long hair. They sleep all day and party all night. Go figure! The kids rarely even get to see them, but here are a couple pictures we were able to capture for you.

The following is an article that I found on the internet that talks about superstitions surrounding Chinese New Year.

SUPERSTITIONS
http://asiancuisine.suite101.com/article.cfm/chinese_new_year

Many rituals mark Chinese New Year's. For instance, you must clean the house prior to the first day of the new year – i.e. sweeping out the old. But you must NEVER sweep or clean on the first day because it would clear out any good luck. Also, never wash your hair on the first day, either. Firecrackers are set off on New Year's Eve to welcome in the new year.

Because the first day can influence the rest of your year, people tend to stay away from negative behaviour. That includes refraining from swearing, never talking about death, ghost stories are verboten and references to the previous year are also shunned. You should think good thoughts and try to be happy and please, do not cry!

Red is an important colour in Chinese culture and is doubly so on New Year's Day. It symbolizes wealth, happiness and life. Most importantly, avoid the colour white (in clothing and food) as it signifies death.

For additional information, see this really good article:
http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/Festivals/78322.htm