Chinese New Year customs and traditions. How this holiday is celebrated by Chinese families all over the world.

1. CHINA

2. Fast Facts
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Official Name: People´s Republic of China
Capital: Beijing
Biggest City: Shanghai
First Made in China: Paper, fireworks, kites,
yo-yos, the abacus, playing cards.

3. Money
• The official currency of China is the yuan. 1
yuan is worth about 15 cents in U.S. dollars. Or
$1.00 is about 7 yuan.

4. Chinese New Year
• The Lunar New Year, also called the Spring
Festival, is the most important holiday for
the Chinese people everywhere.
• New Year's Day usually falls on the day of
the second new moon
• The New Year is celebrated with
firecrackers, dragon dances and visits to
friends and family. It lasts for 15 days and

5. Year of the Rabbit
• The Chinese zodiac is based on a 12-year cycle
with each year represented by an animal.
February 3, 2011 marks the start of the Year of
the Rabbit.

6. • People born in the Year of the Rabbit are said
to be articulate, talented, and ambitious. They
are virtuous, reserved, and have excellent taste.

7. Customs
• The entire house should be cleaned before New
Year's Day. Sweeping or dusting should not be
done on New Year's Day otherwise good fortune
will be swept away.
.

8. • Sharp objects should be put away otherwise
they will “cut” the luck.

9. • All men and boys should get a haircut.

10. • Families paste scrolls of lucky sayings on
their front doors. These are called
“chun lian”

11. • A symbol of “Spring” is often hung upside
down over the door. It means “Spring has
arrived”

12. • On New Year’s day itself the whole family
sits down to have a huge dinner together.

13. • An important dish is steamed dumplings. The
dumplings are shaped like gold ingots and
symbolize wealth.

14. • Lotus seeds “ 莲子 lianzi” represent having
many sons

15. • Ginkgo nuts
白果 “ baiguo”
represent silver
ingots or
wealth.

16. • Dishes with Black moss seaweed “facai” 发菜 are
popular because the word sounds like facái 发财
“ to become wealthy”.

17. • Bamboo shoots 竹笋 zhusun and dried
beancurd 豆腐干 doufugan are other foods
that have lucky connotations.

18. • A kind of sticky rice cake called “nian gao” is
also popular. It symbolizes the wish for “yearly
advancement”.

19. • Pomelos, kumquats and oranges symbolize
good luck and prosperity and are often given as
gifts on Chinese new year.

20. • Children receive gifts of lucky money called
“hong bao” 红包

21. • As they receive it they say things like,Gonxi
Facai, hongbao na lai!

22. Shooting off firecrackers on New
Year's Eve is the Chinese way of
sending out the old year and
welcoming in the New Year. On
the stroke of midnight on New
Year's Eve, every door in the
house, and even windows, have to
be open to allow the old year to go
out.

23. • Red clothing is preferred on New Year’s Day.
Red is considered a bright, happy color, sure to
bring the wearer a sunny and bright future

24. • In Chinatown you can see the lively dragon
and lion dances

25. The traditional Lion Dance is performed
with two people in a lion’s costume. It is
accompanied by drums, gongs and cymbals.
Click to see a lion dance

27. In a Dragon Dance, a team of people carry the dragon
on poles.
C
li

28. • The Chinese new
year celebrations
end on the 15th
day of the first
moon with the
Lantern Festival
元宵节 Yuan
Xiao Jie.

29. • On this day brightly lit lanterns are
paraded through the streets.

30. • And floated upon the water

31. • Many lanterns have riddles hidden in
them.

32. • People eat a kind of sweet dessert called
元宵 yuánxiao.

34. GongXi Fa Cai– Chinese New Year Song
Go to this site to learn a Chinese New Year Song: