Chinese New Year is first day of the first month of the Chinese/Lunar calendar, which typicalls falls in late January or early February of the Western/Solar calendar. It is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays.
The celebration starts from the Chinese New Year's Eve (年, Nian)，ends with the Lantern Festival, on the fifteenth day of the month. Celebrations generally include extensive family reunions, elaborate meals, worships, dances, and fireworks. The 15th day of the new year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade. Keep in mind that China is big and diverse that different places have different characters in celebration.
The origin of the Lunar New Year Festival can be traced back thousands of years, involving a series of colorful legends and traditions. One of the most famous legends is Nian, an extremely cruel and ferocious beast that the ancients Chinese believed would devour people on New Year's Eve. The Chinese soon learned that Nian was sensitive to loud noises, and they scared it away with red-paper couplets and fireworks. The next morning, people are happy with the feelings of triumph and renewal because Nian has been successfully drove away.
The celebration actually serves as an important occassion of review and renewal.
The 20th of the Twelfth Moon was set aside for the annual housecleaning, or the "sweeping of the grounds". Every corner of the house must be swept and cleaned in preparation for the new year.
It is believed that on the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month , various gods ascend to heaven to pay their respects and report on household affairs to the Jade Emperor, the supreme Taoist deity. According to tradition, households busily honor these gods by burning ritualistic paper money to provide for their traveling expenses. Another ritual is to smear malt sugar on the lips of the Kitchen God, one of the traveling deities, to ensure that he either submits a favorable report to the Jade Emperor or keeps silent.
Spring Couplets - Spring couplets are traditionally written with black ink on red paper. They are hung in storefronts in the month before the New Year’s Day, and often stay up for two months. They express best wishes and fortune for the coming year. There is a great variety in the writing of these poetic couplets to fit the situation.
Red packets (Red Envelops) are given to children to bless their good fortune. These red packets traditionally consist of even amounts which are considered lucky. Amounts like $2 (two piece of $1), or $20 were acceptable. However, this is not strictly adhered to. The gift was originally a token amount but these days it is not uncommon to receive large sums in affluent families. Red packets are also given to unmarried visitors but the sums are often smaller than the packets given to family members or close friends.
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