Five Fascinating Facts About the Chinese New Year

Posted by Jamie M., Book Specialist on Jan 25th 2017

The Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is China’s most important holiday. A fifteen-day extravaganza filled with song, dance, food and family, this revered festival ushers in a time of reunion, new beginnings, and good fortune for all who celebrate. 

Here are five fascinating facts that you may not know about the biggest celebration on Earth:


1. 2017 is the Year of the Rooster

                                                            

The Chinese Zodiac consists of twelve animals, rotating on a yearly cycle with each animal representing a group of years. Like Western astrological signs, which dictate various personalities and temperaments depending on your year of birth, the Chinese Zodiac works in the same way – just on a yearly basis!

Here’s a fun fact: The twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac can also be used to tell time! The Rooster is positioned on the “clock” at 5PM – 7PM.

So, what does it mean to be a Rooster? Years of the Rooster are as follows: 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005 and 2017. According to UK news company The Sun, there are five different types of Roosters – Fire, Wood, Earth, Gold, and Water – each with distinct personalities. For instance, it is said that Fire Roosters (2017) are “trustworthy, punctual, and responsible – especially at work.” 


2. Lunar Calendar vs. Solar Calendar

                                                    

The Chinese calendar is lunisolar, based on the cycles of the lunar phases, so the months are actually two days shorter. In order to catch up to the solar calendar, an extra month is inserted every few years. Because of this, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year - usually between January 21 and February 20.

Celebration for the Chinese New Year technically begins on January 27, New Year’s Eve. The entire festival lasts fifteen days, ending with the Lantern Festival on Feb. 11. Most employees have at least a week’s vacation at this time to spend the holidays with family and friends, while students can often take as much as a month off of school! 


3. The Legend of Nian

                                                 

The history of the Chinese New Year dates back more than 3,800 years ago, originating in the 17th century Shang dynasty.

According to Chinese mythology, a beast called Nian (meaning 'Year') would lie in wait beneath the sea until the spring, when he would descend upon nearby villages, attacking livestock and families alike, causing irreparable damage. Each year, the people would take refuge in remote mountains to survive the beast’s annual rampage…until the day the old beggar arrived. 

Wise and mysterious, the old beggar brought with him the keys to Nian’s destruction: the color red and loud noise. He instructed the villagers to paste red papers outside their doors, wear red clothing and burn bamboo until it emitted a loud cracking sound. Sure enough, the beggar’s wise remedies drove Nian away, and the people rejoiced as a peaceful and prosperous New Year began.


4. Paint the Town Red

                                                

Just as the old beggar in the legend of Nian advised, the color red is front and center during the Chinese New Year.

On top of red paper covering doorways and red clothing, red lanterns are hung to drive off bad luck and ensure a prosperous new year. Paper cutouts are also popular in red and are hung in windows, displaying images that can range from the zodiac animal of the given year to various landscapes, legends, and even Chinese operas.

Spring couplets, paired poetic phrases consisting of seven Chinese characters, are a decorating staple of the Chinese New Year. Dating back nearly 1,000 years, modern spring couplets are written in black ink on red paper to symbolize luck and happiness, and are hung on doorways to express delight in the festival and to wish for a good new year. Writing, pasting, and even reading spring couplets can be very specific and the messages displayed can vary.

New Year’s Paintings, upside-down Fu characters on red paper diamonds, and even kumquat trees are more interesting decorations incorporated into the Spring Festival.


5. Chunyun Madness: Migration Station

                                        

Being the largest holiday in the world with one-fifth of the Earth’s population in observance, the Chinese New Year is one of the busiest travel periods EVER. Reuniting with family and spending the New Year together is hugely important for Chinese families during this time, so these trips aren’t taken lightly. Per Shanghaiist, more than 2.98 billion trips are expected to take place between January 13 and February 21 of this year - and that’s just on the Chinese rail network!

With 2.2% more traffic than last year’s festive trek, the Year of the Rooster is going to be a doozy for celebrating travelers. This extended time of chaotic commuting is referred to as “Chunyun,” the 40-day period of high-traffic travel during the Spring Festival season. Isn’t it amazing that this festival is so enormous that the days of travel even have its own unique name? 


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