PJ Posted January 15, 2003 Report Share Posted January 15, 2003 Hi All, I am trying to understand Chinese New Year. My fiancee tried to explain it to me, but I think there are some language and cultural gaps. I understand Chinese New Year begins on February 1st, but my fiancee said that it lasts several days (a week or two?) I think she also used different terminology for the actual day (Feb 1st) and for the period of time that is considered the passing of the old year? I got confused because of my lack of understand about Chinese culture, and the fact that I am still working on learning the language. Could someone please help explain the holiday to me? I'd hate to miss out on a holiday. Thanks, P.J. Link to comment
Guest enight Posted January 15, 2003 Report Share Posted January 15, 2003 hi P.J... my English may not good enough to explain it well to you, but I will make a try... and the others please add additional explanations on the holiday, thanks The Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in China (more important than the public calendar New Year), the official holidays off for the Chinese New Year might be 3 days, but... most of companies would give the employees one week at least, some might take 2 weeks or even longer ... Link to comment
Guest enight Posted January 15, 2003 Report Share Posted January 15, 2003 Chinese New Year also called 'Spring Festival', it's a holiday for families get reunion, on this point, it's similar to the western Christmas... so most of the people would go back to the homeland to be with the whole families, (the Chinese New Year eve also called 'reunion night'), in the Northern China, people used to sit around and make dumpling together. ....the dumpling has same pronouncation in Chinese as 'joint', making dumpling hint the meaning of 'making joint'. ...so it's a symbolization of reunion...http://www.nyu.edu/classes/adelman/NY/Hsieh/Dumpling.GIF Link to comment
Guest enight Posted January 15, 2003 Report Share Posted January 15, 2003 The southern China may not make dumpling (I don't know the other part southern China well), just make example of Shanghai... we normally would start to prepare food days or weeks ago before the Chinese New Year, such as now... my mom already bought big eel, ducks, fish, goose, one big leg of pig (how do you call it?) we have started to make pork ball... egg rolls... and salty goose etc since this week. Link to comment
Guest enight Posted January 15, 2003 Report Share Posted January 15, 2003 P.J, your fiancee told you right, actually the whole Chinese New Year festival would keep people deep into the mood in the holidays much longer... can be one month... it following several ceremonies... ceremony for the kitchen(as the God who takes care of kitchen has been working for one year) ... most of people don't do it now ceremony for the ancestor (my families don't do it now) half month later after the Chinese New Year it will be The Lantern Festival (yuan xiao jie)... after the Lantern Festival, the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) is finally ended Link to comment
Guest bbridges51 Posted January 15, 2003 Report Share Posted January 15, 2003 Enight That's MY kind of party, Thanksgiving and christmas all rolled up into one wonderful event that brings people together. Now, if i could only figure out the actual dates for each year. Brian Link to comment
bobmal99 Posted January 15, 2003 Report Share Posted January 15, 2003 enight, hope we get a chance to meet when I come to Shanghai. So Sandy is definitely flying back to the states with Lili and me. Should be a lot of fun.. Link to comment
Guest enight Posted January 15, 2003 Report Share Posted January 15, 2003 yes, Don and Brian, the Chinese New Year is a combination ... and since this one is calculated according to the lunar calendar, so it is in different date in every year. that's why I would always ask the others... '...when is this Chinese New Year?...' Link to comment
tonado Posted January 15, 2003 Report Share Posted January 15, 2003 P.J, your fiancee told you right, actually the whole Chinese New Year festival would keep people deep into the mood in the holidays much longer... can be one month... it following several ceremonies... ceremony for the kitchen(as the God who takes care of kitchen has been working for one year) ... most of people don't do it now ceremony for the ancestor (my families don't do it now) half month later after the Chinese New Year it will be The Lantern Festival (yuan xiao jie)... after the Lantern Festival, the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) is finally ended PJ, I think your gal is very traditonal. The Southern Chinese eat dumplings too for the New Year. However, only the ladies make them. I know you are not supposed to wash hair on New Year Day. It will wash out all the luck away. I don't follow it. Link to comment
Guest enight Posted January 15, 2003 Report Share Posted January 15, 2003 enight, hope we get a chance to meet when I come to Shanghai. So Sandy is definitely flying back to the states with Lili and me. Should be a lot of fun..Sure Bob! ... and I am looking forward to meet you and your lovely, charming, beautiful Lili in the States also... your guys are really lucky to go in a group ... the long time trip would become a journey full of fun I hope you also take many pictures during the trip, we are looking forward to see more pictures posted on your homepage ... I looked through all those pictures, and all those ones gave me strong impression... have talked to Lili days ago, she told me the story of the one picture in the boat on West Lake... WOW! you are a such romantic guy !!! Link to comment
owenkrout Posted January 15, 2003 Report Share Posted January 15, 2003 Maybe these will help. An especially interesting page on China, including culture, is: http://www.chinapage.com/china.html A good brief explanation of some of the festivals: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/fest...al/national.htm In fact that is not a bad site for info in general: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/ Many Chinese work seven days a week. I think that has a lot to do with the month long party atmosphere. It is an excuse to take some time off. Atmosphere is the right term for it. Several of the foreign teachers here commented that it didn't seem like Christmas this year. They have went home now, but I can tell you for sure that there is something in the air that makes it the holidays. Everyday it gets more tangible. There is a real excitement building for the Spring Holidays. They actually get started about now and will continue for another month, peaking the first of February and slowly winding down for two weeks after. Link to comment
Guest enight Posted January 15, 2003 Report Share Posted January 15, 2003 The Southern Chinese eat dumplings too for the New Year. However, only the ladies make them. I know you are not supposed to wash hair on New Year Day. It will wash out all the luck away. I don't follow it. Thanks for the correction Tony ... I didn't know Southern Chinese eat dumpling for Chinese New Eve! hahaaa ... I should not call myself as a Chinese ... but a sino-gril Link to comment
tonado Posted January 15, 2003 Report Share Posted January 15, 2003 The Southern Chinese eat dumplings too for the New Year. However, only the ladies make them. I know you are not supposed to wash hair on New Year Day. It will wash out all the luck away. I don't follow it. Thanks for the correction Tony ... I didn't know Southern Chinese eat dumpling for Chinese New Eve! hahaaa ... I should not call myself as a Chinese ... but a sino-gril Enight, Depending on the region of China, the dumplings (either fried or boiled or steamed) are different. Link to comment
Guest enight Posted January 15, 2003 Report Share Posted January 15, 2003 http://www.fortuneangel.com/2003.htmDon, thanks for the link it's a very good one ... I have forwarded this one to Alan and some other friends live overseas too, Link to comment
Guest janean Posted January 15, 2003 Report Share Posted January 15, 2003 let me try Chinese new year is named the Spring fetival , it is Chinese traditional new year for thousand years before the public calender appeared, Feb.1st on public calender is Jan.1st according Chinese traditional calender this year, it is as important to Chinese as the Christmas day to American, it is the moment that family members gather together to celebrate for the new year, exchaging gift and having delicious family dinner and making a wish for the coming year etc....if you were going to visit your girl friends' family during this Festival, you need Dress on your new clothes with red color bags in your pocket which are put alittle money inside to give kids and take gifts for your future parents in law and other directly family members , .....if you wanted to know about Chinese new year, come to China, you would have a wonderful memory. when I was a kid , it took me over half year to expect the coming of each Spring Festival, Link to comment
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