Chinese New Year
Chinese Spring Fest 2015
The Chinese New Year has been celebrated for more than 4,000 years and is the most important holiday, and longest celebration for families in the West.
Chinese New Year - The First Day of the Great Year
Chinese New Year is also referred to as the Spring Festival. Every year the date is based on the Chinese lunar calendar that is associated with the Chinese Zodiac. 2015 is the year of the goat, beginning on the 19th of February and ending on the 5th of March. Typical characteristics of people born in the year of Sheep are tender, polite, daughterly, clever, and kind-hearted. Chinese New Year is celebrated for 15 days and each day celebrates something different. At midnight on the Chinese New Year, every door and window in a Chinese house is opened to allow the old year to go out. Also, in China everyone celebrates their birthday on the New Year even if it is not the official date of their birthday. They turn another year older on this day. The flower most associated with this holiday is plum blossom, which is a symbol of courage and hope, and the water narcissus, which symbolizes good luck and prosperity. Other traditions include using the color red which holds a significant place in Chinese New Year celebrations. Specifically, people wear red clothes, decorate poems on red paper, and give children “lucky” money in red envelopes. For the Chinese, red symbolizes fire, traditionally believed to prevent bad luck. The Chinese New Year ends with the lantern festival, which takes place on the 15th (and last) day of the celebration. The lanterns are believed to light the way for the new year. One of the highlights of the lantern festival is the dragon dance. The dragon—which might stretch a hundred feet long—is typically made of silk, paper, and bamboo. The lantern festival is also associated with guiding lost or mischievous spirits home while celebrating family relationships. If you cannot make it to China during this years festival you can travel to one of the top Chinese New Year festivals in the USA: San Francisco, New York City or Chicago.
Celebrate Spring Festival with Hellokids.com
Hellokids.com has fun activities and educational information for you to help celebrate the Chinese New Year holiday. Learn more about the Chinese Zodiac, decorate a Chinese New Year coloring page, play puzzle games, watch interesting Chinese New Year videos, or make a rattle-drum. You will discover a parade of entertainment all about Chinese New Year.