There are 12 Chinese zodiac animals used to represent years. Zodiac signs play an important part in Chinese culture and it is believed that each animal sign has characteristics which mean you will either get on or not get on with people born in other animal years. This plays a major part in who you marry or what job you have when you live in China!
You may think that your zodiac year would bring you good luck but in China, it’s the opposite. It’s seen as a hurdle you have to jump over and even in modern times, Chinese people take it really seriously. For instance the colour red is seen as very lucky so some people will wear red underwear all year during their zodiac year to protect themselves from bad luck.
Activity
Work out which animal represents the year you were born and draw a picture of your animal.
Please email your picture to info@teachmekungfu.com and we’ll display it on our picture gallery!
15 Facts about Chinese New Year:
- The festival date changes every year because it follows the lunar calendar based on the movement of the moon. Usually it falls between mid January and mid February. In 2020, Chinese New Year falls on Saturday 25 January.
- It is also called Spring Festival because it marks the beginning of Spring in China.
- Chinese New Year starts a new animal’s zodiac year. In China, each lunar cycle has 60 years and 12 years is regarded as a small cycle. Each of the 12 years is defined by an animal.
- The celebration lasts for 15 days until Lantern Festival which is the actual New Year’s Eve and marks the end of the celebration.
- One sixth of the world’s people celebrate it. It’s not only celebrated in China but also in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Singapore and some other Asian countries as well as by Chinese people living all over the world.
- It is the longest public holiday and the whole of China is on the move. Most people who work in China have 7-12 days off work and students have a month’s holiday. No matter where they are, people try their best to return home for a family reunion.
- Reunion Dinner is a tradition in China and is a big feast to commemorate the past year. Families share dinner together and then watch the Spring Festival Gala on TV.
- There is a huge firework display which is the largest on the planet. It is the only time of year Chinese people are allowed to set off fireworks.
- The celebration decorations are mostly red. Houses are decorated with red lanterns and red paper and people dress in red. This is because in China, red is the symbol of happiness and wealth and brings good luck.
- People say ‘Guo Nian Hao’ to one another which means ‘Happy New Year’.
- Everyone wears new clothes and children are excited to show their beautiful new clothes to friends and family.
- Children receive red envelopes as gifts with money inside them from grandparents, aunts and uncles and other elders.
- It is a time of great feasting, not only at the reunion dinner but all throughout the celebration. Food like dumplings, spring rolls, fish and rice cakes are shared at relatives houses and temple fairs throughout the 15 day celebration.
- There are lots of festival shows to enjoy such as lion and dragon dances, folk shows and opera performances.
- Everyone gets a year older. It’s like a birthday for the nation of China and it doesn’t matter when you were born. For kids it means they are able to do more things on their own.
Courtesy of chinesenewyear.net
