Chinese New Year Calendar!

THE DAYS BEFORE CHINESE NEW YEAR! Guonian (is a typical greeting during new year meaning that you made it through the old year!)

SO, Guonian!!!!! And I mean that, it has been a hard year in our house. The first act of the New year is actually done days in advance to the first new year day!


Preparations for the Chinese New Year in old China started well in advance of the New Year's Day. 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. SpringCouplets, written in black ink on large vertical scrolls of red paper, were put on the walls or on the sides of the gate-ways. These couplets, short poems written in Classical Chinese, were expressions of good wishes for the family in the coming year. In addition, symbolic flowers and fruits were used to decorate the house, and colorful new year pictures (NIAN HUA) were placed on the walls (for more descriptions of the symbolism of the flowers and fruits.

Kitchen God
After the house was cleaned it was time to bid farewell to the Kitchen God, or Zaowang. In traditional China, the Kitchen God was regarded as the guardian of the family hearth. He was identified as the inventor of fire, which was necessary for cooking and was also the censor of household morals. By tradition, the Kitchen God left the house on the 23rd of the last month to report to heaven on the behavior of the family. At this time, the family did everything possible to obtain a favorable report from the Kitchen God. On the evening of the 23rd, the family would give the Kitchen God a ritualistic farewell dinner with sweet foods and honey. Some said this was a bribe, others said it sealed his mouth from saying bad things.

Free from the every-watchful eyes of the Kitchen God, who was supposed to return on the first day of the New Year, the family now prepared for the upcoming celebrations. In old China, stores closed shop on the last two or three days of the year and remained closed for the first week of the New Year. Consequently, families were busy in the last week of the old year stocking up on foods and gifts. Chinese New Year presents are similar in spirit to Christmas presents, although the Chinese tended more often to give food items, such as fruits and tea. The last days of the old year was also the time to settle accumulated. debts.

Family Celebration
On the last day of the old year, everyone was busy either in preparing food for the next two days, or in going to the barbers and getting tidied up for the New Year’s Day. Tradition stipulated that all food be pre-pared before the New Year’s Day, so that all sharp instruments, such as knives and scissors, could be put away to avoid cutting the "luck" of the New Year. The kitchen and well were not to be disturbed on the first day of the Year.

The New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day celebrations were strickly family affairs. All members of the family would gather for the important family meal on the evening of the New year’s Eve. Even if a family member could not attend, an empty seat would be kept to symbolize that person’s presence at the banquet. At midnight following the banquet, the younger members of the family would bow and pay their respects to their parents and elders.

Turning Over a New Leaf
The Chinese New year is celebrated on the first day of the First Moon of the lunar calendar. The corresponding date in the solar calendar varies from as early as January 21st to as late as February 19th. Chinese New Year, as the Western new Year, signified turning over a new leaf. Socially, it was a time for family reunions, and for visiting friends and relatives. This holiday, more than any other Chinese holiday, stressed the importance of family ties. The Chinese New year's Eve dinner gathering was among the most important family occasions of the year.

1st Day of New Year
Lai-See (red envelopes you all hear about)

On New Year’s Day, the children were given Red Lai-See Envelopes , good luck money wrapped in little red envelopes. On New Year’s day, everyone had on new clothes, and would put on his best behavior. It was considered improper to tell a lie, raise one’s voice, use indecent language, or break anything on the first day of the year.

Starting from the second day, people began going out to visit friends and relatives, taking with them gifts and Lai-See for the children. Visitors would be greeted with traditional New year delicacies, such as melon seeds, flowers, fruits, tray of togetherness, and NIANGAO, New Year cakes.

7th Day of New Year
Everybody’s Birthday
The entire first week was a time for socializing and amusement. On the streets, the stores were closed and an air of gaiety prevailed. There were numberous lion dances, acrobats, theatrical shows, and other diversions. Firecrackers, which symbolized driving away evil spirits, were heard throughout the first two weeks of the New year. The Seventh Day of the New Year was called "everybody’s birthday" as everyone was considered one year older as of that date. (In traditional China, individual birthdays were not considered as important as the New Year’s date. Everyone added a year to his age at New Year’s time rather than at his birthday.)

SIDE NOTE: This is probably why when we researched birthdays and how they celebrate it that we found that they really didn't beyond the first year and birth! Red envelopes were also given when a child was born.

15th Day

Lantern Festival - 15th Day
The New Year celebrations ended on the 15th of the First Moon with the Lantern Festival. On the evening of that day, people carried lanterns into the streets to take part in a great parade. Young men would highlight the parade with a dragon dance. The dragon was made of bamboo, silk, and paper, and might stretch for more than hundred feet in length. The bobbing and weaving of the dragon was an impressive sight, and formed a fitting finish to the New Year festival.


SIDE NOTE: Our family is going to put our hopes and wishes on helium balloons in Marker and place a glow bracelet or blinking light inside and release them all at once to celebrate the Lantern festival! We will take pictures if we can and et you know how it went! I think it will be wonderful. Not as beautiful as the real thing but pretty none the less!

Flowers: Flowers are an important part of the New year decorations. In old China, much use was made of natural products in celebrations as well as in daily life. The two flowers most associated with the New Year are the plum blossom and the water narcissus

Happy Chinese New Year!!!

Chinese New Year Glitter Graphics

To hear the video, please pause the player to the right in the side bar.
The music you are listening to, is a variety of New Year music, including one from Taiwan traditional New Year music! Wonderfully cheery isn't it? I hope you enjoy.

Chinese New Year is a 15 day celebration, beginning on February 7th on the mainland and I believe I also read somewhere that it is beginning on February 6th in Taiwan, but remember that Taiwan and China are about 14 hours ahead of us, so they could have meant the 6 th here but the 7th there..lol. During the Chinese New Year, the country of Taiwan pretty much lay down their jobs in a lot of their jobs and go to festivals and events that are all apart of the celebration, at least government jobs do....we know this because of the court speed ups you experience right before the new year and the court slow downs you experience right during and after the new year!


In some aspects, the Chinese New Year does resemble the American New Year. They have fire works, they have new year resolutions, new year hopes and dreams... etc. In some ways however their new year is so different and wonderful! They have dragon dancing, parades, and Lantern festivals just to name a few things! Isn't it awesome what your new child has or will bring to your life? I am so happy that we have this part of us now to share with Jeremiah each and every year. It is such a colorful celebration with hope and new days to look forward too!

This Sunday, Jeremiah will wear his favorite outfit.. his traditional chinese outfit that we got him while in Taiwan. He loves wearing his outfit for his special occasions! And wouldn't you know it? He looks so snazzy in it too?! Anyways, he will wear his outfit to church so that they too can share in his country's celebration! I just wish we could let off some of those sky lanterns... too cool!!!!!! So, to wrap this up, Happy New Year!!!!!!

(as found on Infoplease.com)
A Ratty Year

Legend has it that in ancient times, Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve came, and Buddha named a year after each one. He announced that the people born in each animal's year would have some of that animal's personality. Those born in rat years tend to be leaders, pioneers, and conquerors. They are charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hardworking. Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Affleck, Samuel L. Jackson, William Shakespeare, and Mozart were all born in the year of the rat.

Fireworks and Family Feasts

At Chinese New Year celebrations people wear red clothes, decorate with poems on red paper, and give children "lucky money" in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire, which according to legend can drive away bad luck. The fireworks that shower the festivities are rooted in a similar ancient custom. Long ago, people in China lit bamboo stalks, believing that the crackling flames would frighten evil spirits.

The Lantern Festival

In China, the New Year is a time of family reunion. Family members gather at each other's homes for visits and shared meals, most significantly a feast on New Year's Eve. In the United States, however, many early Chinese immigrants arrived without their families, and found a sense of community through neighborhood associations instead. Today, many Chinese-American neighborhood associations host banquets and other New Year events.

Chinese New Year ends with the lantern festival on the fifteenth day of the month. Some of the lanterns may be works of art, painted with birds, animals, flowers, zodiac signs, and scenes from legend and history. People hang glowing lanterns in temples, and carry lanterns to an evening parade under the light of the full moon.

In many areas the highlight 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. Traditionally the dragon is held aloft by young men who dance as they guide the colorful beast through the streets. In the United States, where the New Year is celebrated with a shortened schedule, the dragon dance always takes place on a weekend. In addition, many Chinese-American communities have added American parade elements such as marching bands and floats.

Although as a Christian family, we do not believe in the "legend" or celebrate the spiritual side of the New Year, we do share the culture of the New Year celebration with our Taiwanese adopted son! We are so happy to add his wonderful and rich culture to ours as we live and grow together. I think the Lantern festival is just beautiful and would love to see that in person, Maybe one day little man! I hope to one day see him involved in his cultural celebrations such as the dragon dance or the Lantern festival! Just beautiful. Thank you Jeremiah for sharing your wonderful heritage with us every day! We love you! Shing Shang Hau!

(ifnoplease.com)