The Setting - Background Information

Chinese New Year conjures images of dragon dancing, firecrackers, the Lantern Festival, and hong bao (red packets filled with lucky money). Most non-Chinese are aware of the trappings of Chinese New Year but are unaware of the deeper significance and importance of the holiday.

Chinese New Year is very much a family holiday, as well as a time to celebrate the coming year and look back on the old. The festivities for Chinese New Year run for fifteen days and include the turning of the lunar year and dragon dancing of the Lantern Festival. In times past people took the entire time off work and stores were closed for the duration of festivities. This being impractical in today's world (especially when celebrating the New Year outside of China), Chinese New Year's festivities now usually take place in the evenings and on weekends.

When is Chinese New Year?
Chinese New Year usually falls between the twentieth of January and the twentieth of February. This is because the Chinese use a lunar calendar, rather then a solar calendar. Chinese New Year falls on the first new moon of the lunar year.

Preparing for the New Year
Like any other holiday, Chinese New Year requires some preparation. On the twentieth day of the twelfth moon (the last moon of the year), the house is given a careful cleaning in preparation for the New Year (a tradition known as "Sweeping the Grounds").

Dust is not swept out the door, because tradition has it a family member will also be swept out. Instead, dust is swept to the center of the house, and carried out through the back door.

On the 23rd day of the last moon, the family Kitchen God, or Zaowang, returns to Heaven to report on the family's behavior during the last year. On the evening of his departure, the family offers the Zaowang a feast of sweet, sticky food and honey, so he will be pleased and give a good report. And if the Kitchen God isn't pleased, the honey seals his mouth and prevents him from saying bad things.

The last few days of the old year are a flurry of preparation for the New Year—the family gets haircuts, prepares food, and fills hong bao with lucky money. All sharp items, such as knives and scissors, are safely stored away, to prevent the New Year's luck from being cut or severed. Food is prepared ahead of time, as the kitchen is not used in the first few days of the New Year (a practical tradition that ensures no one spends Chinese New Year cooking).

Chinese New Year Traditions
Chinese New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are exclusively family affairs. The closest Western equivalent would be Thanksgiving—no matter where family members are, everyone tries hard to be home for the holiday. If a family member cannot get home for Chinese New Year, a seat at the table is set for them to symbolize their presence. A dinner banquet is held on Chinese New Year's Eve and at midnight younger family members pay respect to their elders.

On Chinese New Year's Day, hong bao, or red packets, are presented to children and young family members. Each hong bao contains lucky money for the New Year. The amount of lucky money in the hong bao varies, but it must be an even amount (for instance, a hong bao may contain two dollars, eight dollars, or ten dollars, but never one or five dollars).

Throughout New Year's Day, the family is on their best behavior. Beginning the New Year with swearing, arguing, yelling, or breaking something is considered bad luck. Red is associated with good luck in Chinese tradition, so many people wear new red clothes during the celebrations.

Between New Year's Day and the Lantern Festival
Chinese New Year starts with New Year's Day and ends with the dragon dance of the Lantern Festival. In between are many occasions for giving hong bao, visiting friends, and other activities. While everyone looks forward to the dragon dance, during the days preceding it one can watch acrobats, skits and lion dances. Daily the smoke of firecrackers fills the air while the sound drives away any evil spirits that may be near.

• Day One (Chinese New Year's Day): A family affair, when the gods of heaven and earth are welcomed into the house.
• Day Two: Traditionally a day of prayer to the gods and ancestors.
• Days Three and Four: Sons-in-law visit their parents-in-law to pay their respect.
• Day Five: Families stay home to welcome the God of Wealth into the home. Visiting another person's home on this day is considered very unlucky for both the visitor and the host.
• Days Six to Ten: A time to visit friends and family and present gifts of hong bao to younger children.
• Day Seven: "Everybody's Birthday." According to Chinese tradition, everyone is one year older on the seventh day of the New Year, no matter where his or her birthday falls in the calendar.
• Day Nine: A day of respect for the Jade Emperor, the ruler of Heaven.
• Days Ten to Twelve: A time to host dinners for family and friends.
• Day Thirteen: A day of recovery from the rich food eaten during the previous days. On this day simple foods such as rice congee are eaten.
• Day Fourteen: Preparations are made for the Lantern Festival and dragon dance.
• Day Fifteen: The Lantern Festival, and the culmination of Chinese New Year festivities.

The Dragon Dance and Lantern Festival
The Lantern Festival marks the end of Chinese New Year celebrations. It occurs on the first full moon of the year. Firecrackers and fireworks fill the air.

Traditionally, the community carried lanterns through the streets, following the dragon dance. Today elaborate paper lanterns and floats light the festival. In some cities streets are blocked off from traffic and lit by lanterns that create arches of light across the street for pedestrians to enjoy.

Street venders often have rice balls (yuanxiao or tangyuan) available for sale. These dumpling-type rice balls are made of rice flour and filled with either salty or sweet filling. Sweet filing ingredients include sugar, walnuts, flower petals, sesame, and bean paste. The salty yuanxiao may be filled with minced meat or spiced vegetables.

In addition to the millions of lanterns, people come to enjoy watching performers walking on stilts and skilled dancers performing the famed dragon dance.

The dragons used in the dances are elaborate constructions, usually made from bamboo, paper, and silk and are often over a hundred feet long. Drums, cymbals and gongs accompany the bobbing and weaving movements of the dragon. Manipulating a dragon or lion takes skill and strength. The dragon dance is not to be missed. Observers will often place hong bao into the dragon's mouth. This can be both a thrill and frightening for young children.