Chinese New Year Traditions, Art and Stories
Chinese New Year is here, I still remember when I was little, weeks before the new year, we will start to clean our house and shopping for the new year. What Lunar new year traditions do you know? What is your zodiac animal? What do we do and say during the spring festival? The Chinese zodiac assigns a different animal to every year, this new year, February 12th, 2021, will begin the year of the ox. In this article, you will learn some of the new year traditions with me, create a New Year Card for your family and friends, and you can also join the online free live story time presented by Polydott to learn more. (Wed Feb 10th/Saturday Feb 13th)
New Year cards drawn by my students with New Year Symbols like the Ox, lanterns, red packets, flowers and more!
What are the Lunar new year traditions?
As the New Year gets close, I start to clean the house, to get rid of bad luck, and decorate the house with fresh flowers such as:
Plum blossoms, the plum blossom is seen as a symbol of winter and a harbinger of spring. Therefore, the plum blossom came to symbolize perseverance and hope, as well as beauty, purity, and the transitoriness of life. In Confucianism, the plum blossom stands for the principles and values of virtue.
Citrus trees Not to mention the orange or golden color resembles gold or money. The trees often have hong bao (otherwise known as red envelopes) draped sporadically off branches. The trees are usually placed in pairs, one on each side of the entry door.
Lucky bamboos, the plant symbolises good luck, and since one seems to be lucky when money is involved, the plant also symbolises income. As bamboo can grow fast, so should the money pile up. During Chinese New Year, one will see numerous Lucky Bamboo combined with lucky charms.
From Left to right: plum blossoms, citrus trees,lucky bamboos.
Photo Source: Internet
What about Art?
During Chinese New Year, we decorate our house with “Chinese New Year Couplets”, also known as “Chun Lian” outside beside the main door and also inside in important rooms like the kitchen, bedroom and lounge. Chun lian is written on red paper with ink. Red is a very lucky color for the Chinese, it frightens off the Chinese New Year monster 'Nian' who arrives at this time of year and destroys crops and homes. "Nian" has three weaknesses, it is frightened by noise, sunshine, and the color red. So villagers built fires, set off firecrackers, painted the doors to their houses red, and placed red couplets beside the doors. Red to the Chinese also represents good fortune, fame and riches.
We also make origami, paper cuts, lanterns. All with red to symbolize good luck.
Chun Lian written by Michelle Zheng Kane.
What do we say during the lunar new year?
During Chinese New Year, we want to have a good start for the year, we say:
Peace all year round. 岁岁平安
Wishing you prosperity. 恭喜发财
Harmony brings wealth. 家和万事兴
The most important day during the spring festival is new year's eve. On New Year's eve, your family is supposed to reunite and celebrate. It takes several days to prepare New Year eve’s dinner.
During the Chinese New Year’s eve, we eat 7 lucky foods:
Fish 鱼-余，年年有余— an Increase in Prosperity.
Dumplings and Spring Rolls— Wealth.
Glutinous Rice Cake 八宝饭 — Higher Income or Position.
Sweet Rice Balls 汤圆— Family Togetherness.
Longevity Noodles — Happiness and Longevity.
Good Fortune Fruit — Fullness and Wealth.
If you want to learn more about New Year’s Food, you can watch this Chinese New Year Special episode made by Polydott, the first and only educational media platform in North America that combines professional film and TV production, Chinese and English bilingual content with Eastern and Western cultural perspectives, and the creative K12 education philosophy.
In this video, there are Chinese American kids from 4 different families to share their ideas about Chinese New Year. Aren’t you curious about the kinds of food they will prepare for their haven’t-met-yet new friends? Click the link below and let’s make this year’s celebration as creative and happy as it can possibly be!
You can Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/v-cGroHO4FY
If you want to learn more about the Zodiac Animals, and Spring Festival traditions, you can join the free live Lunar New Year Bilingual Storytime in English & Mandarin with Polydott and Santa Clara and Sunnyvale City Library:
Feb 10th WEDNESDAY AT 6:30 PM PST – 7 PM PST: https://www.facebook.com/events/125177999474357
Feb 13th SATURDAY AT 2 PM PST
I want to wish you a happy, lucky, New Year full of fortune!
