(Cantonese pronounces Gong Hay Fat Choy), which means "congratulations and make a fortune." The firecracker and congratulations greeting are from the story of animal Nian. "Make a fortune" is to wish people rich, because Chinese love to talk about money.Some Chinese family change the new clothes right after midnight or the Rat hour in the Chinese New Year Eve. Then they choose the lucky hour from Chinese Farmer's Calendar to worship spirits and commemorate ancestors with candles, fruit, rice cake, tea, long noodle and candies. The purpose of this worship to tell spirits and ancestors the new year arrives. In the end of the ceremony, they will open the door, select a lucky money direction to explode the firecrackers, which means to get rid of old bad stuff and welcome the new coming. Some Chinese family give the Red Envelope to children at this time, then the children go to bed.
After dawn, it's time to say Chinese New Year greetings to neighbors, friends, coworkers, and relatives. Before time of telephone, school teachers will go back to school to greet each other. Government employees will go back the office to say happy new year. Now many people say Gong Xi Fa Chai by phone or send the greeting by e-mail.
On the Chinese New Year day, Chinese eat the breakfast without meat from the New Year Eve leftover. At noon, they have to worship the Spirit of The House with simple animal sacrifices, vegetables and rice. At the evening, they commemorate and worship family ancestors again with full dinner food.
In the morning, all the children are supposed to wear new clothes, pants, shoes, hat or jacket. Every family should prepare many different kind of sweet candies in a tray for people visiting their houses. If a child goes with adult to visit someone and says Gong Xi Fa Chai, he can receive a Red Envelope. In Taiwan, the president, city majors and temples will prepare many Red Envelopes for their supporters. Since the number of Red Envelopes is limited, people have to go earlier and wait in a long line in order to have a handshake and Red Envelope.
Chinese New Year day is closed to the early spring. That means it's a beginning of blossom season. The popular flowers for Chinese New Year are orchid, narcissuses, peach flower, chrysanthemum, kumquat, cherry blossoms, camellia and so on. So some people like to visit the flower garden or attend flower expo to enjoy the sight of flowers or bring some flower pots home.
Some Chinese would like to take whole family to countryside to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Some like to go to temple to see the crowd and pray for coming luck. Today, more young people go to department stores to spend their Red Envelope money and shop for the New Year special bargains or go to movie theater with friends. Certainly, some are still like to sit by the Mah-Jong table to earn money.
It's getting less chance to see the lion dancing or dragon dancing on the modern city street. People have to go to national culture streets to see the Chinese New Year traditional activities. Over there, people can see lion dance, the god of money, parade, open theater opera, puppet show, etc. They also can buy different traditional candies, their zodiac animal symbols, food, gifts from the culture stores.
Chinese keep the lion dancing custom is because that they think lion image can expel the evil spirit away. Chinese believe that dragon is charge of rain. The dragon dancing is praying for appropriate rain to grow the more crops during the farmer society. Also, dragon is an auspicious and notable symbol which can bring people luck. You can watch the Dragon Dancing video from the following links - video 1 video 2 photos.
The unique style of music for Chinese New Year can be hear at Chinese New Year Music (MP3). You can hear those music from department stores, radio stations, TV stations, and during the lion dancing or dragon dancing on the street.
There are some taboo on the Chinese New Year Day.
- Since everybody is in a festival mood under a joyful and hilarious atmosphere, people shouldn't argue each other. Also parents shouldn't scold or punish the children. Otherwise, you will have more argument in the new year.
- Women shouldn't use knife or shear in the kitchen, which indicates evil, anger, danger and cutting out the luck. As a result, women don't cook new dishes on this day, people eat meals from the leftover.
- Breaking dish plate, bowel or cup means bad money luck coming. In case that happens, then Chinese put all broken pieces in a round container until the coming trash day.
- A married women shouldn't go back to her mother home, otherwise her mother family will get poorer.
- To sweep the floor or dump the trash will take away the wealth and luck from the house.
- Don't have a lunch nap at noon, otherwise people will be lazy year long.
- To wash the hair will wash your good luck away.
- Don't wear in black or white to visit friends, because black and white are funeral color in China
- People shouldn't visit friend's house, if they have a family member newly past away.
- Don't eat rice porridge in the morning breakfast, otherwise you won't get rich because only poor people eat rice porridge in the past.
- Don't eat meat in the morning breakfast, because many gods who are vegetarians arrive New Year Day festival in the morning.
- Don't wake up people by calling their names, otherwise that sleeping person needs people's push all year long.
- Don't eat unnecessary medicine, otherwise you will become unhealthy this year.
- Don't wash clothes, because New Year Day is the birthday of the god of Water.
- If someone owes you money, do not ask for the money back on this day. Otherwise, you will do it often in the rest of the year.
- Don't let people take anything away from your pocket or purse, because that's a sign of money loss in the year.
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