Chinese New Year 中國新年

                新年快樂健康和平安
HAPPY NEW YEAR, HEALTHY & PEACE

Chinese New Year is the Chinese festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese calendar. The festival is usually referred to as the Spring Festival in mainland China, and is one of several Lunar New Years in Asia. Observances traditionally take place from the evening preceding the first day of the year to the Lantern Festival, held on the 15th day of the year. The first day of Chinese New Year begins on the new moon that appears between 21 January and 20 February. In 2019, the first day of the Chinese New Year will be on Tuesday, 5 February, initiating the Year of the pig.


Chinese New Year is celebrated as the national holiday in some countries around the East Asia such as South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Mongolia, Indonesia, and Malaysia. It is a major holiday in Greater China and has strongly influenced the lunar new year celebrations of China's neighbouring cultures, including the Korean New Year (seol), the Tết of Vietnam, and the Losar of Tibet. It is also celebrated worldwide in regions and countries with significant Overseas Chinese populations, these including Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar,  Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines and Mauritius, as well as many Chinatowns and Koreatowns in North America and Europe.


Chinese New Year is associated with several myths and customs. The festival was traditionally a time to honour deities as well as ancestors. Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the New Year vary widely, and the evening preceding Chinese New Year's Day is frequently regarded as an occasion for Chinese families to gather for the annual reunion dinner. It is also traditional for every family to thoroughly clean their house, in order to sweep away any ill-fortune and to make way for incoming good luck. Another custom is the decoration of windows and doors with red paper-cuts and couplets. Popular themes among these paper-cuts and couplets include that of good fortune or happiness, wealth, and longevity. Other activities include lighting firecrackers and giving money in red paper envelopes. For the northern regions of China, dumplings are featured prominently in meals celebrating the festival.



中國新年是中國傳統節日慶祝新年開始的中國節日。這個節日通常被稱為中國大陸的春節，是亞洲幾個農曆新年之一。傳統上，紀念活動從一年的第一天之前的晚上到一年的第十五天舉行的元宵節。中國新年的第一天從1月21日至2月20日的新月開始。 2019年，農曆新年的第一天將於2月5日星期二開始，即豬年。


在韓國，台灣，越南，蒙古，印度尼西亞和馬來西亞等東亞一些國家，中國新年被譽為國定假日。這是大中華區的一個重要節日，並對中國周邊文化的農曆新年慶祝活動產生了強烈影響，包括韓國新年（seol），越南Tết和西藏的Losar。它還在世界範圍內在具有重要海外華人人口的地區和國家進行慶祝，其中包括新加坡，印度尼西亞，馬來西亞，緬甸，泰國，柬埔寨，菲律賓和毛里求斯，以及北美和歐洲的許多唐人街和韓國人。



中國新年與幾個神話和習俗有關。這個節日傳統上是尊敬神靈和祖先的時刻。在中國，有關慶祝新年的地區習俗和傳統差異很大，中國元旦前的晚上經常被視為中國家庭聚會參加年度團圓飯的場合。對於每個家庭來說，徹底清潔他們的房子也是傳統的，以便掃除任何不幸，並為即將到來的好運讓路。另一個習俗是用紅色剪紙和對聯裝飾門窗。這些剪紙和對聯中的流行主題包括幸運，幸福，財富和長壽。其他活動包括點燃鞭炮和用紅紙信封捐款。對於中國北方地區，餃子在慶祝節日的餐飲中佔有突出地位。

Source:
Wikipedia.com