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Celebrating Chinese New Years
Written by John Trausch, MA
The Chinese Lunar New Year is the longest chronological record in history, dating from more than 4000 years ago. Like the Western calendar, the Chinese Lunar Calendar is a yearly one, with the start of the lunar year being based on the cycles of the moon.
 The Chinese Lunar Calendar names each of the 12 years after an animal. Legend has it that the Buddha summoned all the animals to come to him before he departed from earth. Only 12 came to bid him farewell and as a reward he named a year after each one in the order they arrived. The Chinese believe the animal ruling the year in which a person is born has a profound influence on personality, saying: "This is the animal that hides in your heart."
 Falling on the 15th day of the first month of the Lunar Year, the Lantern Festival takes place under a full moon, and marks the end of Chinese New Year festivities. The Lantern Festival dates back to shrouded legends of the Han Dynasty more than 2000 years ago. Lantern Festival, also known as Shang Yuan Festival, the birthday of the God of Heaven, takes place on the fifteenth day of the first moon. Last in a series of springtime celebrations, this "second New Year" is widely celebrated by families all around Taiwan.
The Spring festival celebrates the earth coming back to life, and the start of planting season.
 Preparations for the New Year festival start during the last few days of the last moon.
Houses are cleaned, debts paid, hair cut and new clothes bought. Doors are decorated with vertical scrolls of characters on red paper whose texts seek good luck and praise nature, this practice stemming from the hanging of peach-wood charms to keep away ghosts and evil spirits. In many homes incense is burned, and also in the temples as a mark of respect to ancestors.
 On New Year’s Eve houses are brightly lit and a large family dinner is served. In the south of China sticky-sweet glutinous rice pudding is served, while in the north the steamed dumpling jiaozi is popular. Most celebrating the festival stay up till midnight, when fireworks are lit, to drive away evil spirits. New Years day is often spent visiting neighbors, family and friends.
The public holiday for New Year lasts three days in China, but the festival traditionally lasts till the 15th day of the lunar month and ends with the ‘Lantern Festival’. Here, houses are decorated with colorful lanterns, and yuanxioa, a sweet or savory fried or boiled dumpling made of glutinous rice flour is eaten.
 It will be “Gung Hay Faht Choy” as Chinese New Year will be celebrated on Saturday, February 12, with a 12 Noon New Year’s Parade from Olvera Street to Chinatown in Downtown Los Angeles.
The 4703 Year of the Rooster festivities will continue throughout the day on Olvera Street and Chinatown. To learn about your Chinese zodiac, click here!
The following Saturday, February 19th, the fourth annual Lantern Festival will be held at the Chinese American Museum at the El Pueblo Historic Monument on Olvera Street from Noon to 6 pm. There will be no charge for admission.
 The Lantern making workshops festival will be the following Saturday. The Lantern Festival takes place under a full moon, and marks the end of Chinese New Year festivities. The Lantern Festival dates back to shrouded legends of the Han Dynasty more than 2000 years ago. The Lantern Festival, also known as Shang Yuan Festival, is the birthday of the God of Heaven. Last in a series of springtime celebrations, this "second New Year" is widely celebrated by families all around Taiwan.
To learn more about the Lantern Festival, click here!
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