Chinese New Year Festival Before and After

Chinese New Year Festival - Culture Background

Chinese New YearChinese New Year is the first day of the first lunar month of Chinese calendar year. The Chinese new year is always between January 20 to February 20 of the Gregorian calendar each year. The preparation to celebrate the Chinese New Year festival begins around 8th day of 12th lunar month. The last day of the Chinese New Year festival is on the 15th day of first lunar month. That means it’s required about three weeks to prepare the festival and 15 days to celebrate it. Traditionally, a Chinese man works outside for living and his wife takes care everything inside home. A month is not long enough for a housewife to clean entire house, put new interior and exterior decoration, prepare new clothes and gifts for all family members, and food for many events. You can image that Chinese New Year festival combines Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year together.

To understand more about 15-day Chinese New Year festival, we need to know some Chinese culture background first. Thousands of years ago, China was mainly an agriculture society. Each year, the dynasty government announced annual calendar for farmers. The calendar contained the solar, lunar and weather information for people to know when to seed, plant, harvest on their land and even when to work, rest, pray and celebrate for their activities. Obviously, farmers know they count on sky for their living. The sky is connected to heaven and heaven is related to religion. The major activity of the religion is to pray to gods for good luck, wealth, health, wisdom, career, longevity, peace, happiness at temple or home.

Top 3 Taoism Gods The religion for most Chinese today is mixing Buddhism and Taoism (Daoism) together. Buddhism was imported from India. Taoism is Chinese domestic. The founder of Taoism is credited to Lao-Tse (Laozi), who wrote famous Tao Te Ching, "the Classic Book of the Way and Its Virtue”, around 604-531 BC. Taoism books say there are 36 heavens and 36 grounds in the universe. There are hundreds of gods and goddesses as well as saints and immortals living in the heavens and grounds. The Original Supreme God lives in the 36th heaven. The Spiritual-Treasure Supreme God lives in the 35th heaven. The Ethics-Virtues Supreme God, who had once the incarnation to Lao-Tse, lives in 34th heaven. They are top three Gods in the Taoism (Universe).

Chinese New Year Preparation Days in 12th Lunar Month

• The 8th lunar day of 12th Lunar Month - The Rice Porridge Day
• The 16th lunar day of 12th Lunar Month - The Last Free Dinner
• The 24th lunar day of 12th Lunar Month - Farewell Day of God
• The 25th lunar day of 12th Lunar Month - The Cleaning House Day
• The 26th lunar day of 12th Lunar Month - The Cake Day
• Winter Solstice (around December 23) - The Tang-Yuan Day
• The 30th (or 29th) Lunar day of 12th Lunar Month - Chinese New Year Eve

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