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loveflower 2007-2-18 02:23

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year, known in Chinese as the Spring Festival (<a title="Simplified Chinese character" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Chinese_character">Simplified Chinese</a>: 春节; <a title="Traditional Chinese character" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_character">Traditional Chinese</a>: 春節; <a title="Pinyin" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin">pinyin</a>: Chūnjié) or the Lunar New Year (<a title="Simplified Chinese character" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Chinese_character">Simplified Chinese</a>: 农历新年; <a title="Traditional Chinese character" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_character">Traditional Chinese</a>: 農曆新年; <a title="Pinyin" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin">pinyin</a>: Nónglì xīnnián), is the most important of the <a title="Traditional Chinese holidays" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_holidays">traditional Chinese holidays</a>. The festival proper begins on the first day of the first lunar month (<a title="Chinese language" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_language">Chinese</a>: 正月; <a title="Pinyin" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin">pinyin</a>: zhēng yuè) in the <a title="Chinese calendar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_calendar">Chinese calendar</a> and ends on the 15th, in which this day is called <a title="Lantern Festival" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lantern_Festival">Lantern Festival</a> or Shi Wu Wan (十五晚/元宵节) in <a title="Mandarin" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandarin">Mandarin</a> or <a title="Chap Goh Mei" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chap_Goh_Mei">Chap Goh Mei</a> in <a title="Hokkien" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hokkien">Hokkien</a>.Chinese New Year's Eve is known as Chúxì (除夕). Chu literally means "change" and xi means "eve".Celebrated internationally in areas with large populations of <a title="Han Chinese" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_Chinese">ethnic Chinese</a>, Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday for the Chinese, and has had a strong influence on the new year celebrations of its neighbours. These include <a title="Japanese people" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_people">Japanese</a>, <a title="Koreans" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koreans">Koreans</a>, <a title="Hmong people" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hmong_people">Miao</a> (Chinese Hmong), <a title="Mongolians" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolians">Mongolians</a>, <a title="Vietnamese people" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_people">Vietnamese</a>, <a title="Tibetan people" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_people">Tibetans</a>, the <a title="Nepal" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepal">Nepalese</a> and the <a title="Bhutan" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhutan">Bhutanese</a> (see <a title="Losar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Losar">Losar</a>).Chinese New Year is also the time of the <a title="Chunyun" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chunyun">the largest human migration</a>, when <a title="Overseas Chinese" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_Chinese">overseas Chinese</a> all around the world travel home to have <a title="Reunion dinner" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reunion_dinner">reunion dinners</a> with their families on Chinese New Year's eve.[attach]6319[/attach]

loveflower 2007-2-18 02:24

<h2>New Year dates</h2><dl><dd><div class="noprint">Main article: <a title="Chinese Astrology" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Astrology">Chinese Astrology</a></div></dd></dl>The Chinese New Year dates are determined by the <a title="Lunisolar calendar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunisolar_calendar">lunisolar</a> Chinese calendar, which is also used in countries that have adopted or have been influenced by <a title="Han Chinese" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_Chinese">Han</a> culuture, notably the Koreans, the Japanese, the Tibetans, the Vietnamese and the pagan <a title="Bulgars" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgars">Bulgars</a>.Chinese New Year starts on the first day of the new year containing a new moon (some sources include New Year's Eve) and ends on the <a title="Lantern Festival" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lantern_Festival">Lantern Festival</a> fourteen days later. This occurs around the time of the full moon as each <a title="Lunation" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunation">lunation</a> is about 29.53 days in duration. In the <a title="Gregorian calendar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar">Gregorian calendar</a>, the Chinese New Year falls on different dates each year, on a date between January 21 and February 20. This means that the holiday usually falls on the second (very rarely third) new moon after the <a title="Solstice" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solstice">winter solstice</a>. In traditional Chinese Culture, <a title="Lichun" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichun">Lichun</a> is a solar term marking the start of spring, which usually falls on either February 4 or 5.The dates for the Spring Festival from 1996 to 2019 (in the <a title="Gregorian calendar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar">Gregorian calendar</a>) are listed below, along with the year's presiding animal <a title="Zodiac" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiac">zodiac</a> and its <a title="Earthly branch" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthly_branch">earthly branch</a>. The names of the earthly branches have no English counterparts and are not the Chinese translations of the animals.<table class="wikitable"><tbody><tr bgcolor="#efefef"><th>Animal</th><th>Branch</th><th colspan="2">Dates</th></tr><tr><td><a title="Rat (zodiac)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_(zodiac)">Rat</a></td><td>子 Zi</td><td><a title="February 19" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_19">February 19</a>, <a title="1996" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996">1996</a></td><td><a title="February 7" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_7">February 7</a>, <a title="2008" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008">2008</a></td></tr><tr><td><a title="Ox (zodiac)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ox_(zodiac)">Ox</a></td><td>丑 Chou</td><td><a title="February 7" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_7">February 7</a>, <a title="1997" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997">1997</a></td><td><a title="January 26" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_26">January 26</a>, <a title="2009" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009">2009</a></td></tr><tr><td><a title="Tiger (zodiac)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_(zodiac)">Tiger</a></td><td>寅 Yin</td><td><a title="January 28" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_28">January 28</a>, <a title="1998" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998">1998</a></td><td><a title="February 14" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_14">February 14</a>, <a title="2010" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010">2010</a></td></tr><tr><td><a title="Rabbit (zodiac)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_(zodiac)">Rabbit</a></td><td>卯 Mou</td><td><a title="February 16" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_16">February 16</a>, <a title="1999" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999">1999</a></td><td><a title="February 3" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_3">February 3</a>, <a title="2011" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011">2011</a></td></tr><tr><td><a title="Dragon (zodiac)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_(zodiac)">Dragon</a></td><td>辰 Chen</td><td><a title="February 5" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_5">February 5</a>, <a title="2000" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000">2000</a></td><td><a title="January 23" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_23">January 23</a>, <a title="2012" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012">2012</a></td></tr><tr><td><a title="Snake (zodiac)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_(zodiac)">Snake</a></td><td>巳 Si</td><td><a title="January 24" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_24">January 24</a>, <a title="2001" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001">2001</a></td><td><a title="February 10" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_10">February 10</a>, <a title="2013" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013">2013</a></td></tr><tr><td><a title="Horse (zodiac)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_(zodiac)">Horse</a></td><td>午 Wu</td><td><a title="February 12" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_12">February 12</a>, <a title="2002" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002">2002</a></td><td><a title="January 31" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_31">January 31</a>, <a title="2014" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014">2014</a></td></tr><tr><td><a title="Sheep (zodiac)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheep_(zodiac)">Goat</a></td><td>未 Wei</td><td><a title="February 1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_1">February 1</a>, <a title="2003" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003">2003</a></td><td><a title="February 19" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_19">February 19</a>, <a title="2015" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015">2015</a></td></tr><tr><td><a title="Monkey (zodiac)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_(zodiac)">Monkey</a></td><td>申 Shen</td><td><a title="January 22" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_22">January 22</a>, <a title="2004" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004">2004</a></td><td><a title="February 8" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_8">February 8</a>, <a title="2016" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016">2016</a></td></tr><tr><td><a title="Rooster (zodiac)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooster_(zodiac)">Rooster</a></td><td>酉 You</td><td><a title="February 9" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_9">February 9</a>, <a title="2005" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005">2005</a></td><td><a title="January 28" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_28">January 28</a>, <a title="2017" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017">2017</a></td></tr><tr><td><a title="Dog (zodiac)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_(zodiac)">Dog</a></td><td>戌 Xu</td><td><a title="January 29" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_29">January 29</a>, <a title="2006" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006">2006</a></td><td><a title="February 16" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_16">February 16</a>, <a title="2018" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018">2018</a></td></tr><tr><td><a title="Pig (zodiac)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig_(zodiac)">Boar</a></td><td>亥 Hai</td><td><a title="February 18" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_18">February 18</a>, <a title="2007" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007">2007</a></td><td><a title="February 5" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_5">February 5</a>, <a title="2019" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019">2019</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Many non-Chinese confuse their Chinese birth-year with their Gregorian birth-year. As the Chinese New Year starts in late January to mid February, the Chinese year dates from <a title="January 1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_1">1 January</a> until that day in the new Gregorian year remain unchanged from the previous Gregorian year. For example, the 1989 year of the snake began on <a title="February 6" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_6">6 February</a>
<a title="1989" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989">1989</a>. The year 1990 is considered by some people to be the year of the horse. However, the 1989 year of the snake officially ended on <a title="January 26" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_26">26 January</a>
<a title="1990" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990">1990</a>. This means that anyone born from <a title="January 1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_1">January 1</a> to <a title="January 25" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_25">25 January</a>
<a title="1990" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990">1990</a> was actually born in the year of the snake rather than the year of the horse.Many online Chinese Sign calculators do not account for the non-alignment of the two calendars, incorrectly using Gregorian-calendar years rather than official Chinese New Year dates.See <a title="Chinese astrology" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_astrology">Chinese astrology</a> for a list of Chinese New Year dates for every year from <a title="1900" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1900">1900</a> to <a title="2020" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020">2020</a>, covering one full sexagesimal cycle (<a title="1924" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1924">1924</a>–<a title="1983" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983">1983</a>) and portions of two others.<a id="History" name="History"></a><h2>History</h2>It is unclear when the beginning of the year was celebrated before the <a title="Qin Dynasty" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Dynasty">Qin Dynasty</a>. It is possible that the beginning of the year began with month 1 during the <a title="Xia Dynasty" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xia_Dynasty">Xia Dynasty</a>, month 12 during the <a title="Shang Dynasty" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shang_Dynasty">Shang Dynasty</a>, and month 11 during the <a title="Zhou Dynasty" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhou_Dynasty">Zhou Dynasty</a> in <a title="China" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China">China</a>[<a title="Wikipedia:Citing sources" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources">citation needed</a>]. We know that <a title="Intercalation" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intercalation">intercalary</a> months, used to keep the lunar calendar synchronized with the sun, were added after month 12 during both the Shang Dynasty (according to surviving <a title="Oracle bone" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oracle_bone">oracle bones</a>) and the Zhou Dynasty (according to <a title="Sima Qian" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sima_Qian">Sima Qian</a>). The first <a title="Emperor of China" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_of_China">Emperor of China</a>
<a title="Qin Shi Huang" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Shi_Huang">Qin Shi Huang</a> changed the beginning of the year to month 10 in <a title="221 BC" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/221_BC">221 BC</a>. Whether the New Year was celebrated at the beginning of month 10, of month 1, or both is unknown. In 104 BC, <a title="Emperor Wu of Han" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Wu_of_Han">Emperor Wu</a> of the <a title="Han Dynasty" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_Dynasty">Han Dynasty</a> established month 1 as the beginning of the year, where it remains.<a id="Myths" name="Myths"></a><h2>Myths</h2>According to legend, in <a title="Ancient China" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_China">ancient China</a>, the <a title="Nian" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nian">nián</a> (年), a man-eating beast from the mountains, could silently infiltrate houses to prey on humans. The people later learned that the nian was sensitive to loud noises and the color red, so they scared it away with explosions, <a title="Fireworks" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fireworks">fireworks</a> and the liberal use of the color red. These customs led to the first New Year celebrations. Guò nián (<a title="Simplified Chinese character" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Chinese_character">Simplified Chinese</a>: 过年; <a title="Traditional Chinese character" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_character">Traditional Chinese</a>: 過年), which means to celebrate the new year, literally means the passing of the nian beast.<a id="Public_holiday" name="Public_holiday"></a><h2>Public holiday</h2>Chinese New Year is observed as a public holiday in a number of countries and territories where a sizeable Chinese population resides. Since Chinese New Year falls on different dates on the Gregorian calendar every year on different days of the week, some of these governments opt to shift working days in order to accommodate a longer public holiday. Also like many other countries in the world, a statutory holiday is added on the following work day when the New Year falls on a weekend.<div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="WIDTH: 276px;"><a class="internal" title="Chinese New Year fireworks in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Fireworks.jpg"><img class="thumbimage" height="204" alt="Chinese New Year fireworks in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/67/Fireworks.jpg" width="274" longdesc="/wiki/Image:Fireworks.jpg"/></a>
<div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify" style="FLOAT: right;"><a class="internal" title="Enlarge" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Fireworks.jpg"><img height="11" alt="" src="http://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png" width="15"/></a></div>Chinese New Year <a title="Fireworks" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fireworks">fireworks</a> in <a title="Victoria Harbour" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Harbour">Victoria Harbour</a>, <a title="Hong Kong" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong">Hong Kong</a></div></div></div><a title="Mainland China" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainland_China">Mainland China</a><ul><li>The first seven days. </li></ul><a title="Taiwan" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan">Taiwan</a><ul><li>The first five days </li></ul><a title="Hong Kong" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong">Hong Kong</a> and <a title="Macau" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macau">Macau</a><ul><li>The first three days </li></ul><a title="Malaysia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia">Malaysia</a>
and
<a title="Singapore" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore">Singapore</a><ul><li>The first two days </li></ul><a title="Brunei" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunei">Brunei</a> and <a title="Indonesia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia">Indonesia</a><ul><li>The first day </li></ul><a id="Other_countries" name="Other_countries"></a><h3>Other countries</h3>The <a title="Vietnamese people" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_people">Vietnamese</a> also celebrate their New Year, or <a title="Tết" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Táº¿t">Tết</a>, on the same day as the <a title="Chinese calendar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_calendar">Chinese calendar</a>, with a 4-day public holiday. However, because of the <a title="Time Zones" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Zones">time difference</a> between <a title="Hanoi" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanoi">Hanoi</a> and <a title="Beijing" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing">Beijing</a> (China), Tết may differ from the Chinese calendar by a day every 22nd or 23rd year. <a title="Korea" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korea">Korea</a> now follows the Gregorian calendar for business and academic purposes, but the lunar new year is still marked with a three-day holiday, compared to a single day of holiday on January 1st. The <a title="Japan" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan">Japanese</a> now celebrate their New Year (<a title="Japanese New Year" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_New_Year">shōgatsu</a>) on <a title="January 1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_1">1 January</a>, with the first three days being holidays.<a id="Other_official_acknowledgements" name="Other_official_acknowledgements"></a><h3>Other official acknowledgements</h3>A few countries around the world regularly issue <a title="Postage stamp" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postage_stamp">postage stamps</a> and/or numismatic coins to commemorate Chinese New Year. Although Chinese New Year is not institutionalized as public holiday, these countries recognize the significant number of their citizens who are of <a title="Han Chinese" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_Chinese">Chinese origin</a>. The countries and territories that do so include <a title="Australia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia">Australia</a>, <a title="Canada" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada">Canada</a>, <a title="Christmas Island" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Island">Christmas Island</a>, <a title="El Salvador" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Salvador">El Salvador</a>, <a title="France" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France">France</a>, <a title="New Zealand" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand">New Zealand</a>, <a title="United States" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States">United States</a>, and the <a title="Philippines" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines">Philippines</a>.<a id="Festivities" name="Festivities"></a><h2>Festivities</h2>The Chinese Year celebrations are marked by visits to kin, relatives and friends, and the liberal use of the color red. <a title="Red packet" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_packet">Red packets</a> are given to juniors and children by the married and elders.<a id="Days_before_the_new_year" name="Days_before_the_new_year"></a><h3>Days before the new year</h3>On the days before the New Year celebration, Chinese families give their home a thorough cleaning, known as 'spring cleaning'. It is believed the cleaning sweeps away bad luck of the preceding year and makes their homes ready for good luck. Brooms and dust pans are put away on New Year's Eve and the first day so that luck cannot be swept away. Some people give their homes, doors and window-panes a new coat of red paint. Homes are decorated with paper cutouts of Chinese auspicious phrases and <a title="Couplet" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couplet">couplets</a>.<a id="Reunion_dinner" name="Reunion_dinner"></a><h3>Reunion dinner</h3>A <a title="Reunion dinner" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reunion_dinner">reunion dinner</a> is held on <a title="New Year's Eve" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year's_Eve">New Year's Eve</a> where members of the family, near and far, get together for celebration. The venue will usually be in the home of the most senior member of the family. The New Year's Eve dinner is very sumptuous and traditionally includes <a title="Chicken" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken">chicken</a> and <a title="Fish" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish">fish</a>. Fish (魚, yú) is included, but not eaten up completely (and the remainder is stored overnight), as the Chinese phrase 年年有餘 (nián nián yǒu yú), which means "may there be surpluses every year", sounds the same as "may there be fish every year."<a title="Buddha's delight" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddha's_delight">Buddha's delight</a> (Traditional Chinese: 羅漢齋; Simplified Chinese: 罗汉斋; pinyin: luóhàn zhāi), an elaborate vegetarian dish traditionally comprising 18 ingredients, is often served by Chinese families on the first day of the New Year. A type of black hair-like <a title="Moss" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moss">moss</a>, pronounced "<a title="Fat choy (vegetable)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_choy_(vegetable)">fat choy</a>" in Cantonese, is also featured in Buddha's delight and other dishes, since its name sounds similar to "prosperity.". <a title="Hakka" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakka">Hakkas</a> usually serve kiu nyuk (扣肉) and <a title="Yong tau foo" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yong_tau_foo">ngiong tiu fu</a>.<div class="thumb tleft"><div class="thumbinner" style="WIDTH: 312px;"><a class="internal" title="A model of an ancient Chinese gold ingot." href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:YuanBao.jpg"><img class="thumbimage" height="232" alt="A model of an ancient Chinese gold ingot." src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/47/YuanBao.jpg/310px-YuanBao.jpg" width="310" longdesc="/wiki/Image:YuanBao.jpg"/></a>
<div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify" style="FLOAT: right;"><a class="internal" title="Enlarge" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:YuanBao.jpg"><img height="11" alt="" src="http://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png" width="15"/></a></div>A model of an ancient Chinese <a title="Gold" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold">gold</a>
<a title="Ingot" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingot">ingot</a>.</div></div></div>Most Northerners serve <a title="Jiaozi" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiaozi">dumplings</a> as the main dish in this festive season and many Chinese around the world do the same. It is believed that dumplings (餃子, jiǎozi) resemble ancient Chinese gold <a title="Ingot" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingot">ingots</a> (金元寶, <a title="Pinyin" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin">pinyin</a>, jīn yuán bǎo). <a title="Mandarin orange" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandarin_orange">Mandarin oranges</a> are the most popular and most abundant fruit during Chinese New Year -- jin ju (金橘子) or kam (金) in Cantonese.<a title="Red packet" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_packet">Red packets</a> for the immediate family is sometimes distributed during the reunion dinner. These packets often contain money in certain numbers that reflect good luck and honorability.<a id="First_day_of_the_new_year" name="First_day_of_the_new_year"></a><h3>First day of the new year</h3>The first day is for the welcoming of the deities of the heavens and earth. Many people, especially <a title="Buddhist" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist">Buddhists</a>, abstain from meat consumption on the first day because it is believed that this will ensure <a title="Longevity" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longevity">longevity</a> for them.Most importantly, the first day of Chinese New Year is a time where families will pay a visit to their oldest and most senior member of their extended family, usually their <a title="Parent" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parent">parents</a>, grandparents or great-grandparents.Some families may invite a <a title="Lion dance" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_dance">Lion dance</a> troupe as a symbolic ritual to usher in the Lunar New Year as well as to evict bad spirits from the premises.<a id="Second_day_of_the_new_year" name="Second_day_of_the_new_year"></a><h3>Second day of the new year</h3><div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="WIDTH: 182px;"><a class="internal" title="Incense is burned at the graves of ancestors as part of the offering and prayer ritual." href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Incence_at_grave.JPG"><img class="thumbimage" height="242" alt="Incense is burned at the graves of ancestors as part of the offering and prayer ritual." src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Incence_at_grave.JPG/180px-Incence_at_grave.JPG" width="180" longdesc="/wiki/Image:Incence_at_grave.JPG"/></a>
<div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify" style="FLOAT: right;"><a class="internal" title="Enlarge" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Incence_at_grave.JPG"><img height="11" alt="" src="http://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png" width="15"/></a></div>Incense is burned at the graves of ancestors as part of the offering and prayer ritual.</div></div></div>The second day of the Chinese New Year is for married daughters to visit their birth parents. Traditionally, daughters who have been married may not have the opportunity to visit their birth families frequently.<a id="Third_day_and_fourth_of_the_new_year" name="Third_day_and_fourth_of_the_new_year"></a><h3>Third day and fourth of the new year</h3>The third day of Chinese New Year is generally accepted as an inappropriate day to visit relatives due to the following schools of thought. People may subscribe to one or both thoughts.1) It is known as "chì kǒu" (赤口), meaning that it is easy to get into arguments. It is suggested that the cause could be the fried food and visiting during the first two days of the New Year celebration.2) Families who had an immediate kin deceased in the past 3 years will not go house-visiting as a form of respect to the dead. The third day of the New Year is allocated to grave-visiting instead. Some people conclude it is inauspicious to do any house visiting at all.<a id="Fifth_day_of_the_new_year" name="Fifth_day_of_the_new_year"></a><h3>Fifth day of the new year</h3>In northern China, people eat Jiǎo zi (饺子) (dumplings) on the morning of Po Wu. This is also the birthday of the Chinese god of wealth. In Taiwan, businesses traditionally re-open on this day, accompanied by firecrackers.<a id="Seventh_day_of_the_new_year" name="Seventh_day_of_the_new_year"></a><h3>Seventh day of the new year</h3>The seventh day, traditionally known as renri, the common man's birthday, the day when everyone grows one year older.It is the day when tossed raw fish salad, <a title="Yusheng" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yusheng">yusheng</a>, is eaten. People get together to toss the colorful salad and make wishes for continued wealth and prosperity. This is a custom primarily among the Chinese in <a title="Southeast Asia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southeast_Asia">Southeast Asia</a>, such as <a title="Malaysia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia">Malaysia</a> and <a title="Singapore" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore">Singapore</a>, but not commonly practised by Chinese in other parts of the world. For many Chinese <a title="Buddhist" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist">Buddhists</a>, this is another day to avoid meat.<div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="WIDTH: 252px;"><a class="internal" title="Chinese New Year's celebrations, on the eighth day, in the Vancouver suburb of Richmond, British Columbia, Canada." href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:ChinNewYr-dragon1.jpg"><img class="thumbimage" height="333" alt="Chinese New Year's celebrations, on the eighth day, in the Vancouver suburb of Richmond, British Columbia, Canada." src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/fa/ChinNewYr-dragon1.jpg/250px-ChinNewYr-dragon1.jpg" width="250" longdesc="/wiki/Image:ChinNewYr-dragon1.jpg"/></a>
<div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify" style="FLOAT: right;"><a class="internal" title="Enlarge" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:ChinNewYr-dragon1.jpg"><img height="11" alt="" src="http://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png" width="15"/></a></div>Chinese New Year's celebrations, on the eighth day, in the <a title="Vancouver" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver">Vancouver</a> suburb of <a title="Richmond, British Columbia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond,_British_Columbia">Richmond, British Columbia</a>, <a title="Canada" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada">Canada</a>.</div></div></div><a id="Ninth_day_of_the_new_year" name="Ninth_day_of_the_new_year"></a><h3>Ninth day of the new year</h3>The ninth day of the New Year is a day for Chinese to offer prayers to the <a title="Jade Emperor" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jade_Emperor">Jade Emperor</a> of Heaven (天公) in the Taoist Pantheon.Additionally this day is heralded as the New Year of the <a title="Hoklo people" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoklo_people">Hokkiens</a>. Come midnight of the eighth day of the new year, the Hokkiens will offer thanks giving prayers to the Emperor of Heaven. Offerings will include sugarcane as it was the sugarcane that had protected the Hokkiens from certain extermination generations ago. Tea is served as a customary protocol for paying respect to an honoured person.<a id="Fifteenth_day_of_the_new_year" name="Fifteenth_day_of_the_new_year"></a><h3>Fifteenth day of the new year</h3>The fifteenth day of the new year is the last day of the traditional New Year's celebrations. It is celebrated as Yuánxiāo jié (元宵节), the Chinese Valentine's. otherwise known as <a title="Chap Goh Mei" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chap_Goh_Mei">Chap Goh Mei</a> in <a title="Fujian" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fujian">Fujian</a> dialect. <a title="Tangyuan" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangyuan">Tangyuan</a> (<a title="Simplified Chinese character" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Chinese_character">Simplified Chinese</a>: 汤圆; <a title="Traditional Chinese character" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_character">Traditional Chinese</a>: 湯圓; <a title="Pinyin" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin">pinyin</a>: tāngyuán), a sweet <a title="Glutinous rice" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutinous_rice">glutinous rice</a> ball brewed in a soup, is eaten this day. Depending on locality, the same day may also be celebrated as the <a title="Lantern Festival" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lantern_Festival">Lantern Festival</a>, or as the Chinese <a title="Valentine's Day" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine's_Day">Valentine's Day</a>.

loveflower 2007-2-18 02:27

<h2><div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="WIDTH: 352px;"><a class="internal" title="Chinese New Year decoration in London's Chinatown" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Chinatown_london.jpg"><img class="thumbimage" height="263" alt="Chinese New Year decoration in London's Chinatown" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Chinatown_london.jpg/350px-Chinatown_london.jpg" width="350" longdesc="/wiki/Image:Chinatown_london.jpg"/></a>
<div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify" style="FLOAT: right;"><a class="internal" title="Enlarge" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Chinatown_london.jpg"><img height="11" alt="" src="http://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png" width="15"/></a></div>Chinese New Year decoration in <a title="London" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London">London</a>'s <a title="Chinatown" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinatown">Chinatown</a></div></div></div><div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="WIDTH: 352px;"><a class="internal" title="Hand-painted Chinese New Year's poetry pasted on the sides of doors leading to people's homes, Lijiang, Yunnan, China." href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Chinese_New_Year's_poetry.jpg"><img class="thumbimage" height="227" alt="Hand-painted Chinese New Year's poetry pasted on the sides of doors leading to people's homes, Lijiang, Yunnan, China." src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Chinese_New_Year%27s_poetry.jpg/350px-Chinese_New_Year%27s_poetry.jpg" width="350" longdesc="/wiki/Image:Chinese_New_Year%27s_poetry.jpg"/></a>
<div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify" style="FLOAT: right;"><a class="internal" title="Enlarge" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Chinese_New_Year's_poetry.jpg"><img height="11" alt="" src="http://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png" width="15"/></a></div>Hand-painted Chinese New Year's poetry pasted on the sides of doors leading to people's homes, <a title="Lijiang City" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lijiang_City">Lijiang</a>, <a title="Yunnan" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yunnan">Yunnan</a>, <a title="China" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China">China</a>.</div></div></div>Chinese New Year, known in Chinese as the Spring Festival (<a title="Simplified Chinese character" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Chinese_character">Simplified Chinese</a>: 春节; <a title="Traditional Chinese character" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_character">Traditional Chinese</a>: 春節; <a title="Pinyin" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin">pinyin</a>: </h2><h2></h2><h2></h2><h2>Common New Year practices</h2><a id="Red_packets" name="Red_packets"></a><h3>Red packets</h3>Traditionally, <a title="Red envelope" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_envelope">red packets</a> (<a title="Mandarin (linguistics)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandarin_(linguistics)">Mandarin</a>: 'hóng bāo' (紅包); <a title="Hokkien (dialect)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hokkien_(dialect)">Hokkien</a>: 'ang pow' (<a title="Pe̍h-ōe-jī" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PeÌh-Åe-jÄ«">POJ</a>: âng-pau); <a title="Hakka" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakka">Hakka</a>: 'fung bao'; <a title="Cantonese (linguistics)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantonese_(linguistics)">Cantonese</a>: 'leih síh' (利市)) are passed out during the Chinese New Year's celebrations, from married couples or the elderly to unmarried juniors. It is common for adults to give red packets to children. Red packets are also known as 压岁钱 (Ya Sui Qian lit age suppressing money) during this period.The red envelopes always contain money, usually varying from a couple of dollars to several hundred. The amount of money in the red packets should be of <a title="Even number" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Even_number">even numbers</a>, as odd numbers are associated with cash given during funerals (白金 : Bai Jin)<a id="New_Year_markets" name="New_Year_markets"></a><h3>New Year markets</h3>Markets are set up near the New Year especially for vendors to sell New Year-related products. These usually open-air markets feature floral products, toys, clothing, for shoppers to buy gifts for new year visitations as well as decor for their homes. The practice of shopping for the perfect <a title="Ume" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ume">plum tree</a> is not dissimilar to the Western tradition of buying a <a title="Christmas tree" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_tree">Christmas tree</a>.<a id="Firecrackers" name="Firecrackers"></a><h3>Firecrackers</h3>Firecrackers come individually or strung on a long string. They are cased in red paper, as red is auspicious. The loud popping noise created by the explosion is thought to scare away evil spirits.In <a title="Singapore" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore">Singapore</a>, firecrackers have been banned due to safety reasons since <a title="1972" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1972">1972</a>. However, in <a title="2003" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003">2003</a>, the <a title="Government of Singapore" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Singapore">government</a> allowed firecrackers to be let off during the festive season. At the Chinese New Year light up in <a title="Chinatown, Singapore" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinatown,_Singapore">Chinatown</a>, at the stroke of midnight on the first day of the Lunar New Year, firecrackers are let-off under controlled conditions by the Singapore Tourism Board. Other occasions where firecrackers are allowed to be let off are determined by the <a title="Singapore Tourism Board" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_Tourism_Board">tourism board</a> or other government organizations. However, they are not allowed to be commercially sold.<a title="Malaysia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia">Malaysia</a> banned firecrackers for the same reason.<a id="Fireworks" name="Fireworks"></a><h3>Fireworks</h3><a title="Fireworks" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fireworks">Fireworks</a> are banned in Hong Kong for safety reasons, but the government will put on a fireworks display in <a title="Victoria Harbour" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Harbour">Victoria Harbour</a> on the second day of the Chinese New Year. Similar displays are also held in many other cities in and outside China.<a id="Clothing" name="Clothing"></a><h3>Clothing</h3>Red clothing is worn throughout the Chinese New Year, as red will scare away evil spirits and bad fortune. Also, people typically wear new clothes from head to toe to symbolize starting anew in the new year.<a id="Shou_Sui" name="Shou_Sui"></a><h3>Shou Sui</h3>守岁(守歲)（Shou Sui) is when members of the family gather around throughout the night after the reunion dinner and reminisce about the year that has passed while welcoming the year that has arrived.“一夜连双岁，五更分二年” means that the night of New Year's eve (which is also the morning of the first day of the New Year) is a night that links 2 years. 五更 (Wu Geng - a time period in Chinese time keeping roughly equivalent to 0300 - 0500 hrs) is the time that separates 2 years.Some believe that children who 守岁 (Shou Sui) will increase the longevity of the parents.<a id="Decorations" name="Decorations"></a><h3>Decorations</h3>Red diamond-shaped banners with the <a title="Character" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Character">character</a> 福 (pinyin: fú), or "auspiciousness" are displayed around the house and at the fronts of doors. This sign is usually seen hung upside down, since the Chinese word 倒 (pinyin: dǎo), or "upside down", sounds similar as 到 (pinyin: dào), or "arrive". Therefore, it symbolizes the arrival of luck or happiness.The following are popular floral decorations for the New Year and are available at new year markets.<ul><li>Peach blossom (symbolises luck) </li><li><a title="Plum blossom" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plum_blossom">Plum blossom</a> (symbolizes luck) </li><li><a title="Kumquat" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumquat">Kumquat</a> plants (symbolises prosperity) </li><li><a title="Narcissus (flower)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissus_(flower)">Narcissus</a>
</li><li><a title="Chrysanthemum" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysanthemum">Chrysanthemum</a> (symbolises longevity) </li><li><a title="Bamboo" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo">Bamboo</a> (A plant used for anytime of year.) </li></ul><a id="Foods" name="Foods"></a><h3>Foods</h3><div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="WIDTH: 202px;"><a class="internal" title="Niangao, Chinese New Year lucky cake: red bean paste between two layers of longane flavoured rice paste." href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Niangao2.JPG"><img class="thumbimage" height="150" alt="Niangao, Chinese New Year lucky cake: red bean paste between two layers of longane flavoured rice paste." src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/98/Niangao2.JPG/200px-Niangao2.JPG" width="200" longdesc="/wiki/Image:Niangao2.JPG"/></a>
<div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify" style="FLOAT: right;"><a class="internal" title="Enlarge" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Niangao2.JPG"><img height="11" alt="" src="http://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png" width="15"/></a></div><a title="Niangao" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niangao">Niangao</a>, Chinese New Year lucky cake: <a title="Red bean paste" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_bean_paste">red bean paste</a> between two layers of longane flavoured <a title="Rice" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice">rice</a> paste.</div></div></div>Several foods are eaten to usher in wealth, happiness, and good fortune. Several of the Chinese food names are homophones for words that also mean good things.<ul><li>Fish - Is usually eaten on the eve of Chinese New Year. The Cantonese pronunciation of fish makes it a homophone for "more than enough", or "extra". </li><li><a title="Jiaozi" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiaozi">Dumplings</a> - Eaten traditionally because the preparation is similar to packaging luck inside the dumpling, which is later eaten. </li><li>Candy </li><li>Kwatji/ sunflower, pumpkin or melon seeds </li><li>Turnip/<a title="Taro" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taro">Taro</a> cakes </li></ul><a id="Superstitions_during_the_New_Year_period" name="Superstitions_during_the_New_Year_period"></a><h3>Superstitions during the New Year period</h3>The following is a list of beliefs that vary according to dialect groups / individuals.<a id="Good_Luck" name="Good_Luck"></a><h4>Good Luck</h4><ul><li>Opening windows and/or doors is considered to 'bring in' the good luck of the new year. </li><li>Switching on the lights for the night is considered good luck to 'scare away' ghosts and spirits of misfortune that may compromise the luck and fortune of the new year. </li><li>Candy is eaten to ensure the consumer a "sweet" year. </li></ul><a id="Bad_Luck" name="Bad_Luck"></a><h4>Bad Luck</h4><ul><li>Buying a pair of shoes is considered bad luck. The word "shoes" is a homophone for the word for "rough" in Cantonese. </li><li>Buying a pair of pants is considered bad luck. The word "pants" is a homophone for the word for "bitter" in Cantonese. (Although some perceive it to be positive as the word 'pants' in Cantonese could be a homophone for the word for "wealth".) </li><li>A hair-cut is considered bad luck. The word "hair" is a homophone for the word for "prosperity". Thus "cutting hair" could be perceived as "cutting away your prosperity" in Cantonese. </li><li>Sweeping the floor is considered bad luck, as it will sweep away the good fortune and luck for the new year; in the same way that having a bath will wash away the good fortune. </li><li>Talking about death is inappropriate for the first few days of Chinese New Year, as it is considered inauspicious as well. </li><li>Buying books is bad luck, because it is a homonym to the word "lose". </li></ul><a id="New_Year_parade_in_San_Francisco_Chinatown" name="New_Year_parade_in_San_Francisco_Chinatown"></a><h2>New Year parade in San Francisco Chinatown</h2>In 1849, with the discovery of gold and the ensuing California Gold Rush, over 50,000 people had come to San Francisco to seek their fortune or just a better way of life. Among those were many Chinese, who had come to work in the gold mines and on the railroad. By the 1860’s, the Chinese were eager to share their culture with those who were unfamiliar with it. They chose to showcase their culture by using a favorite American tradition - the Parade. Nothing like it had ever been done in their native China. They invited a variety of other groups from the city to participate, and they marched down what today are Grant Avenue and Kearny Street carrying colorful flags, banners, lanterns, and drums and firecrackers to drive away evil spirits.<a id="Greetings" name="Greetings"></a><h2>Greetings</h2>The Chinese New Year is often accompanied by loud, enthusiastic greetings, often referred to as 吉祥話 (Jíxiánghùa), or loosely translated as auspicious words or phrases. Some of the most common examples may include:<a id="Happy_new_year" name="Happy_new_year"></a><h3>Happy new year</h3><a title="Simplified Chinese character" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Chinese_character">Simplified Chinese</a>: 新年快乐; <a title="Traditional Chinese character" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_character">Traditional Chinese</a>: 新年快樂; <a title="Pinyin" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin">pinyin</a>: Xīnnián kuàilè; Hokkien <a title="Pe̍h-ōe-jī" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PeÌh-Åe-jÄ«">POJ</a>: Sin-nî khòai-lo̍k; <a title="Cantonese (linguistics)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantonese_(linguistics)">Cantonese</a>: Sun nin fai lok. A more contemporary greeting reflective of western influences, it literally translates from the greeting "Happy new year" more common in the west. But in northern parts of China, traditionally people say <a title="Simplified Chinese character" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Chinese_character">Simplified Chinese</a>: 过年好; <a title="Pinyin" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin">pinyin</a>: Guo Nian Hao instead of <a title="Simplified Chinese character" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Chinese_character">Simplified Chinese</a>: 新年快乐, to differentiate it from the international new year. And 過年好 can be used from the first day to the fifth day of Chinese new year.<a id="Congratulations_and_be_prosperous" name="Congratulations_and_be_prosperous"></a><h3>Congratulations and be prosperous</h3><div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="WIDTH: 302px;"><a class="internal" title="Kung Hei Fat Choi at Lee Theatre Plaza, Hong Kong" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Kung_Hei_Fat_Choi_at_Lee_Theatre_Plaza.jpg"><img class="thumbimage" height="225" alt="Kung Hei Fat Choi at Lee Theatre Plaza, Hong Kong" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/Kung_Hei_Fat_Choi_at_Lee_Theatre_Plaza.jpg/300px-Kung_Hei_Fat_Choi_at_Lee_Theatre_Plaza.jpg" width="300" longdesc="/wiki/Image:Kung_Hei_Fat_Choi_at_Lee_Theatre_Plaza.jpg"/></a>
<div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify" style="FLOAT: right;"><a class="internal" title="Enlarge" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Kung_Hei_Fat_Choi_at_Lee_Theatre_Plaza.jpg"><img height="11" alt="" src="http://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png" width="15"/></a></div><a title="Kung Hei Fat Choi" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kung_Hei_Fat_Choi">Kung Hei Fat Choi</a> at Lee Theatre Plaza, <a title="Hong Kong" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong">Hong Kong</a></div></div></div><a title="Simplified Chinese character" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Chinese_character">Simplified Chinese</a>: 恭喜发财; <a title="Traditional Chinese character" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_character">Traditional Chinese</a>: 恭喜發財; <a title="Pinyin" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin">pinyin</a>: Gōngxǐ fācái; <a title="Hokkien (dialect)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hokkien_(dialect)">Hokkien</a> Keong hee huat chye (<a title="Pe̍h-ōe-jī" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PeÌh-Åe-jÄ«">POJ</a>: Kiong-hí hoat-châi); <a title="Cantonese (linguistics)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantonese_(linguistics)">Cantonese</a>: Gung hei fat choi; <a title="Hakka" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakka">Hakka</a>: Kung hei fat choi, which loosely translates to "Congratulations and be prosperous". Often mistakenly assumed to be synonymous with "Happy new year", its usage dates back several centuries. While the first two words of this phrase had a much longer historical significance (legend has it that the congratulatory messages were traded for surviving the ravaging beast of <a title="Nian" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nian">Nian</a>, although in practical terms it may also involve surviving the harsh winter conditions), the last two words were added later as ideas of <a title="Capitalism" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalism">capitalism</a> and <a title="Consumerism" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumerism">consumerism</a> became more significant in Chinese societies around the world. The saying is now commonly heard in <a title="English language" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language">English</a> speaking communities for greetings during Chinese New Year in parts of the world where there is a sizable Chinese-speaking community, including <a title="Overseas Chinese" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_Chinese">overseas Chinese</a> communities that have been resident for several generations, relatively recent immigrants from <a title="Greater China" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_China">Greater China</a>, and those who are transit migrants (particularly students). <a id="Other_greetings" name="Other_greetings"></a><h3>Other greetings</h3>Numerous other greetings exist, some of which may be exclaimed out loud to no one in particular in specific situations. For example, as breaking objects during the new year is considered inauspicious, one may then say 歲歲平安 (Suìsuì píng'ān) immediately, which means everlasting peace year after year. 歲 (Suì, meaning "age") is homophonous with 碎 (meaning "shatter"), in demonstration of the Chinese love for wordplay in auspicious phrases. Similarly, 年年有餘 (Niánnián yǒuyú), a wish for surpluses and bountiful harvests every year, plays on the word yú to also refer to 魚 (meaning fish), making it a catch phrase for fish-based Chinese new year dishes and for paintings or graphics of fish that are hung on walls or presented as gifts.These greetings or phrases may also be used just before children receive their red packets, when gifts are exchanged, when visiting temples, or even when tossing the shredded ingredients of <a title="Yusheng" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yusheng">yusheng</a> particularly popular in Malaysia and Singapore.Irreverent children, particularly in the United States, may jokingly use the phrase 恭喜發財,紅包拿來 (Gōngxǐ fācái, hóngbāo nálái), roughly translated as "Happy New Year, now give me a red envelope."

loveflower 2007-2-18 02:28

Gōngxǐ fācái, hóngbāo nálái, hehe

啊利 2007-2-18 03:44

<div class="msgheader">QUOTE:</div><div class="msgborder">以下是引用loveflower在2007-2-18 2:28:25的发言： Gōngxǐ fācái, hóngbāo nálái, hehe</div>hey! copy right! this sentence is  patent by ali ~ Suppose you have to give us  " ang pao " (m'sian translation.)

丘灵 2007-2-18 09:57

Many people say that this year is "Gold Pig Year" (金豬年), but some people say that this year is actually "Earth Pig Year" (土豬年)? So should it be Gold Pig or Earth Pig????? [em09][em09]

鱼儿 2007-2-18 10:29

According to 五行，it should be 土猪~~~lala~

Jiin 2007-2-19 16:44

太长了，没翻译看着辛苦。可是学习了，春节日子上细节上的意义。

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