(Map Image from CIA World Fact Book website)
The Chinese New Year is an important holiday. It is celebrated between January 21 and February 20. Chinese New Year has been celebrated for more than four thousand years. Dating from 2697 B.C.E., it grew out of ancient celebrations marking the end of winter and the beginning of spring. The Chinese New Year Celebration lasts fifteen days, If I were Chinese I’d think, “Gracious, this is taking a while”.
Shopping List for Chinese New Year
Oranges stands for gold – oranges mean naraja in Spanish .
Tangerines with leaves represents good luck – tangerines with leaves mean mandarinas con hojas in Spanish.
Ginkgo Nuts stands for unity – Ginkgo Nuts mean Nueces Ginkgo in Spanish.
Dried oysters represents successful business
Fat Choy stands for prosperity – a black, mosslike seaweed
Lotus Root represents continuous sons
Whole Fresh Fish stands for surplus – whole fresh fish mean Pescado fresco entero in spanish.
Whole Fresh Chicken represents good future – Whole Fresh Chicken means Pollo entero fresco in spanish
Lettuce/ to grow or spread prosperity
The chinese word for “lettuce sounds like birth, so lettuce stands for the birth of the New Year.
Shark Fin represents A small piece, just a few inches long, is very rare and can cost more than a hundred dollars. This is an ingredient for a special new year’s soup.
Fireworks
New Clothes
New Picture of Tsao-Chin
Red Envelopes
Paper and cloth to make dragon costumes
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Other Chinese Holidays:
Ch’ing Ming is celebrated exactly 106 days after the winter solstice.
Japanese New Year is celebrated the last week of December.
Buddha’s Birthday is celebrated on April 8th.
Tet is the Vietnamese New Year and lasts for seven days.
Doll Festival is held on March 3rd.
Boys’ Festivals is held on May 5th.
Harvest Moon Festival celebrated in the fall.
Above information from Asian Holiday by Faith Winchester and Celebrating Chinese New Year by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith.
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Riddles created by Lillian:
I am Chinese and I am celebrated all throughout China for fifteen days every year. What am I?
I have leaves and the Chinese have a festival to celebrating my planting. What am I?
Go here for answers.
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Word Search with Hidden Message:
Go here for Word Search. Enjoy!
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Letter:
Dearest Camilla,
I was just at Lantern Festival in China. Did you know that the Lantern Festival starts two weeks after Chinese New Year (wich lasts for fifteen days)? Also for the Chinese New Year I helped put away all the knifes and helped clean up. Both of the holidays were great.
Love,
Lillian
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Climate:
China has a tropical, subtropical and a frigid zone. To learn more about these different zones and temperatures visit the China National Tourist Office at cnto.org.
The following books were used in preparing this information:
Asian Holidays by Winchester
People’s Republic of China by Dramer
National Geographic Countries of the World China by Green
Celebrating Chinese New Year by Hoyt-Goldmsith
