11 Surprising Facts About Chinese New Year

We left 2022 behind almost a month ago. But for billions of residents of Far Asia, the New Year holidays have not yet begun! Because the ancient holiday called “Chinese New Year” is just before the start. According to the traditional Chinese calendar, the new year begins on the last days of January. The Chinese New Year celebration lasts 15 days from the beginning of the new year. The start date for this year’s celebrations is January 22. According to the lunar calendar with 12 animals, China is preparing to celebrate the “Year of the Rabbit”.

On the other hand, New Year’s celebrations in China are very different from those in the rest of the world. Because Chinese New Year has sociological, cultural and religious values ​​dating back thousands of years. This is why New Year’s celebrations are much more important to the Chinese than New Year’s celebrations in the Western world. On the other hand, thanks to this ancient holiday, very interesting traditions continue to live, preserved from generation to generation. Here are 11 amazing Chinese New Year facts you probably haven’t heard before…

1. The origins of the Chinese New Year celebration are rooted in the thousand-year-old legend of the “monster”!

According to ancient stories, once a year villages in China were attacked by a terrible monster called “Nia”. He destroyed the houses and fields of the villagers, stole their rice and even ate their children! Every year on the same day, desperate villagers, hoping to escape the onslaught of a terrible beast, locked the doors of their houses, closed the windows, turned off the lights and waited in fear. But one day an old and wise man came to one of the villages infected by the beast. After learning the cause of the villagers’ fear, he told them how to defeat the beast!

Accordingly, Nia was afraid of the color red, loud noises, strange creatures, and fire! With this saving knowledge, the villagers decorated their houses with red fabrics, lit fires, played drums and wore strange masks on their faces… This is how the Chinese New Year celebrations appeared…

2. The date of the celebration changes every year

After all, according to the traditional lunar calendar, the beginning of the new year changes every year! However, the celebrations usually begin in the last days of January and last for 15 days.

3. It is believed that cleansing before the holiday brings good luck.

The Chinese New Year celebration contains many interesting traditions. One of them cleans at midnight before the celebrations! The Chinese believe that cleansing before celebrations is the best way to ward off “evil spirits and thoughts.”

4. Billions of people move during the Chinese New Year celebration.

It is extremely important for families to be together in China, especially during important festive periods such as Chinese New Year. This is why millions or even billions of Chinese people travel during the celebration. 2.1 billion Chinese citizens are expected to be displaced during the upcoming Chinese New Year celebrations.

5. The Chinese New Year celebration includes many superstitions as well as many ancient traditions.

For example, millions of Chinese believe that going to the hospital or taking medication during the celebration will cause new illnesses. Borrowing or borrowing money during the holiday period is believed to lead to an increase in borrowing. There is also a common belief that a haircut will cause “bad luck”.

6. Traditional Chinese dumplings, a favorite dish of Chinese New Year celebrations.

Traditional dumplings called jiaozi are believed to resemble gold, which was used as currency in China thousands of years ago. For this reason, it is believed that the more traditional dumplings a Chinese person eats during the Chinese New Year celebration, the richer they will become. For this reason, jiaozi, which is already one of the most popular dishes in China, is also the most popular dish of the celebration period.

7. The most popular gifts for the New Year holidays are tangerines and oranges.

Because in China, both fruits are considered symbols of the Sun in terms of their shape and color. The Sun, on the other hand, causes good days, abundance, fertility, good luck and wealth. This is why the Chinese mostly give each other tangerines and oranges during Chinese New Year celebrations.

8. The celebration of the Chinese New Year is largely determined by thousands of years of beliefs and traditions. However, there are some traditions that have appeared quite recently!

The most common and most interesting of these is, without a doubt, “hire a lover!” Adults of a certain age left alone in China are not well received, especially by their families. That’s why many Chinese who don’t want to see their families’ reactions during Chinese New Year celebrations attend family reunions with their “lovers for hire”!

9. Almost everyone carries red envelopes during Chinese New Year celebrations.

Because in China it is a very common tradition to give red envelopes with money as gifts during celebrations. For this reason, many Chinese people keep these envelopes with them in case they “meet someone who needs a gift.”

10. Celebrations Cause Incredible Air Pollution Across China!

Because fireworks are one of the most important elements of the celebration. For this reason, it becomes very difficult to even breathe from time to time, especially in big cities like Beijing. Some local governments that want to prevent air pollution caused by fireworks used during celebrations are going to ban the use of fireworks.

11. It is believed that wearing black or white clothes during New Year’s celebrations will lead to “bad luck”.

In China, white and black are commonly associated with “mourning”. For this reason, almost all Chinese people avoid wearing white or black, especially during the holiday period. At celebrations, red clothes are most often preferred, which is considered a sign of good luck.