Chinese New Year and Red Envelopes

For those of you who do not know, the Chinese New Year is a time to bring family and friends together. It marks the start of the new year on the traditional solar or lunisolar Chinese calendar. This festive time is a time for family reunion and red envelopes! In addition to the festivities and food, it is also a time for forgiveness and reconciliation.

Chinese New Year is a family reunion

Chinese New Year is a time to reunite with family and celebrate the upcoming year with feasting and festivities. Traditionally, families prepare a reunion dinner and a royal feast on the first day of the new year. The meal consists of traditional foods and symbolic items. For example, fish is considered auspicious and symbolizes abundance.

Most reunion dinners feature a whole chicken or fish as the main course. This serves as a symbol of the family's prosperity, togetherness, and abundance. It is important to not eat the entire chicken or fish, though. This practice is also believed to prolong the life of aging family members.

The Chinese New Year celebration includes a meal for family members, often at the home of the parents or grandparents. Married couples may visit the parents or relatives of their spouse on the first day of the New Year. If one spouse is absent, an empty chair in the family banquet symbolizes their absence.

It is a time of reconciliation

While Chinese New Year is traditionally a time of celebration, it can also cause tension for Asian believers. Many of these believers have come to America from their native countries, while others are American Born Chinese who are trying to balance their traditional Asian lifestyle with their new American one. For these believers, the Chinese New Year is not simply a day to celebrate with family, but to reconcile with the Chinese culture.

The dates of the Chinese New Year vary from year to year. However, it typically falls between January 21 and February 20. It is the second new moon after the winter solstice, or third if an intercalary month intervenes. The time of the Chinese New Year is also associated with the solar term lichun, which marks the beginning of spring.

Throughout Chinese history, this holiday has been associated with various myths. It has also been a time to honor ancestors and deities. Many people also clean their homes in order to wash away the ill fortune from the past year and to welcome in good fortune. The traditional Chinese New Year celebration also includes decorating doors and windows with red paper-cuts, which are symbols of wealth, longevity, and happiness.

It is a time of red envelopes

Red envelopes are an important part of the Chinese New Year tradition. These traditional gifts are often decorated with symbols of prosperity and good luck. The history behind the tradition suggests that red envelopes have their origins in a Chinese myth. Legend says that an evil dragon-like monster terrorized children on New Year's Eve. Parents tried to keep the children awake by offering them red envelopes filled with money. However, the child was unable to stay awake and drifted off to sleep. The demon tried to touch the child's pillow and the child was terrified. However, he didn't realize that the coins were the Eight Immortals and he was driven away by a powerful light.

The traditional practice of giving red envelopes focuses on family, friends, and coworkers, but there are many other recipients as well. Traditionally, children are given red envelopes by their parents, and when they marry they are expected to join in the tradition. However, red envelopes are not just given to family members - it is also given to friends, colleagues, and casual acquaintances. However, there are certain rules that must be followed by the recipients in order to avoid embezzling the money.

It is a time of celebration

Chinese New Year is a time of celebration for Chinese people worldwide. It is regarded as one of the most important holidays of the year. Chinese New Year is celebrated in countries with large Chinese populations as well as in countries where Chinese people have a great deal of cultural interaction. Some countries that celebrate Chinese New Year include Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Before 1873, Chinese New Year was also celebrated in Japan. Some other countries that have significant Chinese populations also celebrate Chinese New Year, but the holiday is not part of their traditional culture.

Chinese New Year celebrations last for 15 days. The first three days are spent celebrating the new year. The fourth day is a holiday where businesses reopen. On the fourth day, Chinese New Year gods are welcomed back to earth by holding "spring dinners," which kick off the business year. On the morning of the fourth day, the northern Chinese traditionally eat jiaozi.