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‘Chun Jie’ commonly known as Chinese New Year, is the
most important festival in the Chinese calendar. To
the Chinese, it is an important festival as it is a
warm-hearted time where family and kinship ties are
closely knitted together. All grudges of the past years
are set aside and resolved.
Traditionally, ‘Chun Jie’ is celebrated over a
period of 15 days starting from the first day of the first
month of the lunar calendar. However, the climax lasts
only about 2 - 3 days, including the eve.
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Origins
The beast ‘Nian’ (modern Chinese means
"year") would come out from the mountains and
prey on people on the eve of a new year. The
villages were terrified. Then, an old man told the
villages that ‘Nian’ feared loud noise and the color
of red. Hence, before its arrival on the eve, people
would put up red paper on their doors and windows and when
it comes, all would start to hit drums, pots, light fire
crackers to scare the beast away. Indeed the plan
worked and from then on, Nian did not appear anymore.
That’s how all the red paper decorations, lighting of
firecrackers and lion dance started.
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Beliefs
1. After the reunion dinner on the eve, nobody is
supposed to sweep anything out of the house. To
prevent all good luck to be swept away.
2. Bad, vulgar or unpleasant topics are to be
discouraged.
3. If you break anything such as a glass or mug,
you’d have to say (Sui Sui Ping An) or (Hua Kai Fu Gui)
which means "peace every year" and
"prosperity after the arrival of flower blooms".
4. It is believed that debts not settled before
the arrival of the New Year will live on forever.
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