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Chinese New Year Activities

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Unlike Western New Year, which is only celebrated over one night, Chinese New Year is actually a festival, known as Spring Festival that goes on for more than a week. The length of the Chinese New Year festival allows for many wonderful traditions and activities that have become rituals in bringing in the New Year. Some of the activities are done beforehand, while others occur on New Year's Eve and Day.

Countdown to 2012 Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) - Year of the Dragon

2012 Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) - Year of the Dragon: January 23, 2012

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Beforehand

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Up to a week before Chinese New Year's Eve, families work hard to prepare for the celebrations by shopping and cleaning their homes. This period is a kind of 'spring cleaning', where reminders of the past are thrown out and the home is revived for a fresh new year. People usually go shopping for food and decorations, as well as new clothes and shoes, and the customary 'red envelopes' used to present monetary gifts to children on New Year's Eve.

Chinese New Year Decoration

Paper Cutting?

Paper cutting refers to a distinctive Chinese handicraft by using paper, scissors or a sharp knife display a vivid portrait of a figure, natural plant, or animal.

Chinese Zodiac Signs

12 Chinese Zodiac animals: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and boar.

Cellphone

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Girl and Harvest

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Colorful Pig

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Indulge in Oriental Accent - Beautiful Paper-cut Items

Paper-cut Books on Amazon

External Links

Folk Art - Paper Cutting: Papercutting have special significance at festivals and on holidays. At the New Year's Festival for example, entrances are decorated with papercuttings which are supposed to bring good luck.
Anything Related to Paper Cut and Other Favorite Subjects: Chinese paper cut patterns, paper cut tools, scroll mounted paper cut etc.

Important!

Dazzling Festival Stuff

Sea of Red Lanterns

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Spring Festival Ornaments

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Red Firecrackers

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Couplets

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Greeting Card

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Cute Red Packets

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Red "Mouse"

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Lan Kwai Fong Banner

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New Year's Eve

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With the home prepared, Chinese families can get to the real business of New Year celebrations: eating. This meal is called the 'reunion feast', because relatives who live far away will have travelled home to celebrate with their families. This dinner is perhaps the most important meal that Chinese people will eat all year, and is usually a huge spread of dishes like green vegetables, noodles, fish and the obligatory dumplings.

Extended Family Reunion

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New year dinner is the essential part of celebration, especially for a country like China where people put great emphasis on the family ties.

New Year's Day

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On New Year's Day, the family home is decorated in good luck symbols like red banners with lucky Chinese characters or couplets next to doorways, auspicious fruits like oranges, blooming flowers and trays of sweets. Eating is also an important part of New Year's Day, and foods include nuts, fruits, dried bean curd, bamboo, fish and chicken, all of which have positive meanings for the coming year.