Many people celebrate Chinese New Year, spring festival. But do you know why?
Due to lack of knowledge and since in the past, lots of people die during winter because of the weather and food shortages. So when Spring arrive, the survival people will congrats each other, and later on become Springs Festival. About 4000 years ago during 商朝Shang dynasty , people started sacrificing animals to prayer for better life, as well as showing respect to the gods and deceased elderly relatives as our transitional culture. Chinese calendar has base on the weather, which makes the first day of spring, beginning of the year as Chinese New Year. Usually it fall into February of the International calendar. However, 2020 Chinese New Year is January 25th, 2020 Year of the Rat. As showing respect to the gods and deceased elderly relatives, Chinese people will clean their full bodies, deep clean their whole house before Chinese new year arrives. We wearing new clothes to wish they bring good luck to this year, and we wear new shoes to wish we step on all the bad things to the bottom of our shoes and make them past . Elderly usually put some money in the red envelope to hang out for the young children during the first week of Chinese New Year, so they will be grateful, respect and remember the elderly and our ancestors.
年的传说 the legend of Chinese New Year
From Chinese legend, there’s an evil beast called 年Year，also state as “夕”Evening. 年兽Year Beast come once a year during evening, and go around eating people. Chinese new year eve called 过年(past the year) as wishing the Year Beast will miss us, or called 除夕(remove the Evening) as wishing the Year Beast will be gone. Our ancestors gathering the whole family together to fright for survival. After many fright, we found out the Year Beast is afraid of red color, fire, and loud noise. Since then, Chinese start tapping red couplet and red decorations around the entry door, light up lots of firecrackers, and wearing red outfits , doing dragon lions dance during Chinese New Year. And Year Beast has been stay away since, but the transition has continued as celebration till now a day. That’s why you will see Chinese families get together, prayer with tradition food and share them after prayers, and believe red is a lucky color during Chinese New Year.
Thank you, and Happy Chinese New Year!😊
If you enjoy the cultural influence, experience some DIY projects, and would like to support the Asian local artist over metro North Denver who wants to help more people, please be Grace Yu Art Studio Patreon https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=47059081
Your support will be greatly appreciated. Thank you
