The Source Of Life

Sunday February 15, 2015

In 2012, thanks to a rapper named Drake and the supercharged vehicle of social meia, "YOLO" became a popular acronym. It stands for "You Only Live Once." Though the message of YOLO is  test the limits, it became a justification to live life irresponsibly. The answer to drunk driving, parking illegally, disrespecting parents and missing class was simply YOLO. Its underlying meaning is that my life is mine and I get to live it how I want to.

YOLO, however, can point us to a few important truths about life :
- Life proceeds from God. Every human being owes his existence to the Author of life. God breathed the breath of life into Adam, and he became a living soul (Genesis 2:7; Job 33:4, Acts 17:25).
- Life is precious to God. Since people are made in the image of God, they´re precious and valuable to Him (Genesis 1:26-27).
- Life should be lived for God. Since life is a gift from Him, humanity´s posture towards God should include reverence and a commitment to live responsibly according to His standards as outlined in Scripture (Ecclesiastes 12:13). And those standards for life should make us suspicious of our own - causing us to reject the cultural meaning of the YOLO motto while making a full admission that life isn´t found in us, but in God alone. As Jeremiah 10:23 says, "I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course."

Life is temporary, and death is by God´s appointment. After we die, we´ll live eternally either with God or apart from Him. It´s wise, therefore, to submit our lives to Jesus and spend our days following His ways, for He´s the true Source of life. - Marvin Williams

Read 
Genesis 2:1-7
Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he restsed from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created.
When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens - and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground - the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

James 4:13-17
Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord´s will, we will lvoe and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn´t do it, sins.

Question to Ponder
How will you live differently this week as you consider God´s view of life and its meaning? 
What will you do to become a more faithful and responsible manager of the life He´s given you?

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Dec 2014 - Feb 2015 issue.

The voices of Innocent Children

Was browsing the internet before going to bed, and I stumbled onto this article / video from Huffington Post. The opinions and reactions of children regarding gay relationships and marriages.

The ever innocent voices of Children. For those of you out there who are so "opposed" to gay people being together, I think you should take time to visit the webpage (thats if my linking didn´t screw up) and watch the video regarding this. 

*Cheers* and happy watching

p.s : Check out the article Kids React to Gay Marriage (Clickable link)

Back to School

So.... my finals are next Saturday, 12th of May 2012, and then I just got a call and my next course is starting Monday - lasting till end of the month where I will have yet another final paper to sit on the 31st of May 2012......

*Sighs*

Welcome to the 30s era, Pat....... where this entire month is filled with exams exams and studying.... :-x

Counting down the hours till class starts once again on Monday....... *pout*

Tick Tock Tick Tock

The clock is ticking by slowly, the Malaysians are all getting ready all around the world, and in Malaysia itself - especially in the heart of KL surrounding Dataran Merdeka.

Global Bersih 3.0 rally starts on Saturday worldwide. In Malaysia, from my time zone, they should be starting the sit in rally in full force officially in I guess, a few hours more.

In Europe - specifically Germany, our rally starts at 2pm CET.

A hopeful prayer to God, I pray that with this global outreach to all corners of the world, people governing Malaysia can finally open their eyes to the needs and the wants of the citizens instead of embracing the power and abusing the power that they have been holding all these 50 years. 

It´s time to make a change for the betterment of the future generations in my dear beloved country back home, although I am now 10,000km away and probably will never return to stay, I would want others to not suffer like the rest of us for so long.

Please Malaysian government, listen to your citizens.

Citizens are the ones that unites and forms a country, without it, you are also useless...

Who is right and who is wrong?

It´s almost the weekend now. Today, it´s Friday, just 1 day before the said Global Bersih 3.0 rally global wide, not only in Malaysia. And somehow, as time goes by, the more I read of articles here and there online from all the media - well, somehow excluding The Star online (they seem to be not having alot to say compared to the other places I have been to. Could it be, like a friend of mine says, that The Star is just merely a puppet tool used by the Malaysian government to post their bullshit etc?)

It went so bad, that they finally came out with a Court Order restraining everyone who will turn up there and then there is the possibility of being arrested and the tear gas all over again - like last year´s July rally. Makes me wonder and worry bout all the citizens that would be going for the rally tomorrow afternoon. 

Wonder...... I wonder why do they have to enforce so many things and not just hear and respect the citizens cries? Is it really that bad to come out and have a clean clear election? If..... you don´t give that to the citizens, you, the Malaysian government, are just proving to everyone else that all these years, all the elections, they aren´t done cleanly. Then, even more I would be ashamed of calling Malaysia my country. *sighs* power and money and greed really corrupts a world.

On the other hand, there was talks that Bersih isn´t all that clean themselves. I have people and friends saying that Bersih too, like the government, has hidden agendas kept away from the people.

Who is right and who is wrong?

For now, I follow my instincts. And that is to free Malaysia from the corruption minds and control of all the people in it. It isn´t anyone´s say, it isn´t anyone who is in the right and wrong. But it is the voices of the people in the country that makes a country.

I may not live there anymore, will also may not be a citizen there once I surrender my rights to be a citizen of the EU, but I believe that everyone deserves a good place to live in. Not a place that says they are a democratic country but does differently.

Bersih Rally 3.0

So, after the Bersih Rally in July last year and I guess, the government not taking much action and trying to "delay" or "divert" things, there will be another rally - known as Bersih 3.0 - this coming weekend 28th April 2012, Saturday. Apparently, this time around, it´s not only in KL but nationwide and globally. 

This time around, every Malaysian from every corner of the world is actually taking part in it....

There will be one also in Berlin, Germany this coming Saturday. Hubby was really supportive about it, told me that I should just go and show support but stay out of trouble... lolx.... well... he was cheeky when he said, worse is I have to call him and ask him to "bail" me out and that the police will not let me leave the house for a week or so..... -.- And.... worse.... he said if this happens, he is hell of sure gonna die laughing and gonna post it in facebook in every single language he knows *groans* He sure can be a pain huh? Lolx....

Anyways, I guess I will be attending my first Malaysian rally together with a whole bunch of Malaysians right here in the heart of our newfound home. Hubby will be babysitting, as I don´t want Amelia exposed in such things, let alone be in the middle of it if things turn ugly. Looking forward to it in a way and in a way not......

Oh well.... lets get on with it.

Malaysian Government should really OPEN their GOD FORSAKEN EYES and do something about it and not just all talk. Empty vessels makes the most noise, but I doubt there will be improvement on it. 

Sunny Skies or Gloomy Skies

Spring time in full swing, although the tree outside my living roomn and bedroom are still bare...... but yet, nature seems to amaze me! Sometimes, some places, some trees, I see them fading and leaves falling off already..... *gasp* so fast?

Temperature is going haywire recently. Suddenly from being absolutely hot day till you´re dying of sweat, you can be freezing your buns out in the cold!

And here they say Malaysia weather is crazy.... *rofl* you should try seeing 4 season climates!

Spring Time

It´s been some time since I last blogged in here.

Much has passed and now we are back to our so called normal life now.

Easter break was indeed extremely fantastic and funfulled.... We spent our 1 week - or more accurately, 5 days - in Tönning, staying together with hubby´s best buddy there. Tönning is located in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. A small costal town with a population of approximately 5000 residents, the place is extremely beautiful, with the North Sea just around it.

Although I have to say that Easter´s weather wasn´t all that nice and friendly - was mostly cloudy and rainy during the 5 days we were there, if not its Sunny and bloody cold, but we managed to tour around abit and see a few nice sights (Photos are still in uploading progress.... ^^). Thomas, our host for the wonderful holiday we had, took us around and even arranged a very extremely special traditional Easter Egg hunt for my little girl to experience on Easter day. ^^ The folks there, as the entire Tönning is so small, seems to know each other altogether - hence the greetings at almost every corner :) They too are wonderfully friendly, which can be quite rare. =) 


Thankfully, Easter day was a nice and sunny day, although the temperature wise ain´t that nice. Was quite chilly. But sunny that we could organize the Egg Hunt for Amelia in the backyard of Thomas´ place. And my baby........ she was fascinated. Being adviced by someone that Easter is about hunting chocolate candies that was hidden all over the garden, my daughter was extremely fascinated to be having 6 nicely hand colored Easter eggs, which was painted and done by friends of Thomas (Thank you Thomas..... so very much!). She even enjoyed eating them alot! ;) 


But anyways, that was Easter. Been back home for almost 2 weeks now. 


  Spring is kinda like almost in full swing now. The flowers are starting to bloom everywhere, trees are turning green and the leaves gradually growing. Although temperature wise, it ain´t that stable yet, falling and rising but never above 10° for long. The day may be extremely sunny..... but yet, the heat of the sun is not yet able to be felt! So....... wearing still thick jackets and the occasional scarf to protect the neck from catching a cold and ending up in a sore throat, we brace the streets of Berlin daily.

My classes just started back once again this week, 16th of April, and actual fact, this is my last week of class and I will be off for good, till the finals are here - which will be held on the 12th of May (One week before turning 30!)

Yea.... another *OMG* factor.

I can´t believe it....... but this year, I am gonna welcome myself to the 3 club...... Turning 30 this year. Feels old you know.... xD Lolx... actually, I feel old looking at Amelia growing up. Somehow, seeing your daughter growing up, kinda makes you feel old. Don´t know bout you.... but that´s how I feel sometimes.... although I am and will always admit, still extremely young at heart! *muahahahahahah* Afterall, it isn´t every day your child turns 5...... somehow, I feel time moving so fast.... How I wish time can just slow down just a bit so that I can enjoy time more with my little girl, who is growing up so fast into a beautiful young lady :)

My beautiful little lady *Proud mummy*
*Sighs*..........

Spring time........

The time to be joyful, gayful, singing and happiness with all the wonderful nature.

With Spring, came my daughter and my father´s birthday (both in March, side by side), then in April, My mother is turning 60 (and sadly, I won´t be around to participate in her big celebration of turning 60) - and ironically, my Mother in Law is also turning 60 (But in July), then in May - Myself turning 30 (Oh yea..... the BIG 3 O... lolx), and a few other friends that happens to be far away from my grasp at the moment.

Lolx, not forgetting my finals - One week (exactly one week!) before my birthday.


I will have more to think and ponder on later.......... Like.... should I continue on to the higher levels of my German Language? Or just stop at where the government requires of me? Hmmmmmmmmmmm.... 


Guess I will think while I sleep and doze off to Dreamland.....
Another day has just gone by... *omg* How time flies.


Tomorrow another brand new and busy day. Especially to the Post Office.....

Lately, there are some interesting vibes and views going on in Malaysia regarding a book, a kids book entitled "Where did I come from?" by Peter Mayle. Apparently according to them that the book is entirely wrong for the children, and that it is only appropriate, if ever, within the country of the author and not for the children and the people in Malaysia. Are you trying to indicate then that Malaysians are weirder? or just "special" that they cannot accept such books? How long more will Malaysia be hiding "under the rock"? Will they really condemn their entire future generation of Malaysia to the mentality and thinking of someone from the stone ages?

I hope, with this article, someone could really knock some senses into the heads of those trying to ban good books from Malaysia. People should be given a choice, irregardless of what others think

Sunday February 26, 2012

Sex, babies and books

By RASHVINJEET S.BEDI
rashvin@thestar.com.my

Many parents dread it when their young ones ask them where they came from. Some parents relied on a children's sex education book aptly titled Where Did I Come From? but the book has since been banned for its graphic content.
MUMMY, where did I come from?” When her daughter asks this question, says a freelance copywriter who wishes to be known only as Suet, she will be prepared with the right answer.
“I will talk about sex with my daughter as soon as she starts asking questions,” says Suet, 29.
“I would rather my child learned about sex from me than from other sources such as the media.”

Too graphic: Khairun believes there is a distinction between children’s sex educational books and pornography and he believes the book Where Did I Come From? is of the latter category. — Bernama

But there is one source that she would not mind learning from, and it is a book that has been recently banned in Malaysia.
Suet says she only heard of the book titled Where Did I Come From? when the controversy surrounding it first emerged.
This naturally piqued her interest and she has managed to get a PDF version of the book from the Internet.
“I can't speak for all parents but I think it has been tastefully done in an educational way,” she says.
She also admits to having ordered the book online and is keeping her fingers crossed that it would arrive soon.
It is a fact that many parents still dread hearing these questions from their young ones, and many would probably fob off the question by saying a baby was a special delivery by a stork or that they were found in the hospital.
It was to help parents explain such things that inspired British writer Peter Mayle to write the book, which is described on its cover as the facts of life without any nonsense and with illustrations.
The book which Mayle dedicated to parents everywhere has been sold in Malaysia for quite a while, and many have used it to educate their children about the “birds and the bees”.
Education or pornography?
But when Umno Youth Community Complaints Bureau chief Datuk Muhd Khairun Aseh received complaints about the book, he felt duty-bound to investigate.
Upon going through it, Khairun says he was shocked that such a book could be available freely in major bookstores in Malaysia.
What was more shocking was that it was placed in the children's section, he adds.
The book, which was first published in 1973, describes the reproductive process in simple and humorous language accompanied with cartoon illustrations and drawings of naked male and female bodies complete with genitalia.
Khairun believes there is a distinction between children's sex educational books and pornography and he believes the book is of the latter category.
“The book might fit the values of where the author comes from, but not Malaysian values,” says Khairun, who submitted a copy of the bureau's complaints to the Home Ministry's Al-Quran Text and Publishing Control section.
After the contents were scrutinised, it was banned on grounds that it contained elements that could be detrimental to society's morals and public interest.
The ban was in accordance with the Printing Presses and Publications Act, which, among others, states that anyone convicted of circulating and distributing the book could be fined no more than RM20,000, or jailed three years or less, or both.
Many have criticised the ban, which they say has made Malaysia a laughing stock on the international stage.
News of the ban was also reported all over the world.
Mother-of-three Daphne Lee feels the ban is unnecessary, saying that the book is written for children and it explains how babies are conceived in a straightforward and gentle way between two people in a loving relationship.
“It's presented as two people in love and happy together having a child,” she says.
She believes that those who oppose the sale of the book might attach a sexual significance to everything they see.
“They might not view breastfeeding as a nourishment to the child but as something sexual. It reflects what's going through their minds,” she says, adding that the book can't be said to be pornographic as it does not stimulate sexual desire.
She believes that many look at the fundamental human activity of sex in a very prurient way.
“But there is nothing dirty about it. We wouldn't be here if our parents didn't have sex. It's a normal and healthy activity,” she says.
Lee says she has read the book to her eldest child and found that it was a good introduction to the subject.
She would rather expose the facts of life to her kids than have them find out from another source such as their friends.
“As a parent, I owe it to them to give them the facts,” she says.
She also believes that as a result of their exposure to sex education, her sons don't have a weird fascination with nudity.
Seeing a girl in a bikini, for instance, they would not connect it with sex, she explains.
Part-time lecturer and mother-of-three Yew Su Fong, 40, recalls her mum giving her the book when she was in primary school.
“I thought it was a useful and educational book. I'm glad that I had it at that age because one would want to know where one came from,” she says, adding that the content was presented very well.
She has passed the book on to her two eldest children, both girls, aged seven and 10.
“I'm surprised it's still around in the first place. I would be very sad if it was banned because many parents find it useful in educating kids about the facts of life,” she says, but adds that she would understand if anyone views it as offensive.
Initiating a talk about sex is difficult and the book might be useful in overcoming this first stage, Yew says.
“Children at a young age will want to know these sort of things. The book might be graphic but in no way is it pornographic.”
Among other things, the book which has been described as a first-aid for parents explains the physical differences between a male and a female, the process of making love, and pregnancy. The characters are slightly elderly and overweight.
The book has an average rating of four stars from 157 reviews on Amazon.com.
Most reviewers found the book, intended for children between four and eight, useful and tasteful although there was a minority who said it was not appropriate and was too graphic.
Khairun points out that in one of the pages, the author wrote that the process of making love involved the man pushing his penis up and down inside the woman's vagina.
He says he was shocked by sentences like this, and the graphic level of nudity.
“It's never too late to rectify things. How it reached the shelf is another question and I urge the authorities to look into it,” he adds.
He accepts that children have to be exposed to sex education but argues that the degree and level have to be done in tandem with Malaysian values and culture.
“I'm not against sex education but it's too adult in this case.”
Too much for kids
Faiz Al-Shabab, a consultant with digital portal E-Sentral, agrees with Khairun, saying that while the book is presumably not offensive in liberal countries such as Norway or Sweden, it might not be suitable for children here.
“It is a subjective thing but I would not show my child the book,” he says. “There are more Asian or subtle ways of describing things like this.”
Faiz, who says he would probably talk about the facts of life with his son when he hits puberty, at about 12 or 13, feels a big deal shouldn't have been made about the book as it would attract more attention.
“They should have just banned the book and moved on. All this uproar is an advertisement for the book,” he says, pointing out that many of his colleagues have tried to look for it.
Faiz believes many would attempt to download the e-book version, and that the PDF version could probably be found on file-sharing websites.
The point he wants to make, and most Malaysian agree, is that if you really want it, you can get it.
When it comes to talking about sex with our young children, we can't maintain a third world mentality and say the stork brought the baby down, Suet stresses.
“If you want to explain what sex is all about, then you will have to know about conception, pregnancy and all the body parts.
“(In the book) it is not drawn in such a way that is obscene. You might giggle but that's all,” she says, pointing out that many unwanted pregnancies were probably caused by lack of sex education.
Engineer Kumar, 27, however, finds the images of naked people even in illustrations disturbing for children.
“I'm not sure how kids would react to it but I figure there are other ways to teach sex education,” he says.
Kumar, who is single, says children would eventually learn about sex. “You grow older and it comes naturally. I'm quite sure I figured it out without having people to tell me,” he says.
But while Kumar feels it is not appropriate, he doesn't support the ban.
“If anybody wants to use the book to teach their children about sex and how babies are made, it should be up to them. People should have a choice,” he says.

ღ♥ The end of Winter and beginning of Spring? ღ♥

Can´t believe how time flies......

In a glimpse of an eye, February is coming to an end and March will be starting in like another 1 1/2 weeks more. My little girl will be turning 5 this year, in March. Can´t believe that it´s already 5 years...... can´t believe that I have been a mother for 5 years now..... with all the hardships that myself and also my little girl has been through all these years!

It has also been some time since I last blogged..... upon checking was the eve of CNY was my last post. CNY here in Germany isn´t anything at all like in Malaysia. It´s as if like the festival itself is non-existent, probably because the majority race and religion here is Christianity. You´d find alot of holidays and festivals on the Christian holidays but rarely on the other holidays..... Our first CNY away from home was indeed extremely silent, not even the sounds of the endless fireworks (which you normally can hear in KL at night starting from the eve of CNY right up till the 15th day of CNY) bursting through the skies in the nights. We didn´t have much celebration, managed to get our CNY lunch and dinner at Ming Dynastie - 2 separate days, and managed to find this really round pomelo (in conjunction with the CNY celebrations). Other than that.... for us, it is just like any other ordinary day xD

Amelia and myself got our first encounter with snow within this month itself. Winter was indeed, and still is, cold. The lowest temperature we had - and encountered this year - was -20°. Extremely cold....... Wandering around in the morning was also unbearable. As although the sun was up and shining ever so bright in the skies, the temperature was freezing cold, plus together with the blowing wind..... *omg* Now I know why animals hibernate throughout winter xD But..... we managed our days like usual..... morning going to school - the both of us, and noon coming home and then the occasional shopping, although the weekend outings were cut down completely... as it was indeed too cold to do so. But, my little girl managed to have the experience of making her very first snow angel and also snow ball! Seeing the endless joy in my little girl´s eyes was remarkable throughout this winter season...... Although I have to say, her cold (aka flu) just won´t stop coming and going :-s

Valentines Day itself just came and go, some time last week. Our Valentine´s day was special. Hubby was on one week vacation - in conjunction with V Day also....... On that day itself, hubby cooked a very special meal for the both of us *aaawwwwww* Alright alright... feeling extremely pampered..... Amelia gotten herself a box of Lego - the Police edition for her V Day gift while.... myself I gotten heartshaped Milka for V Day! The day was indeed great! But anyways.... we managed to celebrate a post V Day celebration just last Friday with the Lovers Menu at Ming Dynastie, the entire family. So it was a double celebration for us.... and Amelia just thoroughly enjoyed herself.

 The main highlights of the month.... ahaha all summarized up.


Oh.... I am still struggling with re-uploading my multiply, no thanks to a few certain someone. I am slacked behind time on my photos.... my parents and everyone else haven´t seen the latest pics of Amelia like how they normally do - unless if they are in my Path or Instagram. Feeling the frustration of the re-uploading process... but.... I am almost done.... 2010 almost complete... then would be left with a HUGE CHUNK of 2011 before I can even reach to 2012..... *sighs* Oh god....... *cries silently*

Anyways......
 
The weather has been changing once again drastically. The snow has completely melted, and now the skies are gloomy and cloudy and wet daily. Reminds me of Gloomy London whenever I looked out the window during the weekend........ I know Calender wise, Spring only begins on 21st of March.... but somehow, with the weather and such changing outside, I have the feeling spring has arrived...... even the trees and plants are slowly blooming once again......... How unpredictable the weather can get exactly?

With the Chinese New Year just around the corner, and everyone preparing themselves for it - especially those in the Asian continent (ahem...... barely having anyone celebrating here as mostly are Christians here...), I decided to go the extra step of looking up the meaning, the real meaning of Chinese New Year.

Chinese New Year nowadays, is in my opinion somewhat "money minded"..... Ok, if you are like younger than the teenage years of.... cap max 15 (even at 15 and bugging people about Ang Pao is embarrasing for me to be honest), I would understand.... but if you are older than 15 and you go round bugging for Ang paos, then hello..... you miss out something terribly much......... You forgotten the real meaning of Chinese New Year!

Before you take the time to read the article from Wikipedia regarding Chinese New Year - Wikipedia (Yea, you can click on that link that says Chinese New Year - Wikipedia highlighted in yellow), take the time to reflect on your ownself on how do you actually see and take Chinese New Year  -  be it whether as a parent who is giving out these Ang Paos, or some kid or unmarried person still receiving ang paos. 


I know for a fact :
1) Some parents actually bring their kid into their room (if visitors visit their home) and check how much is within their angpao that was given to their kid before deciding on the amount to give back to the visitor´s kids.


2) Ang Paos is not a MUST give item from married people. Ang Pao is a traditional gift, and if you look it up, it not necessarily contain money either.


3) If you go down to the definite roots about Chinese New Year, it is celebrated mostly by the Buddhist Chinese and not Christian Chinese or other Chinese.


So to all of you reading this, be it family or friend or complete stranger, before you turn to criticize me for turning against my "traditions" because I´m a chinese, please check your facts. I am a Christian (baptised and all) Chinese and I am not married to a Chinese. I stopped giving such stuff since the separation and divorce from my first marriage, and I will not continue on now either as both my husband and I are Christians. To me the Ang Pao is a curtesy, a tradition. It is not a MUST item during CNY. I will not stop you, if we ever go back visiting during CNY, to give one to my daughter or future children, but I appreciate your end of the respect the decision on whether we do return the gesture or not. Don´t make Chinese New Year - like all other festivals - a marketing gesture. Upkeeping a tradition is good, but not abusing it.


Happy reading :

Chinese New Year

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other traditions of celebrating lunar new year, see Lunar New Year.

Chinese New Year
Also called	Lunar New Year, Spring Festival
Observed by	Chinese communities worldwide[1]
Type	Cultural, Religious (Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian)
Significance	The first day of the Chinese calendar (lunisolar calendar)
2011 date	February 3
2012 date	January 23
2013 date	February 10
Celebrations	Dragon dances/Lion dances, fireworks, family gathering, family meal, visiting friends and relatives (拜年), giving red envelopes, decorating with duilian (對聯).
Related to	Lantern Festival, which concludes the celebration of the New Year. Mongol New Year (Tsagaan Sar), Tibetan New Year (Losar), Japanese New Year (Shōgatsu), Korean New Year (Seollal), Vietnamese New Year (Tết)

Chinese New Year
Traditional Chinese	農曆新年
Simplified Chinese	农历新年
Literal meaning	Agrarian Calendar New Year
[show]Transcriptions
Spring Festival
Traditional Chinese	春節
Simplified Chinese	春节
[show]Transcriptions

This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters.

Chinese New Year is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. In China, it is known as "Spring Festival," the literal translation of the Chinese name 春節 (Pinyin: Chūn Jié), since the spring season in Chinese calendar starts with lichun, the first solar term in a Chinese calendar year. It marks the end of the winter season, analogous to the Western carnival. The festival begins on the first day of the first month (Chinese: 正月; pinyin: Zhēng Yuè) in the traditional Chinese calendar and ends with Lantern Festival which is on the 15th day. Chinese New Year's Eve, a day where Chinese families gather for their annual reunion dinner, is known as Chú Xī (除夕) or "Eve of the Passing Year." Because the Chinese calendar is lunisolar, the Chinese New Year is often referred to as the "Lunar New Year".
Chinese New Year is the longest and most important festivity in the Chinese calendar. The origin of Chinese New Year is itself centuries old and gains significance because of several myths and traditions. Chinese New Year is celebrated in countries and territories with significant Chinese populations, such as Mainland China, Hong Kong,^[2] Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore,^[3] Taiwan, Thailand, and also in Chinatowns elsewhere. Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday for the Chinese and has had influence on the lunar new year celebrations of its geographic neighbors. These include Koreans (Seollal), Bhutanese (Losar), and Vietnamese cultures.
Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the Chinese new year vary widely. People will pour out their money to buy presents, decoration, material, food, and clothing. It is also the tradition that every family thoroughly cleans the house to sweep away any ill-fortune in hopes to make way for good incoming luck. Windows and doors will be decorated with red colour paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of "good fortune" or "happiness", "wealth", and "longevity". On the Eve of Chinese New Year, supper is a feast with families. Food will include such items as pigs, ducks, chicken and sweet delicacies. The family will end the night with firecrackers. Early the next morning, children will greet their parents by wishing them a healthy and happy new year, and receive money in red paper envelopes. The Chinese New Year tradition is to reconcile, forget all grudges and sincerely wish peace and happiness for everyone.
Although the Chinese calendar traditionally does not use continuously numbered years, outside China its years are often numbered from the reign of the Yellow Emperor. But at least three different years numbered 1 are now used by various scholars, making the year beginning in 2012 AD the "Chinese Year" 4710, 4709, or 4649.^[4]

Contents  [hide]  1 Dates 2 Mythology 3 Public holiday 4 Festivities 4.1 Preceding days 4.2 First day 4.3 Second day 4.4 Third day 4.5 Fourth day 4.6 Fifth day 4.7 Seventh day 4.8 Eighth day 4.9 Ninth day 4.10 Tenth day 4.11 Eleventh through twelfth day 4.12 Thirteenth day 4.13 Fifteenth day 5 Cuisine 6 Practices 6.1 Red envelopes 6.2 Gift exchange 6.3 Markets 6.4 Fireworks 6.4.1 Firecracker ban 6.5 Clothing 6.6 Symbolism 6.7 Nianhua 6.8 Flowers 6.9 Icons and ornaments 6.10 Spring travel 7 Festivities outside China 7.1 Origins 7.2 South East Asia 7.3 Other parts of the world 8 Greetings 9 See also 10 Notes 11 References

[edit] Dates

Main article: Chinese calendar

Animal	Branch	New Year dates
鼠 Rat	子 Zǐ	February 19, 1996	February 7, 2008	January 25, 2020
牛 Ox	丑 Chǒu	February 7, 1997	January 26, 2009	February 12, 2021
虎 Tiger	寅 Yín	January 28, 1998	February 14, 2010	February 1, 2022
兔 Rabbit	卯 Mǎo	February 16, 1999	February 3, 2011	January 22, 2023
龍 Dragon	辰 Chen	February 5, 2000	January 23, 2012	February 10, 2024
蛇 Snake	巳 Sì	January 24, 2001	February 10, 2013	January 29, 2025
馬 Horse	午 Wǔ	February 12, 2002	January 31, 2014	February 17, 2026
羊 Goat	未 Wèi	February 1, 2003	February 19, 2015	February 7, 2027
猴 Monkey	申 Shēn	January 22, 2004	February 8, 2016	January 27, 2028
雞 Rooster	酉 Yǒu	February 9, 2005	January 28, 2017	February 13, 2029
狗 Dog	戌 Xū	January 29, 2006	February 16, 2018	February 3, 2030
豬 Pig	亥 Hài	February 18, 2007	February 5, 2019	January 23, 2031

Chinese New Year eve in Meizhou on February 2, 2011.

The lunisolar Chinese calendar determines the date of Chinese New Year. The calendar is also used in countries that have adopted or have been influenced by Han culture, notably the Koreans, Japanese and Vietnamese, and may have a common ancestry with the similar New Year festivals outside East Asia, such as Iran, and historically, the Bulgars lands.
In the Gregorian calendar, Chinese New Year falls on different dates each year, a date between January 21 and February 20. In the Chinese calendar, winter solstice must occur in the 11th month, which means that Chinese New Year usually falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice (rarely the third if an intercalary month intervenes). In traditional Chinese Culture, lichun is a solar term marking the start of spring, which occurs about February 4.
The dates for Chinese New Year from 1996 to 2031 (in the Gregorian calendar) are at the left, along with the year's presiding animal zodiac and its earthly branch. The names of the earthly branches have no English counterparts and are not the Chinese translations of the animals. Alongside the 12-year cycle of the animal zodiac there is a 10-year cycle of heavenly stems. Each of the ten heavenly stems is associated with one of the five elements of Chinese astrology, namely: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. The elements are rotated every two years while a yin and yang association alternates every year. The elements are thus distinguished: Yang Wood, Yin Wood, Yang Fire, Yin Fire, etc. These produce a combined cycle that repeats every 60 years. For example, the year of the Yang Fire Rat occurred in 1936 and in 1996, 60 years apart.^[5]
Many confuse their Chinese birth-year with their Gregorian birth-year. As the Chinese New Year starts in late January to mid-February, the Chinese year dates from January 1 until that day in the new Gregorian year remain unchanged from the previous Gregorian year. For example, the 1989 year of the snake began on February 6, 1989. The year 1990 is considered by some people to be the year of the horse. However, the 1989 year of the snake officially ended on January 26, 1990. This means that anyone born from January 1 to January 25, 1990 was actually born in the year of the snake rather than the year of the horse. Many online Chinese Sign calculators do not account for the non-alignment of the two calendars, using Gregorian-calendar years rather than official Chinese New Year dates.
One scheme of continuously numbered Chinese-calendar years assigns 4708 to the year beginning February 3, 2011, but this is not universally accepted; the calendar is traditionally cyclical, not continuously numbered.

[edit] Mythology

Hand-painted Chinese New Year's poetry pasted on the sides of doors leading to people's homes, Lijiang, Yunnan

According to tales and legends, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the Nian (Chinese: 年; pinyin: nián). Nian would come on the first day of New Year to eat livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. To protect themselves, the villagers would put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year. It was believed that after the Nian ate the food they prepared, it wouldn’t attack any more people. One time, people saw that the Nian was scared away by a little child wearing red. The villagers then understood that the Nian was afraid of the colour red. Hence, every time when the New Year was about to come, the villagers would hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. People also used firecrackers to frighten away the Nian. From then on, Nian never came to the village again. The Nian was eventually captured by Hongjun Laozu, an ancient Taoist monk. The Nian became Hongjun Laozu's mount.^[6]

[edit] Public holiday

Chinese New Year is observed as a public holiday in a number of countries and territories where a sizable Chinese population resides. Since Chinese New Year falls on different dates on the Gregorian calendar every year on different days of the week, some of these governments opt to shift working days in order to accommodate a longer public holiday. Also like many other countries in the world, a statutory holiday is added on the following work day when the New Year falls on a weekend.

Region	Description
Mainland China	New Year's Eve and the first two days. (Usually, the Saturday before and the Sunday after Chinese New Year are declared working days, and the 2 additionally gained holidays are added to the official 3 days of holiday, so that people have 7 consecutive days, including weekends, off.)
Hong Kong and Macau	The first three days. If one of the first three days is on a Sunday, Chinese New Year's Eve is celebrated as a public holiday. In the year 2010, the first day (February 14) is a Sunday and Chinese New Year's Eve (February 13) is consequently a public holiday.
Taiwan	The New Year's Eve and the first three days.
Christmas Island, Malaysia and Singapore	The first two days. If one of the days falls on a Sunday, the holiday is extended to three days. In 2010, the first day (February 14) is on a Sunday so celebration of the holiday is extended through Tuesday (February 16). Chinese New Year's Eve is usually a half-day holiday in Singapore.
Brunei, Indonesia and Philippines	The first day. If Sunday, it will be moved to Monday. If Friday (in Brunei), it will be moved to Saturday.
Other	A few countries around the world regularly issue postage stamps and numismatic coins to commemorate Chinese New Year. Although Chinese New Year is not institutionalized as public holiday, these countries recognize the significant number of their citizens who are of Chinese origin. The countries and territories that sometimes do so include Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand, the United States, and other countries.

[edit] Festivities

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“	Red couplets and red lanterns are displayed on the door frames and light up the atmosphere. The air is filled with strong Chinese emotions. In stores in Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, and other cities, products of traditional Chinese style have started to lead fashion trend[s]. Buy yourself a Chinese-style coat, get your kids tiger-head hats and shoes, and decorate your home with some beautiful red Chinese knots, then you will have an authentic Chinese-style Spring Festival.	”
—Xinwen Lianbo, January 2001, quoted by Li Ren, Imagining China in the Era of Global Consumerism and Local Consciousness[7]

[edit] Preceding days

On the eighth day of the lunar month prior to Chinese New Year, a traditional porridge known as làbāzhōu (腊八粥) is served in remembrance "of an ancient festival, called Là, that occurred shortly after the winter solstice"^[8]. Là (腊) is a term often associated with Chinese New Year as it refers to the sacrifices held in honor of the gods in the twelfth lunar month, hence the cured meats of Chinese New Year are known as làròu (腊肉). The porridge was prepared by the women of the household at first light, with the first bowl offered to the family's ancestors and the household deities. Every member of the family was then served a bowl, with leftovers distributed to relatives and friends.^[9] It's still served as a special breakfast on this day in some Chinese homes.
On the days immediately before the New Year celebration, Chinese families give their home a thorough cleaning. There is a Cantonese saying "Wash away the dirt on ninyabaat" (年廿八，洗邋遢), but the practice is not restricted to nin'ya'baat (年廿八, the 28th day of month 12). It is believed the cleaning sweeps away the bad luck of the preceding year and makes their homes ready for good luck. Brooms and dust pans are put away on the first day so that the newly arrived good luck cannot be swept away. Some people give their homes, doors and window-frames a new coat of red paint; decorators and paper-hangers do a year-end rush of business prior to Chinese New Year^[10]. Homes are often decorated with paper cutouts of Chinese auspicious phrases and couplets. Purchasing new clothing, shoes, and receiving a hair-cut also symbolize a fresh start.
In many households where Buddhism or Taoism is prevalent, home altars and statues are cleaned thoroughly, and altars that were adorned with decorations from the previous year are taken down and burned a week before the new year starts, to be replaced with new decorations. Taoists (and Buddhists to a lesser extent) will also "send gods" (送神), an example would be burning a paper effigy of Zao Jun the Kitchen God, the recorder of family functions. This is done so that the Kitchen God can report to the Jade Emperor of the family household's transgressions and good deeds. Families often offer sweet foods (such as candy) in order to "bribe" the deities into reporting good things about the family.
The biggest event of any Chinese New Year's Eve is the dinner. A dish consisting of fish will appear on the tables of Chinese families. It is for display for the New Year's Eve dinner. This meal is comparable to Christmas dinner in the West. In northern China, it is customary to make dumplings (jiaozi 餃子) after dinner to eat around midnight. Dumplings symbolize wealth because their shape resembles a Chinese tael. By contrast, in the South, it is customary to make a glutinous new year cake (Niangao, 年糕) and send pieces of it as gifts to relatives and friends in the coming days of the new year. Niángāo [Pinyin] literally means "new year cake" with a homophonous meaning of "increasingly prosperous year in year out".^[11] After dinner, some families go to local temples hours before the new year begins to pray for a prosperous new year by lighting the first incense of the year; however in modern practice, many households hold parties and even hold a countdown to the new year. Traditionally, firecrackers were once lit to scare away evil spirits with the household doors sealed, not to be reopened until the new morning in a ritual called "opening the door of fortune" (kāicáimén, 開財門).^[12] Beginning in 1982, the CCTV New Year's Gala was broadcast four hours before the start of the New Year.

[edit] First day

The first day is for the welcoming of the deities of the heavens and earth, officially beginning at midnight. Many people, especially Buddhists, abstain from meat consumption on the first day because it is believed that this will ensure longevity for them. Some consider lighting fires and using knives to be bad luck on New Year's Day, so all food to be consumed is cooked the days before. On this day, it is considered bad luck to clean.
Most importantly, the first day of Chinese New Year is a time to honor one's elders and families visit the oldest and most senior members of their extended families, usually their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents.
For Buddhists, the first day is also the birthday of Maitreya Bodhisattva (better known as the more familiar Budai Luohan), the Buddha-to-be. People also abstain from killing animals.
Some families may invite a lion dance troupe as a symbolic ritual to usher in the Chinese New Year as well as to evict bad spirits from the premises. Members of the family who are married also give red envelopes containing cash to junior members of the family, mostly children and teenagers. Business managers also give bonuses through red envelopes to employees for good luck and wealth.
While fireworks and firecrackers are traditionally very popular, some regions have banned them due to concerns over fire hazards, which have resulted in increased number of fires around New Years and challenged municipal fire departments' work capacity. For this reason, various city governments (e.g., Hong Kong, and Beijing, for a number of years) issued bans over fireworks and firecrackers in certain premises of the city. As a substitute, large-scale fireworks have been launched by governments in such cities as Hong Kong.

[edit] Second day

Incense is burned at the graves of ancestors as part of the offering and prayer ritual.

The second day of the Chinese New Year, known as kāinián (开年, "beginning of the year")^[13], was when married daughters visited their birth parents, relatives and close friends. (Traditionally, married daughters often didn't have the opportunity to visit their birth families frequently.)
It is also the God of Wealth's birthday. During the days of imperial China, "beggars and other unemployed people circulate[d] from family to family, carrying a picture [of the God of Wealth] shouting, "Cai Shen dao!" [The God of Wealth has come!]."^[14] Householders would respond with "lucky money" to reward the messengers. Business people of the Cantonese dialect group will hold a 'Hoi Nin' prayer to start their business on the 2nd day of Chinese New Year so they will be blessed with good luck and prosperity in their business for the year.
Some believe that the second day is also the birthday of all dogs and remember them with special treats.

[edit] Third day

The third day is known as chì kǒu (赤口), directly translated as "red mouth". chì kǒu is also called chì gǒu rì (赤狗日). chì gǒu means "the God of Blazing Wrath" (熛怒之神). It is generally accepted that it is not a good day to socialize or visit your relatives and friends.^[15][16]. Hakka villagers in rural Hong Kong in the 1960s called it the Day of the Poor Devil and believed everyone should stay at home.^[17] This is also considered a propitious day to visit the temple of the God of Wealth and have one's future told.

[edit] Fourth day

In those communities that celebrate Chinese New Year for only two or three days, the fourth day is when corporate "spring dinners" kick off and business returns to normal.

[edit] Fifth day

In northern Mainland China, people eat jiǎo zi (simplified Chinese: 饺子; traditional Chinese: 餃子), or dumplings on the morning of Po Wu (破五). In Taiwan, businesses traditionally re-open on the next day (the sixth day), accompanied by firecrackers.
It is also common in China that on the 5th day people will shoot off firecrackers in the attempt to get Guan Yu's attention, thus ensuring his favor and good fortune for the new year.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Seventh day

The seventh day, traditionally known as rénrì (人日, the common man's birthday), the day when everyone grows one year older. In some overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia and Singapore, it is also the day when tossed raw fish salad, yusheng, is eaten for continued wealth and prosperity.
For many Chinese Buddhists, this is another day to avoid meat, the seventh day commemorating the birth of Sakra, lord of the devas in Buddhist cosmology who is analogous to the Jade Emperor.

Chinese New Year's celebrations, on the eighth day, in the Vancouver suburb of Richmond, British Columbia, Canada.

[edit] Eighth day

Another family dinner is held to celebrate the eve of the birth of the Jade Emperor. However, everybody should be back to work by the eighth day. All government agencies and business will stop celebrating by the eighth day. Store owners will host a lunch/dinner with their employees, thanking their employees for the work they have done for the whole year.

[edit] Ninth day

The ninth day of the New Year is a day for Chinese to offer prayers to the Jade Emperor of Heaven (天公) in the Taoist Pantheon. The ninth day is traditionally the birthday of the Jade Emperor. This day is especially important to Hokkiens. Come midnight of the eighth day of the new year, Hokkiens will offer thanks giving prayers to the Emperor of Heaven. Offerings will include sugarcane as it was the sugarcane that had protected the Hokkiens from certain extermination generations ago. Incense, tea, fruit, vegetarian food or roast pig, and gold paper is served as a customary protocol for paying respect to an honored person.

[edit] Tenth day

The Jade Emperor's party is also celebrated on this day.

[edit] Eleventh through twelfth day

On these days, friends and family are invited for dinners.

[edit] Thirteenth day

On the 13th day people will eat pure vegetarian food to clean out their stomach due to consuming too much food over the last two weeks.
This day is dedicated to the General Guan Yu, also known as the Chinese God of War. Guan Yu was born in the Han dynasty and is considered the greatest general in Chinese history. He represents loyalty, strength, truth, and justice. According to history, he was tricked by the enemy and was beheaded.
Almost every organization and business in China will pray to Guan Yu on this day. Before his life ended, Guan Yu had won over one hundred battles and that is a goal that all businesses in China want to accomplish. In a way, people look at him as the God of Wealth or the God of Success.

[edit] Fifteenth day

The fifteenth day of the new year is celebrated as Yuan Xiao Festival/Yuánxiāojié (元宵节), aka Shang Yuan Festival/Shàngyuánjié (上元节) or the Lantern Festival (otherwise known as Chap Goh Mei Chinese: 十五暝; pinyin: shí wǔ míng; literally "the fifteen night" in Fujian dialect). Rice dumplings tangyuan (simplified Chinese: 汤圆; traditional Chinese: 湯圓; pinyin: tāngyuán), a sweet glutinous rice ball brewed in a soup, are eaten this day. Candles are lit outside houses as a way to guide wayward spirits home. This day is celebrated as the Lantern Festival, and families walk the street carrying lighted lanterns.
In Malaysia and Singapore, this day is celebrated by individuals seeking for a love partner, a different version of Valentine's Day.^[18] Normally, single women would write their contact number on mandarin oranges and throw it in a river or a lake while single men would collect them and eat the oranges. The taste is an indication of their possible love: sweet represents a good fate while sour represents a bad fate.
This day often marks the end of the Chinese New Year festivities.

[edit] Cuisine

Niangao, Chinese New Year cake

A reunion dinner is held on New Year's Eve where members of the family gather for the celebration. The venue will usually be in or near the home of the most senior member of the family. The New Year's Eve dinner is very sumptuous and traditionally includes chicken and fish. In some areas, fish (simplified Chinese: 鱼; traditional Chinese: 魚; pinyin: yú) is included, but not eaten completely (and the remainder is stored overnight), as the Chinese phrase "may there be surpluses every year" (simplified Chinese: 年年有余; traditional Chinese: 年年有餘; pinyin: nián nián yǒu yú) sounds the same as "may there be fish every year."
In mainland China, many families will banter whilst watching the CCTV New Year's Gala in the hours before midnight.
Red packets for the immediate family are sometimes distributed during the reunion dinner. These packets often contain money in certain numbers that reflect good luck and honorability. Several foods are consumed to usher in wealth, happiness, and good fortune. Several of the Chinese food names are homophones for words that also mean good things.

Food items
Name	Description
Buddha's delight (simplified Chinese: 罗汉斋; traditional Chinese: 羅漢齋; pinyin: luó hàn zhāi)	An elaborate vegetarian dish served by Chinese families on the eve and the first day of the New Year. A type of black hair-like algae, pronounced "fat choy" in Cantonese, is also featured in the dish for its name, which sounds like "prosperity". Hakkas usually serve kiu nyuk (Chinese: 扣肉; pinyin: kòu ròu) and ngiong teu fu.
Fish	Is usually eaten or merely displayed on the eve of Chinese New Year. The pronunciation of fish (魚yú) makes it a homophone for "surpluses"(餘yú).
Jau gok (Chinese: 油角; pinyin: yóu jiăo)	The main Chinese new year dumpling. It is believed to resemble ancient Chinese gold ingots (simplified Chinese: 金元宝; traditional Chinese: 金元寶; pinyin: jīn yuán bǎo)
jiao zi (dumplings) (Chinese: 餃子)	Eaten traditionally in northern China because the preparation is similar to packaging luck inside the dumpling, which is later eaten.
Mandarin oranges	Mandarin oranges are the most popular and most abundant fruit during Chinese New Year – jin ju (Chinese: 金橘子; pinyin: jīn júzi) translation: golden tangerine/orange or kam (Chinese: 柑; pinyin: gān) in Cantonese. Also, the name gik (橘 jú) in Teochew dialect is a homophone of "luck" or "fortune" (吉 jí).[19]
Melon seed/Kwatji (Chinese: 瓜子; pinyin: guāzi)	Other variations include sunflower, pumpkin and other seeds.
Nian gao (Chinese: 年糕)	Most popular in eastern China (Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai) because its pronunciation is a homophone for "a more prosperous year (年高 lit. year high)". Nian gao is also popular in the Philippines because of its large Chinese population and is known as "tikoy" (Chinese: 甜粿, from Min Nan) there. Known as Chinese New Year pudding, nian gao is made up of glutinous rice flour, wheat starch, salt, water, and sugar. The colour of the sugar used determines the colour of the pudding (white or brown).
Noodles	Families may serve uncut noodles, which represent longevity and long life, though this practice is not limited to the new year.
Sweets	Sweets and similar dried fruit goods are stored in a red or black Chinese candy box.
Bakkwa (Chinese: 肉干; pinyin: ròu gān)	Chinese salty-sweet dried meat, akin to jerky, which is trimmed of the fat, sliced, marinated and then smoked for later consumption or as a gift.
Taro cakes (Chinese: 芋頭糕)	Made from the vegetable taro, the cakes are cut into squares and often fried.
Turnip cakes (Chinese: 蘿蔔糕)	A dish made of shredded radish and rice flour, usually fried and cut into small squares.
Yusheng or Yee sang (simplified Chinese: 鱼生; traditional Chinese: 魚生; pinyin: yú shēng)	Raw fish salad. Eating this salad is said to bring good luck. This dish is usually eaten on the seventh day of the New Year, but may also be eaten throughout the period.

[edit] Practices

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[edit] Red envelopes

Red packets for sale in a market in Taipei, Taiwan, before the Year of the Rat

Shoppers at a New Year market in Chinatown, Singapore

Traditionally, Red envelopes or red packets (Cantonese: lai sze or lai see) (利是, 利市 or 利事); (Mandarin: 'hóng bāo' (红包); Hokkien: 'ang pow' (POJ: âng-pau); Hakka: 'fung bao'; are passed out during the Chinese New Year's celebrations, from married couples or the elderly to unmarried juniors. It is also common for adults or young couples to give red packets to children. Red packets are also known as 壓歲錢/压岁钱 (Ya Sui Qian, which was evolved from 壓祟錢/压祟钱, literally, the money used to suppress or put down the evil spirit ) during this period.^[20]
Red packets almost always contain money, usually varying from a couple of dollars to several hundred. Per custom, the amount of money in the red packets should be of even numbers, as odd numbers are associated with cash given during funerals (帛金: Bai Jin). The number 8 is considered lucky (for its homophone for "wealth"), and $8 is commonly found in the red envelopes in the US. The number six (六, liù) is also very lucky as it sounds like 'smooth' (流, liú), in the sense of having a smooth year. Sometimes chocolate coins are found in the red packets.
Odd and even numbers are determined by the first digit, rather than the last. Thirty and fifty, for example, are odd numbers, and are thus appropriate as funeral cash gifts. However, it is common and quite acceptable to have cash gifts in a red packet using a single bank note – with ten or fifty yuan bills used frequently.
The act of requesting for red packets is normally called (Mandarin): 讨紅包, 要利是. (Cantonese): 逗利是. A married person would not turn down such a request as it would mean that he or she would be "out of luck" in the new year.
The Japanese has a similar tradition of giving money during the New Year called Otoshidama.

[edit] Gift exchange

In addition to red envelopes, which are usually given from elder to younger, small gifts (usually of food or sweets) are also exchanged between friends or relatives (of different households) during Chinese New Year. Gifts are usually brought when visiting friends or relatives at their homes. Common gifts include fruits (typically oranges, and never pears), cakes, biscuits, chocolates, candies, or some other small gift.^[21]

[edit] Markets

Markets or village fairs are set up as the New Year is approaching. These usually open-air markets feature new year related products such as flowers, toys, clothing, and even fireworks. It is convenient for people to buy gifts for their new year visits as well as their home decoration. In some places, the practice of shopping for the perfect plum tree is not dissimilar to the Western tradition of buying a Christmas tree.

[edit] Fireworks

A Chinese man setting off fireworks during Chinese New Year in Shanghai.

Bamboo stems filled with gunpowder that were burnt to create small explosions were once used in ancient China to drive away evil spirits. In modern times, this method has eventually evolved into the use of firecrackers during the festive season. Firecrackers are usually strung on a long fused string so it can be hung down. Each firecracker is rolled up in red papers, as red is auspicious, with gunpowder in its core. Once ignited, the firecracker lets out a loud popping noise and, as they are usually strung together by the hundreds, the firecrackers are known for their deafening explosions that are thought to scare away evil spirits. See also Myths above. The burning of firecrackers also signifies a joyful time of year and has become an integral aspect of Chinese New Year celebrations.^[22]

[edit] Firecracker ban

The use of firecrackers, although a traditional part of celebration, has over the years led to many unfortunate outcomes. There have been reported incidents every year of users of fireworks being blinded, losing body parts, or suffering other grievous injuries, especially during the Chinese New Year season. Hence, many governments and authorities eventually enacted laws completely banning the use of firecrackers privately, primarily because of safety issues.

• Taiwan – Beginning 2008, firecrackers are banned in urban areas, but still allowed in rural areas.
• Mainland China – As of 2008, most urban areas in mainland China permit firecrackers. In the first three days of the traditional New Year, it is a tradition that people compete with each other by playing with firecrackers. However, many urban areas banned them in the 1990s. For example, they were banned in Beijing's urban districts from 1993 to 2005.^[23] In 2004, 37 people were killed in a stampede when four million^[24] people gathered for a rumoured Lantern Festival firework display in nearby Miyun.^[25] Since the ban was lifted, the firecracker barrage has been tremendous. In Beijing, firecrackers are typically not allowed inside the 5th ring road. But this is overlooked by authorities for the holiday, provided there are no government buildings nearby; some residents in major cities look down on street-level fireworks from their tower blocks. Bans are rare in rural areas.
• Vietnam – 1996, fireworks were banned across the country because of its dangers.
• Hong Kong – Fireworks are banned for security reasons – some speculate a connection between firework use and the 1967 Leftist Riot. However, the government would put on a fireworks display in Victoria Harbour on the second day of the Chinese New Year for the public. Similar displays are also held in many other cities in and outside China.
• Singapore – a partial ban on firecrackers was imposed in March 1970 after a fire killed six people and injured 68.^[26] This was extended to a total ban in August 1972, after an explosion that killed two people^[27] and an attack on two police officers attempting to stop a group from letting off firecrackers in February 1972.^[28] However, in 2003, the government allowed firecrackers to be set off during the festive season. At the Chinese New Year light-up in Chinatown, at the stroke of midnight on the first day of the Chinese New Year, firecrackers are set off under controlled conditions by the Singapore Tourism Board with assistance from demolition experts from the Singapore Armed Forces. Other occasions where firecrackers are allowed to be set off are determined by the tourism board or other government organizations. However, they are not allowed to be commercially sold.
• Malaysia – firecrackers are banned for the similar reasons as in Singapore. However, many Malaysians manage to smuggle them from Thailand to meet their private needs.
• Indonesia – Firecrackers and fireworks are forbidden in public during the Chinese New Year, especially in areas with significant non-Chinese population in order to avoid any conflict between the two. However, there were some exceptions. The usage of firecrackers is legal in some metropolitan areas such as Jakarta and Medan, where the degree of racial and cultural tolerance is higher.
• United States – In 2007, New York City lifted its decade-old ban on firecrackers, allowing a display of 300,000 firecrackers to be set off in Chinatown's Chatham Square.^[29] Under the supervision of the fire and police departments, Los Angeles regularly lights firecrackers every New Year's Eve, mostly at temples and the shrines of benevolent associations. The San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade, the largest outside China, is accompanied by numerous firecrackers, both officially sanctioned and illicit.
• Australia – Australia, with the exception of the Northern Territory, does not permit the use of fireworks at all, except when used by a licensed pyrotechnician. These rules also require a permit to be sought from local government, as well as any relevant local bodies such as maritime or aviation authorities (as relevant to the types of fireworks being used) and hospitals, schools, etc., within a certain range.
• Philippines - Despite the rise in firecracker-related injuries in 2009, the Department of Health has acknowledged that a total ban on firecrackers in the country will be hard to implement.

[edit] Clothing

Clothing mainly featuring the colour red or bright colours is commonly worn throughout the Chinese New Year because it was once believed that red could scare away evil spirits and bad fortune. In addition, people typically wear new clothes from head to toe to symbolize a new beginning in the new year. Wearing new clothes also symbolizes having more than enough things to use and wear in the new year.

[edit] Symbolism

See also: Fu character

An inverted character "福" is a sign of arriving blessings.

As with all cultures, Chinese New Year traditions incorporate elements that are symbolic of deeper meaning. One common example of Chinese New Year symbolism is the red diamond-shaped fú characters (Chinese: 福, Cantonese and Hakka: Fook, literally "blessings, happiness"), which are displayed on the entrances of Chinese homes. This sign is usually seen hanging upside down, since the Chinese word 倒 "upside down", is homophonous or nearly homophonous with 到 "arrive" in all varieties of Chinese. Therefore, it symbolizes the arrival of luck, happiness, and prosperity.
Red is the predominant colour used in New Year celebrations. Red is the emblem of joy, and this colour also symbolizes virtue, truth and sincerity. On the Chinese opera stage, a painted red face usually denotes a sacred or loyal personage and sometimes a great emperor. Candies, cakes, decorations and many things associated with the New Year and its ceremonies are coloured red. The sound of the Chinese word for “red” ( 紅) is “hong” in Mandarin (Hakka: Fung; Cantonese: Hoong) which also means “prosperous.” Therefore, red is an auspicious colour and has an auspicious sound.

[edit] Nianhua

Chinese New Year festival in Chinatown, Boston

Nianhua can be a form of Chinese coloured woodblock printing, for decoration during Chinese New Year.^[30]

[edit] Flowers

The following are popular floral decorations for the New Year and are available at new year markets.

Floral Decor	Meaning
Plum Blossom	symbolizes luck
Kumquat	symbolizes prosperity
Narcissus	symbolizes prosperity
Bamboo	a plant used for any time of year
Sunflower	means to have a good year
Eggplant	a plant to heal all of your sickness
Chom Mon Plant	a plant which gives you tranquility

[edit] Icons and ornaments

Icons	Meaning	Illustrations
Fish	The Koi fish is usually seen in paintings. Decorated food depicting the fish can also be found. It symbolizes surplus or success.
Lanterns	These lanterns differ from those of Mid Autumn Festival in general. They will be red in colour and tend to be oval in shape. These are the traditional Chinese paper lanterns. Those lanterns, used on the fifteenth day of the Chinese New Year for the Lantern Festival, are bright, colourful, and in many different sizes and shapes.
Decorations	Decorations generally convey a New Year greeting. They are not advertisements. Chinese calligraphy posters show Chinese idioms. Other decorations include a New year picture, Chinese knots, and papercutting and couplets.
Dragon dance and Lion dance	Dragon and lion dances are common during Chinese New Year. It is believed that the loud beats of the drum and the deafening sounds of the cymbals together with the face of the dragon or lion dancing aggressively can evict bad or evil spirits. Lion dances are also popular for opening of businesses in Hong Kong.
Fortune gods	Cai Shen Ye, Che Kung,etc.

[edit] Spring travel

Scene of the 2009 Chunyun period inside Beijing West Railway Station

Main article: Chunyun

Traditionally, families gather during the Chinese New Year. In modern China, migrant workers in China travel home to have reunion dinners with their families on Chinese New Year's Eve. Owing to the large number of interprovincial travellers, special arrangements were made by railways, buses and airlines starting from 15 days before the new year's day. This 40-day period is called "chunyun" (simplified Chinese: 春运; traditional Chinese: 春運; pinyin: chūn yùn; literally "transportation during Spring Festival"), known as the world's largest annual migration.^[31] More interurban trips are taken in mainland China in this period than the total population of China.

[edit] Festivities outside China

Lion costume for New Year parade, Los Angeles, 1953

[edit] Origins

In 1849, with the discovery of gold and the ensuing California Gold Rush, over 50,000 people had come to San Francisco to seek their fortune or just a better way of life. Among those were many Chinese, who had come to work in the gold mines and on the railroad. By the 1860s, the residents of San Francisco's Chinatown were eager to share their culture with their fellow San Francisco residents who may have been unfamiliar with (or hostile towards) it. The organizers chose to showcase their culture by using a favorite American tradition – the parade. Nothing like it had ever been done in their native China.^{[citation needed]} They invited a variety of other groups from the city to participate, and they marched down what today are Grant Avenue and Kearny Street carrying colourful flags, banners, lanterns, and drums and firecrackers to drive away evil spirits. The current San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival and Parade traces its lineage back to those early parades, and still incorporates Grant and Kearny Streets into its street festival and parade route, respectively.

[edit] South East Asia

In Southeast Asia, Chinese New Year is considered to be one of the most important holidays of the year. The biggest celebrations take place in Penang and Singapore.^[32]
Chinese New Year in Singapore is accompanied by various festive activities. One of the main highlights is the Chinatown celebrations. In 2010, this included a Festive Street Bazaar, nightly staged shows at Kreta Ayer Square and a lion dance competition.^[33] The Chingay Parade also features prominently in the celebrations. It is an annual street parade in Singapore, well known for its colourful floats and wide variety of cultural performances.^[34] The highlights of the Parade for 2011 include a Fire Party, multi-ethnic performances and an unprecedented travelling dance competition.^[35]
Chinese New Year is also considered to be the most important festival for the Filipino-Chinese community in the Philippines and a special non-working holiday throughout the country.

[edit] Other parts of the world

Chinese New Year is also celebrated annually in many western cities with significant Chinese populations. Among the cities with such parades are San Francisco,^[36] Los Angeles,^[37] New York City, Wellington,^[38] Toronto, and Vancouver.^[39] However, even smaller cities that are historically connected to Chinese immigration, such as Butte, Montana,^[40] have recently hosted parades. Both London^[41] and San Francisco^[42] claim to host the largest New Year celebration outside of Asia.
With one of the largest Chinese populations outside of Asia, Sydney also claims to have the largest Chinese New Year Celebrations outside of Asia with over 600,000 people attending the celebrations in Chinatown annually. The events there span over three weeks including the launch celebration, outdoor markets, evening street food stalls, Chinese top opera performances, dragon boat races, a film festival and multiple parades that incorporate Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese performers. The festival also attracts international media coverage, reaching millions of viewers in Asia.^[43][44] The festival in Sydney is also unique in that it is organised in partnership with a different Chinese province each year.
In Mauritius, home to a long standing Chinese population, Chinese New Year is celebrated and is a public holiday although Mauritians of Chinese origin represents only 2-3% of the population.^[45]

[edit] Greetings

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The Chinese New Year is often accompanied by loud, enthusiastic greetings, often referred to as 吉祥話 (jíxiánghùa) , loosely translated as auspicious words or phrases. New Year couplets, printed in gold letters on bright red paper, are another way of expressing auspicious new year wishes. They probably predate the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), but didn't become widespread until then.^[46] Today, they are ubiquitous with Chinese New Year.
Some of the most common greetings include:

• simplified Chinese: 新年快乐; traditional Chinese: 新年快樂; Mandarin Pinyin: xīn nián kuài lè; Jyutping: san1 nin4 faai3 lok6; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Sin-nî khòai-lo̍k; Hakka: Sin Ngen Kai Lok; Taishanese: Slin Nen Fai Lok. A more contemporary greeting reflective of Western influences, it literally translates from the greeting "Happy new year" more common in the west. But in northern parts of China, traditionally people say simplified Chinese: 过年好; traditional Chinese: 過年好; pinyin: guò nián hǎo instead of simplified Chinese: 新年快乐; traditional Chinese: 新年快樂, to differentiate it from the international new year. And 過年好 can be used from the first day to the fifth day of Chinese New Year. However, 過年好 is considered very short and therefore somewhat discourteous.

Kung Hei Fat Choi at Lee Theatre Plaza, Hong Kong

• simplified Chinese: 恭喜发财; traditional Chinese: 恭喜發財; pinyin: gōng xǐ fā cái; Hokkien: Keong hee huat chye (POJ: Kiong-hí hoat-châi); Cantonese: Gung1 hei2 faat3 coi4; Hakka: Kung Hii Fatt Choi, which loosely translates to "Congratulations and be prosperous". Often mistakenly assumed to be synonymous with "Happy New Year", its usage dates back several centuries. While the first two words of this phrase had a much longer historical significance (legend has it that the congratulatory messages were traded for surviving the ravaging beast of Nian, in practical terms it may also have meant surviving the harsh winter conditions), the last two words were added later as ideas of capitalism and consumerism became more significant in Chinese societies around the world. The saying is now commonly heard in English speaking communities for greetings during Chinese New Year in parts of the world where there is a sizable Chinese-speaking community, including overseas Chinese communities that have been resident for several generations, relatively recent immigrants from Greater China, and those who are transit migrants (particularly students).

Numerous other greetings exist, some of which may be exclaimed out loud to no one in particular in specific situations. For example, as breaking objects during the new year is considered inauspicious, one may then say 歲歲平安 (suì suì píng ān) immediately, which means "everlasting peace year after year". Suì (歲), meaning "age" is homophonous with 碎 (meaning "shatter"), in demonstration of the Chinese love for wordplay in auspicious phrases. Similarly, 年年有餘 (nián nián yǒu yú), a wish for surpluses and bountiful harvests every year, plays on the word yú that can also refer to 魚 (meaning fish), making it a catch phrase for fish-based Chinese new year dishes and for paintings or graphics of fish that are hung on walls or presented as gifts.

"招財進寶" written as a single character is popular during Chinese New Year.

The most common auspicious greetings and sayings consist of four characters, such as the following:

• 金玉滿堂Jinyu mangtang - "May your wealth [gold and jade] come to fill a hall"
• 大展鴻圖Dazhan hongtu - "May you realize your ambitions"
• 迎春接福Yingchun jiefu - "Greet the New Year and encounter happiness"
• 萬事如意Wanshi ruyi - "May all your wishes be fulfilled"
• 吉慶有餘Jiqing youyu - "May your happiness be without limit"
• 竹報平安Zhubao pingan - "May you hear [in a letter] that all is well"
• 一本萬利Yiban wanli = "May a small investment bring ten-thousandfold profits"
• 福壽雙全Fushou shuangquan - "May your happiness and longevity be complete"
• 招財進寶Zhaocai jinbao - "When wealth is acquired, precious objects follow"^[47]

These greetings or phrases may also be used just before children receive their red packets, when gifts are exchanged, when visiting temples, or even when tossing the shredded ingredients of yusheng particularly popular in Malaysia and Singapore.
Children and teenagers sometimes jokingly use the phrase (Traditional Chinese:恭喜發財,紅包拿來, Simplified Chinese: 恭喜发财，红包拿来) (Mandarin PinYin: gōng xǐ fā cái, hóng bāo ná lái) (Cantonese: 恭喜發財,利是逗來) roughly translated as "Congratulations and be prosperous, now give me a red envelope!".　In the Hakka dialect the saying is more commonly said as 'Gung hee fatt choi, fung bao diu loi' which would be written as 恭喜發財,紅包逗來 – a mixture of the Cantonese and Mandarin variants of the saying.
Back in the 1970s, children in Hong Kong used the saying: 恭喜發財,利是逗來,伍毫嫌少,壹蚊唔愛 (Cantonese), roughly translated as, "Congratulations and be prosperous, now give me a red envelope, fifty cents is too little, don't want a dollar either." It basically meant that they disliked small change – coins which were called "hard substance" (Cantonese: 硬嘢). Instead, they wanted "soft substance" (Cantonese: 軟嘢), which was either a ten dollar or a twenty dollar bill.