While people usually consider New Year’s Day as the beginning of a new year, the Chinese think differently. According to the Chinese calendar, we Chinese think the start of a new year is Chinese New Year.

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Chinese New Year is a traditional and very important Chinese holiday. It is known as the Spring Festival.

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Chinese New Year is celebrated through a number of traditions.

Red envelopes: Red is an important color in Chinese culture as it shows good luck and joy. Money is given in red envelopes. The amount (金额) people receive is usually a lucky even number, like two, six, eight and so on. The amount cannot have four, as in Chinese tradition, it means death.

Firecrackers: Firecrackers are popular during Chinese New Year. They are thought to scare off ghosts. Some countries have stopped the use of firecrackers because they can be dangerous.

Lion and dragon dances:These dances are performed by highly-skilled acrobats (杂技演员). The drums are played along with the dance, to frighten away bad spirits. The dragon dance is a highlight (亮点) of the festival around the world, and large crowds get together to watch it .

Food and families: It’s common for Chinese families to have a big dinner the night before Chinese New Year. Many different kinds of delicious food will be prepared for the family get-together.

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Each year is named after a different animal. It’s said that twelve kinds of animals had a race to decide the order of the Chinese years. And then the name of each year depended on the order the animals finished the race. The rat won the race, with the pig coming in last.

The lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon, so the date of Lunar New Year is different each year. 【小题1】 As well as being celebrated in China, Lunar New Year is also an important festival in many other places, including Vietnam, Singapore and South Korea.

Different places celebrate in slightly different ways, but Lunar New Year is a family celebration wherever it takes place. The young greet their parents and grandparents with good wishes for the year ahead and show their respect for the old. 【小题2】 Old members of the family give the young money as presents, traditionally in small packets. Red packets are used in China, South Korea and Vietnam, as red is a lucky color.

Traditional foods which are eaten at Lunar New Year often have another meaning. 【小题3】 It’s because the Chinese word for “fish” sounds similar to “surplus”, meaning you will have plenty of what you need.

【小题4】 For example, in Vietnam, people believe that the first person to enter their home in the New Year will decide their luck for the year ahead. They are careful to invite someone who is kind, well behaved and successful. In South Korea, families often play traditional board games together. 【小题5】 They watch street performances, in which dancers dress up as a lion or a dragon. All the celebrations are about wishing everyone the very best for the year ahead.