Volume 2 Issue 21
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEWSPAPER
“You’re going to reach the top with us.” 1 March 2005
HISTORY OF CHINESE NEW YEAR T
he Chinese New Year has a great history. In other traditions, by this time in the year, most resolutions - made on December 31 have been subtly forgotten and placed in a c u p b o a r d marked "maybe next y e a r. " However, all hope i s n o t l o s t, a s there's a second chance to start afresh with the celebration of Chinese New Year on February 12th. The Chinese New Year is very similar to the Western one, swathed in traditions and rituals. The origin of the Chinese New Year is itself centuries old - in fact, too ZAMAN NEWSPAPER Zaman, Publisher Levent Gulderen, Editor-in Chief Zulfi Erken, Editor at Large
Prepared by 12- A Zaman International School Newspaper dedicated to educating students and training journalists. Published 2 times a month in Zaman International School. Copyright 2003 by the Zaman International School. All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced in print or electronically without the consent of The Zaman International School.
old to actually be traced. It is popularly recognised as the Spring Festival and celebrations last 15 days.
cleaned from top to bottom, to sweep away any traces of bad luck, and doors and windowpanes are given a new coat of
Preparations tend to begin a month from the date of the Chinese New Year (similar to a We s t e r n C h r i s t m a s ) , w h e n people start buying presents, decoration materials, food and clothing. A huge clean-up gets underway days before the New Year, when Chinese houses are
paint, usually red. The doors and windows are then decorated with paper cuts and couplets with themes such as happiness, wealth and longevity printed on them. The eve of the New Year is perhaps the most exciting part of the event, as anticipation
creeps in. Here, traditions and rituals are ver y carefully observed in everything from food to clothing. Dinner is usually a feast of seafood and dumplings, signifying different good w i s h e s . Delicacies i n c l u d e prawns, for liveliness and happiness, dried oysters (or ho xi), for all things good, raw fish salad or yu sheng to bring good luck and prosperity, Faihai (Angel Hair), an edible h a i r- l i ke seaweed to bring prosperity, and dumplings boiled in water (Jiaozi) signifying a longlost good wish for a family. It's usual to wear something red as this colour is meant to ward off evil spirits - but black and white are out, as these are associated with mourning. After dinner, the family sit up for the night playing c a r d s, b o a r d g a m e s o r watching TV programmes dedicated to the occasion. At midnight, fireworks light up the sky. On the day itself, an ancient custom called Hong Bao, meaning Red Packet, takes place. This involves married couples giving children and unmarried adults money in r e d e n v e l o p e s. T h e n t h e family begins to say greetings from door to door, first to their relatives and then their