Chinese New Year

How is Chinese New Year Celebrated?

Like every other Country in the world we all celebrate something different. Today we are celebrating Chinese New Year. How did this very old tradition begin? There are a lot of different stories, but which is true? Well here's what we know about this celebration.

This day is a very special day that people all around the world are welcome to celebrate. The Chinese New Year Celebration lasts up to 15 days straight. It starts on a New moon and ends on a Full moon. People come together and feast on delicious foods like Egg Rolls, Noodles, and Shrimp. These foods are usually eaten on these days.

Hongbao (money inside a red envelope) is given to children and unmarried adults for good luck and wealth. On the last very last day of the celebration people light lanterns. This symbolises the people who have passed on.

Long ago there was an scary dragon that went by the name Meien. He went to the village nearby and scared everyone the animals too. One day a wise man came along and told the people “Meien is very scared of loud sounds, fire and the colour red”. The dragon went back to the village the next day and he gazed upon the people wearing red clothing. The people started to light torches, let off firecrackers and lanterns. The dragon began to get frightened and ran away further and further from the village. That is when the people from China started wearing red and gold on these days.

There are different animals for the 12 years in the cycle. This legend is very old as well. Once there lived an Jade Emperor. He couldn't choose just 12 animals to symbolise the different years. So he set a race. The Jade Emperor said the first 12 animals to reach his palace were the animals to represent the years. So the animals began the race, the Rat as coming first until he came across a river. Luckily the Ox was just around the corner. So the Ox carried the Rat on top of his head. But just as they were about to reach land the Rat jumped off his head and won the race. That is why the Rat is the first animal in our calendar and this year, 2018, is the year of the dog.

All of us celebrate something different. But that doesn't mean that the fun is over. That means anyone can join in the fun and entertainment. This is a very old tradition that  is exciting and will be celebrated in the following years to come.

A few days ago Shakaia and I worked together to finish this explanation about Chinese New Year. As we were working together we discussed what information to add into our writing to make sure that it was easy to read and made sense. I think we worked well together because we helped each other.