Chinese New Year - Brooklyn Children's Museum

information for the teacher
Chinese New Year
Of all the traditional Chinese festivals, Chinese
New Year is the most colorful, elaborate,
and joyous. Chinese New Year is celebrated in
Chinese communities all over the world,
including Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens.
The first day of the New Year celebration
usually falls between late January and
February. Chinese New Year is celebrated on
the first day of the first moon of the lunar
calendar. The Chinese calendar measures a
year according to the moon and its cycles.
The Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year, as
it is also known, is celebrated in many Asian
countries. The celebration may last from one day
to two weeks depending on who is celebrating.
New Year Preparations
As with all festivals and holidays, each family
may have their own traditions for celebrating
Chinese New Year. In general, however,
preparations for the Chinese New Year often
begin as much as a month ahead of time.
People prepare for the New Year by getting rid
of bad luck from the past year and ensuring
a good start to the new one. Having a clean
house, all bills paid, and everything in order as
the New Year arrives is very important, as is
visiting with friends and family.
Just as some people decorate for Halloween
and the winter holiday season, many people
who celebrate Chinese New Year decorate
their homes and businesses for the special
holiday. Red and gold are the colors of the
New Year season; red signifies joy and luck
and gold represents wealth. Lanterns are
made, or bought, and hung around the house
and on the streets. Banners decorated with
symbols of good fortune are also popular.
The Fu [FOO, in Mandarin] character of good
luck is hung upside down because the Chinese
word for “arrive” sounds similar to the word
for “upside down.” It means good luck is
coming. Homes are decorated with red-paper
spring couplets expressing good fortune
and good wishes for the New Year. Blooming
flowers are a sign of good luck and long
life. Fruit such as oranges, tangerines, and
kumquats are symbolic of wealth and given in
pairs or even numbers during the New Year
to bring wishes for sweetness and wealth and
used as decorations. Like the Fu symbol’s play
on words, tangerine and gold are pronounced
the same way in Cantonese.
Having plenty of food for the celebration
promises a year with enough food for the
family. Many families prepare special dishes
for a feast on the eve of Chinese New Year.
Often the ingredients have names similar
to words like “good fortune” “longevity,”
“health,” and “prosperity.” Fried dumplings,
which look like ingots of gold, and noodles,
which stand for long life (if you can slurp a
noodle whole, you will have a long life). Fish,
which is almost always eaten on Chinese
New Year’s Eve, represents togetherness and
abundance in the coming year. Families enjoy
snacking on all the sweet pastries, nuts, and
candies that served just for this time. A Tray
of Togetherness, for example, is a special
round dish with eight compartments containing
dried fruits, seeds, sweets, and candies.
Each treat has a special meaning and is eaten
to ensure a sweet year. The circular tray
symbolizes togetherness.
Chinese New Year | 8