Learn How to Celebrate a Traditional Chinese New Year's Eve

What do the Chinese have on us when it comes to ringing in the New Year? Well, for starters a 15-day celebration involving fireworks, dumplings and customs seemingly designed to drive your mother crazy! Don't miss out on the party that 6 million Chinese, and many more around the world, have been having for centuries. It begins on the first day of the first lunar month of the Chinese calendar year, (or the first day containing a new moon) which falls on a different date every year, and in 2007, begins on February 18th and lasts through March 4th.

We are currently in the year of the dog and beginning on February 18, 2007 we will enter the year of the boar (or pig). The year of the boar is believed to be an ideal year to have children. The boar is associated with fertility and virility and children born in the year of the boar are believed to live happy and honest lives.

As the most important of the Chinese holidays, it is also known as the lunar New Year and the spring festival. In ancient China, legend had it that the first day of the lunar New Year was the day Nian, a man-eating beast from the mountains, could enter homes and attack humans. Nian hates loud noises and the color red, which precipitated the traditions of lighting firecrackers and decorating homes with the color red. Chuxi, the Mandarin name for New Year, literally means getting rid of the beast Nian. After Nian was believed to have been scared away, the big celebrations would herald in another year of safety.

To celebrate in the traditional Chinese manner, you must begin days before New Year's Eve, by cleaning the house thoroughly, which represents sweeping away the bad luck and allowing the good luck to arrive. Some people paint doorways and window frames with a new coat of red paint, or simply hang red banners and red crepe paper on doors and windows. On New Year's Eve, it is very important to put away all cleaning supplies, because it is considered very bad luck to do any cleaning during the first 15 days of the new year. It is believed to "sweep away good luck." It is also customary to hang upside down banners with words like prosperity, health and happiness during the celebration, to attract good luck.

On New Year's Eve, family and friends come together for a big feast. Some of the traditional New Year's Eve meals include chicken, fish and dumplings. More than necessary is prepared since it is important to leave some of the main dish to be served another day. This tradition is believed to ensure that no meals will be missed in the coming year. A type of black hair-like algae is also featured in many dishes since its name, in Cantonese "fat choy," sounds similar to the Cantonese word for "prosperity" and having one is believed to attract the other.

Another important tradition on the eve of the New Year is passing out the "red packets." These are red envelopes with even amounts of money in them customarily given to unmarried family members from married ones. It is important that the amount of money given in the red packets is an even number because odd amounts of money are given at funerals. Another important traditional custom is bringing a perfect plum tree into the home. In China, they can be purchased at any market around the holiday.