sommaire

Transnational Learning Network

« Gung Hey Fat Choy »

  (Wishing you prosperity and wealth )

  The Chinese New Year is an important celebration all over the world and even in France. It celebrates the beginning of Spring. According to the solar calendar, it falls on a different date each year ( in January or in February).

  According to the legend, thousand years ago, a monster devastated a village in China twice, one winter  Before the monster could come again a third time, the villagers devised a plan to scare the monster away : They hung red banners everywhere because the color red had long been believed to protect against evil.  In addtion, they used fire-crackers, drums and gongs to create loud noises. The plan worked. The celebration lasted several days during which people visited with each other, exchanged gifts, danced and ate tasty comestibles.   

     The Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the Lunar New Year. This day represents « the welcoming of the gods of the heavens and earth ».

·        On the second day, the Chinese pray to their ancestors as well as to all the gods.

·        The third and the fourth days are for the sons to pay respect to their parents.

·        The fifth day is called Po Woo. People stay at home to welcome the God of Wealth.

·        On the sixth to the tenth day, the Chinese visit their family and friends and also the temples.

·        The tenth through the twelfth are days that friends and family should be invited for dinner.

·        After so much rich food, on the thirteenth day, the Chinese usually have simple rice congee and mustard greens.

·        The fourteenth day is devoted to preparations to celebrate the Lantern Festival which is to be held on the fifteenth night.

In the streets, they are lots of parades with a lion dance which are considered to be good omens and also to repel demons.

( Each lion has two dancers, one for the head and another for the back ).

The Chinese send out the old year and welcome the New Year with fire-crackers. On the stroke of midnight, every door in the house and even windows have to be open to allow the old year to go out.

The Lantern Festival is celebrated at night with lanterns displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.

 Chinese families decorate their houses with vases of pretty flowers which symbolize rebirth and new growth, platters of oranges and tangerines which are symbols for wealth and good fortune and a candy tray with varieties of dried sweet fruit.

On walls and doors, there are poetic couplets, happy wishes written on red paper.

Sabrina PINGOT

1^ère S1