Celebration of Chinese New Year and the beginnig of Spring
CHINESE AND LUNAR CALENDAR
Lunar calendar, is probably the oldest calendar in the world. It goes back more than 4,000 years. Chinese year is based on the lunar calendar and it always starts after the other young moon after the winter solstice. Its twelve animal signs are very similar to the twelve western zodiac sign, but are determined by year of birth, not the month.
Designation of twelve years in the Chinese lunar cycle derives from the legend of the Buddha. Before he left the world, Buddha invited all animals to a feast. Only twelve animals responded to the invitation. First came the rat, followed by buffalo, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Thus, the Buddha named each year after every animal that came to the feast, in the order of arrival. Every year in the twelve-year cycle is now the symbolic animal whose properties would affect world events, personality and destiny of every living creature, that was born this year.
HISTORY OF CHINESE NEW YEAR
Chinese New Year is the biggest and most important Chinese holiday. New year after the Lunar calendar is celebrated in North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, … Celebration of Chinese New Year begins on first day of the first month and ends with the Festival of Lights that starts on 15th day of the first month.
For Chinese New Year the Chinese people have a habit to put the red coils in which are written good wishes and then hung them on windows and sunshades. It is a habit that comes from the legend of the Beast named Nian 年, which in Chinese language means »New year«. There are many diverse and different stories about the Beast Nian. But they all used the same technique to force him to leave their village. There are even many stories about the appearance of the beast Nian. Some say that he had horns, other that he was half-lion, half bull, but all were unanimous in fear against him.
It is said that Nian on New Year’s Eve came and devour everything and everyone that crossed his path. Poor people quickly figured out how to banish him from their villages. Some legends say that this rescue secret was trusted to them by a old beggar, others say a wise man, while others, clame they discovered it themselves. They found that the Beast Nian is terribly afraid of red color, strong lights and strong noise. Therefore, for every Chinese New Year, Chinese people once again put the red tape on the doorpost, light up a fire, cause unbearable noise and drive away the Beast Nian to where he came from.
RED, RED, RED, …
Even today, red color marks Chinese New Year and China in general. They say red color wards off all evil spirits and bad luck, and of course the beast Nian. Thus, the streets and homes are full of red lanterns, decorations, red coil with good wishes, and a lot of fireworks. In order to ward off bad luck, they stage performance with loud drumming and dragon or lion dances.
For the Chinese it is very important that the New Year celebration and the beginning of spring is celebrated with family and friends. Chinese authorities estimate that almost every inhabitant of this country travels by train, plane, bus and other means of transportation during the holidays . Families gather at home, give eachother presents and enjoy in a abundant dinner. Typical food varies widely from province to province,but a must are fish and Chinese jiaoziji 饺子. After dinner the family sits together to watch TV. They watch mainly fun singing and dancing shows. The next morning, they dress in clean and new clothes for a fresh and new beginning of a new year.
YEAR OF SNAKE
Year 2013 will be marked by zodiac sign Snake. A sign Snake marks all born in the years 1905, 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989 and 2001. People born under the sign of Snake are adept financiers, thinkers, they are always polite and proficient in rhetoric. They are characterized by action, they can be very cruel, when they have a specific goal, but they are very generous and willing to help. They rely primarily on their own judgment. In relationships with people they are demanding and do not allow mistakes. Appearance is very important to them , and they are always familiar with current fashion and trends. They have a romantic soul and a great desire for happiness and understanding. Their mood is changing daily, which is very difficult for people around them. Women born under this sign are fatal. They are extremely confident and collected. At the same time they are also very suspicious, double-faced and selfish. A good match for Snakes are Dragon,Monkey and Rooster. Famous people born in the year of snake, for example are Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Picasso and Mao Tse-Tung.
Confucius Institute in Ljubljana will organize celebration of Chinese New Year, which will be held somewhere between 10th and 13th February 2013.
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