Chinese New Year 2021: Chinese New Year is the spring festival and also known as the starting of the Lunar New Year in Chinese traditions. This festival celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. In Chinese culture and East Asian countries, the festival is commonly referred to as Spring Festival.
In 2021 the Chinese New Year will be celebrated on February 12th. This year is the Year of the Ox. The Chinese New Year is associated with several myths and customs. The festival was traditionally a time to honour deities as well as ancestors.
Chinese New Year 2021: Date
As stated above this year Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival will be celebrated on February 12th. New Year Celebrations last up to 16 days, but only the first 7 days are considered a public holiday (February 11th–17th, 2021). Little Year started on February 4th and ended on February 11th. Spring Festival or Chinese New Year officially will start from February 12th and will go until February 22nd.
Lantern Festival, Preparations will begin from 23rd, and the Lantern Festival is held on February 26th.
History of Spring Festival
The festival has a history of over 3,000 years. Celebrations on lunar New Year’s Day can be dated back to the ancient worship of heaven and earth. Over the centuries new traditions were added and celebrations became more entertainment-orientated.
According to tales and legends, the beginning of the Chinese New Year started with a mythical beast called the Nian (a beast that lives under the sea or in the mountains) during the annual Spring Festival. The Nian would eat villagers, especially children in the middle of the night. But soon villagers found out that Nian was afraid of the color red and loud noises. So, the tradition grew that when New Year was approaching, the villagers would wear red clothes, hang red lanterns, and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. People also used firecrackers to frighten away the Nian.
Significance of Year of the Ox
Though being in winter for most of China, the Chinese New Year is popularly known as the Spring Festival in China. Because it starts from the Beginning of Spring (the first of the twenty-four terms in coordination with the changes of Nature) and marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring.
Starting in the mid-1990s, Chinese people in their country get seven consecutive days of holiday during the Chinese New Year. Those seven days a week of the holiday are designated as Spring Festival.
Celebrations for Spring Festival
The main Chinese New Year activities include
- Putting up decorations
- Eating reunion dinner with family on New Year’s Eve
- Firecrackers and fireworks
- Giving red envelopes and other gifts.
In many Chinese cities, from New Year’s Day, traditional performances can be seen: dragon dances, lion dances, and imperial performances like an emperor’s wedding. A great variety of traditional Chinese products are on offer, and rarely seen Chinese snacks. City parks and temple fairs are the places to go for this.
