By Amanda Moses
The Chinese New Year began on January 22nd and the festivities continue to be celebrated for the next 16 days.
Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year, begins on the first calendar month during the new moon (which is why the dates shift every year). It is celebrated for 16 days, ending on the first full moon, which then segues into the Chinese Lantern Festival (February 5th).
The New Year festival is an age-old tradition that intertwines ancient myths and customs. It was created to help honor deities as well as ancestors. Often, the evening preceding Lunar New Year’s Day is an occasion for Chinese families to gather for an annual reunion dinner. In Chinatown, New Yorkers often gather for Midnight Madness where they can watch lion dances.
It is said that cleaning is one custom in which the house is thoroughly cleansed in order to sweep away any ill-fortune and to make way for incoming good luck. Windows and doors are decorated with red color paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of “good fortune” or “happiness”, “wealth”, and “longevity”. Other activities include giving money in red paper envelopes.
What is this year’s Chinese Zodiac Sign?
In Chinese astrology, every year is represented by an animal. The cycle is twelve years, with a different animal for each year. In 2023, we are entering the year of the rabbit! According to Chinese culture, rabbits are witty, vigilant and ingenious.
Rabbit’s personalities are also said to be gentle, alert, quick-minded, kind, patient, and responsible. They are loyal to those around them, but sometimes tend to be dreamers attempting to escape reality.
Zodiac Rabbit Years: 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, and 2023
Lucky things for the Rabbit Zodiac sign:
- Colors: red, pink, purple, and blue
- Numbers: 3, 4, 6
- Flowers: plantain lily, jasmine
Unlucky things:
- Colors: dark brown, dark yellow, white
- Numbers: 1, 7, and 8
Photos by Amanda Moses
