{"id":12926,"date":"2017-01-19T14:58:59","date_gmt":"2017-01-19T18:58:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/?p=12926"},"modified":"2017-01-19T14:58:59","modified_gmt":"2017-01-19T18:58:59","slug":"10-things-to-do-for-chinese-new-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/10-things-to-do-for-chinese-new-year\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Things to Do for Chinese New Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Spring Festival<\/strong> (\u6625\u8282 – ch\u016bn ji\u00e9) – also known as Chinese New Year – is right around the corner. Millions upon millions of people in China are in the midst of the annual Spring Festival rush<\/strong><\/a> (\u6625\u8fd0 ch\u016bn y\u00f9n) trying to make it home in time for the New Year. As the holiday approaches, here’s a list of “10 Things to Do for Chinese New Year” to make sure that you’re ready.<\/p>\n

1. Get a Haircut and Buy New Shoes<\/h2>\n
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Get that haircut before the New Year!<\/p><\/div>\n

It’s no secret that there are a lot of superstitions in Chinese culture. Why do you think the 4th floor is missing on so many elevators? Or why did Beijing start the Olympics at 8:08 PM on 8\/8\/2008? The country’s biggest holiday has quite a bit of superstitions attached to it as well. For example, it is believed that you shouldn’t\u00a0get a haircut<\/strong> (\u526a\u5934\u53d1 \u2013 ji\u01cen t\u00f3u f\u01ce) in the first month of the year. Otherwise, your maternal uncle will die. Don’t ask me why. You also shouldn’t\u00a0buy shoes<\/strong> (\u4e70\u978b \u2013 m\u01cei xi\u00e9) in the first month. The word for\u00a0shoes<\/strong> (\u978b \u2013 xi\u00e9) sounds like the word for\u00a0evi<\/strong>l (\u90aa \u2013 xi\u00e9), so those fresh kicks will bring you bad luck. Better do these things before we hit the Year of the Rooster!<\/p>\n

2. Clean the House<\/h2>\n

This one is pretty self-explanatory. When you\u00a0clean the house<\/strong> (\u6253\u626b\u623f\u5b50 \u2013 d\u01ce s\u01ceo f\u00e1ng zi) before the New Year, you sweep out all of the bad things from the past one. Start the year fresh with a nice clean place, but don’t go sweeping during the 15-day Spring Festival celebration – doing so will push all the good luck of the New Year right out the door.<\/p>\n

3. Hang Couplets<\/h2>\n
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A shop sells CNY decorations.<\/p><\/div>\n

Just like people go all out decorating their house for Christmas, Chinese people have plenty of decorations to ring in the Spring Festival. The most common thing you’ll see are\u00a0couplets<\/strong> (\u6625\u806f \u2013 ch\u016bn li\u00e1n). While there are many different styles and designs, the most ubiquitous is the character\u00a0for good fortune<\/strong> (\u798f \u2013 f\u00fa) hung upside-down. When you say\u00a0\u201cfu<\/em> is upside-down<\/strong>\u201d (\u798f\u5012\u4e86 \u2013 f\u00fa d\u00e0o le), it sounds just the same as \u201cgood fortune has arrived<\/strong>\u201d (\u798f\u5230\u4e86 \u2013 f\u00fa d\u00e0o le). Thus, hanging this on your front door will ensure you good fortune for the coming year.<\/p>\n

4. Make Dumplings<\/h2>\n

On New Year’s Eve, families all across the country will gather together for an epic meal. The kitchen is a hub of activity all day long, as grandma, mom, and all your ayis<\/em> work diligently at preparing the feast. In the north of China, the staple item on the New Year’s Eve menu is\u00a0dumplings <\/strong><\/a>(\u997a\u5b50 \u2013 ji\u01ceo zi). Dumplings are said to resemble\u00a0ingots<\/strong> (\u5143\u5b9d – yu\u00e1n b\u01ceo) – an ancient Chinese currency. Thus, having them for the New Year dinner is a symbol of wealth. Many families will even put a coin in one dumpling. Whoever gets it will have good luck in the coming year. Of course, it’s a bit gross to put a used coin in your food, so many people have taken to using something like a peanut instead.<\/p>\n

5. Eat Fish<\/h2>\n
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Every year there is fish!<\/p><\/div>\n

Another common item on the menu is\u00a0fish<\/strong> (\u9c7c \u2013 y\u00fa). This is because of another play on words (Chinese people really love those) – saying\u00a0\u201cEvery year there is fish<\/strong>\u201d (\u5e74\u5e74\u6709\u9c7c \u2013 ni\u00e1n ni\u00e1n y\u01d2u y\u00fa) sounds exactly like \u201cEvery year there are leftovers<\/strong>\u201d (\u5e74\u5e74\u6709\u9918 \u2013 ni\u00e1n ni\u00e1n y\u01d2u y\u00fa). This means you won’t be lacking in the New Year and everything will be in abundance.<\/p>\n

6. Light off Fireworks<\/h2>\n

If you should find yourself in China during the Spring Festival, you’ll realize that the whole place sounds like a war-zone. This is because people are constantly\u00a0lighting off of firecrackers<\/strong> (\u653e\u97ad\u70ae \u2013 f\u00e0ng bi\u0101n p\u00e0o). I’m talking all day, all night, every day, for 15 days. If you thought America went big for the 4th of July, you ain’t seen nothing yet! There’s also a legend about why people started setting off fireworks for the New Year. As the story goes, there once was a giant beast named Nian<\/strong> (\u5e74 \u2013 ni\u00e1n) who liked to eat children. Nothing could scare him away, until one day an old man confronted the beast wearing red and armed with firecrackers. Nian fled in fear, never to return again. This explains the abundance of fireworks and the color red during Spring Festival.<\/p>\n