We always see the label Chinese New Year on our wall calendars but did you ever stop to wonder why the Chinese have a different time to celebrate the new year and how they go about bringing in the new year? If you have then you have come to the right place! The Chinese New Year is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar. In America we have a linear perception of time, our years are dated from the birth of Christ, so if it is 2006 this means that it is 2,006 years after the birth of Christ. However the Chinese culture uses a cyclical method of dating. Meaning something is repeated time after time according to a certain pattern.

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According to ancient legend Buddha had asked all the animals to meet him on the Chinese New Year and only 12 came. Buddha named one year for each animal and proclaimed that anyone born in their year would have some of the character traits of that animal. The 12 animals were the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar. Every 12 years that animal’s year would repeat. It is interesting that in Chinese culture one would probably ask for your animal sign rather than your numerical age, then that would put the persons age within a cycle of 12 years and they could tell how old you were. While these signs are amusing and fun to read they are not taken very seriously by the Chinese culture.

Another legend that goes along with the Chinese New Year is that after Buddha had named a year for each of the animals they began to fight about who would be the head of the cycle of years. They decided that in order to settle the dispute they would hold a swimming race, they would jump in the river and whoever reached the other side first would win. During the race the rat had jumped on the ox’s back but the ox did not know, when the ox was in the lead and near the other side of the river the rat jumped off and won the race, the pig was last because he was so lazy and the others were put in order because of their place in the race. 2006 is the year of the Dog; people born in this year will be loyal, honest and inspire people.

The Chinese New Year is a 15-day celebration; the first day is the welcoming of the gods of the heavens and the earth. On the second day the Chinese pray to their ancestors and their gods. They believe that the second day is the birthday of all dogs so they are especially kind to dogs on this day. The third and fourth days are for son-in-laws to show respect for their mother and father-in-law. The fifth day is for welcoming the god of wealth, people stay home and for fear of bad luck they do not visit friend or family. On the sixth through the tenth day they can visit friends and family whenever they want and can pray to the gods to ask for good luck. The Seventh day is traditionally the common mans birthday or the birthday of humans. Noodles and raw fish are eaten for longevity and success. The eighth through the fourteenth days are celebrated with family and friends at dinner parties.

The Lantern Festival is held on the fifteenth day of the Celebration, the main part of the celebration is the dragon dance, the dragon can stretch up to 100 feet and is usually made of silk or paper and bamboo. Young men hold the dragon up and dance as they walk through the streets. So now that you know a little about the Chinese New Year you can stop wondering why you see it on your calendar every year and start joining in on the fun! Happy Chinese New Year!