January 25 begins the Chinese year 4718. Because the date is determined by the Chinese lunisolar calendar, it is not the same as the Gregorian Calendar New Year and will fall on different days of the Western calendar each year.
Chinese New Year is commemorated with 15 days of festivities, so government offices and businesses may be closed for much of this time. Sharing this time with family and friends means many people will use their vacation or sick leave to travel back home. As it is one of the most important holidays throughout much of Asia, some 19 billion trips occur during the New Year season.
The preparations begin well before the New Year with a thorough house cleaning to sweep out bad luck. People purchase new clothing for New Year's Day so the bad spirits of the previous year will have a hard time recognizing them. Red, a color of good luck, and gold, the color of wealth, are used in abundance. Also purchased are presents and the food for preparing the New Year's feast. Homes are decorated with the characters for “happiness,” “wealth,” and “longevity.”
The actual customs vary from country to country, but generally, on the eve of the Lunar New Year, families and relatives gather for a great feast, culminating in an abundance of popping firecrackers at midnight. These, and the "Lion Dancing" to drums and cymbals, are intended to scare off the mythological monsters that supposedly attack humans at New Year!
On New Years Day, children receive money in lucky red envelopes, bringing luck to both the giver and receiver. People greet each other with “Happy New Year,” and good wishes for prosperity, longevity, and health. Festivities continue for two more weeks and culminate with the festival of lanterns on the 15th day.
Throughout these weeks, restaurants and other establishments hire colorful Lion Dance performers to bless the business in a ritual dance starting with a blessing of the entrance, then may continue to wind through the establishment while patrons feed these "lions" money in red envelopes, hoping this will bring them luck throughout the year.
Shop owners make the "lions" pluck lettuce from a high place as "pluck," "vegetable," and "fortune" are homonyms. The lion scatters the lettuce and oranges (symbolizing gold) for a fresh lucky start to the year (see 2020 Year of the Rat).
The following greetings are said on or soon after the first day of their New Year, not before:
Gong Xi Fa Cai! (Wishing you Prosperity--Mandarin)
Gung Hay Fat Choy! (Wishing you Prosperity--Cantonese)
Xin Nien Kuai Le! (New Year Happiness--Mandarin)
Sun Nin Fy Lok! (New Year Happiness--Cantonese)
