One of the most important holidays in the Chinese calendar is Chinese New Year. New Year's, like in the western society, is very important.
The Chinese believe that the new year is a brand new beginning, a brand new start, where the old goes out and the new comes in. On New Year's Eve, everyone must be washed and clean, to start the New Year clean and fresh. On new Year's morning, everyone has to eat something sweet, to start the new Year on a sweet note. The house must be cleaned from top to bottom, with the same idea of a brand new, clean start to the new Year.
Every member of the family receives and wears new clothes for Chinese New Year. Red is a very important colour for the Chinese. The Chinese have a tradition of putting red signs with messages on them, each one to give the family fortune in different ways. For example, on most doorways, there is a red, diamond-shaped piece of paper with the word "Good Fortune" written on it. Traditionally, it is hung upside down, to give good fortune to anyone who walks through the doorway.
Other common messages on these red signs are for "Improvement in school" and "good health". Chinese children especially enjoy this holiday, because not only do they receive new clothes, they also receive "red pockets", with money inside from all their married relatives and friends. Only children, or unmarried people, can receive these "red pockets". |
