February 18 — the Year of the Boar
1923 1935 1947 1959 1971 1983 1995 2007
People born in the Year of the Boar are said to be generous, courageous and the perfect friend to have.
Though short-tempered, they dislike quarrels and don't hold grudges.
Boar people can be shallow and materialistic — and don't handle money well — yet fortune is always around, because they are self-reliant and diligent.
Patient, loyal and sincere, boar people like commitment, though at times they're taken for granted.
The following part are mostly cited from the free website:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_new_year
Chinese New Year, known in Chinese as the Spring Festival (Simplified Chinese: 春节; Traditional Chinese: 春節; pinyin: Chūnjié) or the Lunar New Year (Simplified Chinese: 农历新年; Traditional Chinese: 農曆新年; pinyin: Nónglì xīnnián), is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays.
Chinese Lunar New Year has the longest chronological record in history. In 2600 B.C., Emperor Huang Ti introduced the first cycle of the Chinese zodiac. The festival proper begins on the first day of the first lunar month (Chinese: 正月; pinyin: zhēng yuè) in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th, in which this day is called Lantern Festival (十五晚/元宵节)
Chinese New Year's Eve is known as Chúxì (除夕). Chu literally means "change" and xi means "eve". Celebrated internationally in areas with large populations of ethnic Chinese, Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday for the Chinese.
Chinese New Year is also the time of the largest human migration, when overseas Chinese all around the world travel home to have reunion dinners with their families on Chinese New Year's eve.
In the Gregorian calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on different dates each year, on a date between January 21 and February 20. And there is a miracle that every 19 years cycle, the day of Chinese New Year in Lunar calendar and Gregorian (solar) calendar will revolve.
Take my birth day as example:
My birthday was February 5, 1981 year of Rooster, the first day of Spring Festival. And when I was 19 years old, February 5, 2000 year of Dragon, was the first day of Spring Festival.
Did you know that before?
The dates for the Spring Festival from 1996 to 2019 (in the Gregorian calendar) are listed below, along with the year's presiding animal zodiac and its earthly branch. The names of the earthly branches have no English counterparts and are not the Chinese translations of the animals.
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Animal
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Branch
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Dates
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Rat
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子 Zi
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Feb. 19, 1996
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Feb. 7, 2008
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Ox
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丑 Chou
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Feb. 7, 1997
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Jan. 26, 2009
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Tiger
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寅 Yin
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Jan. 28, 1998
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Feb. 14, 2010
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Rabbit
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卯 Mou
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Feb. 16, 1999
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Feb. 3, 2011
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Dragon
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辰 Chen
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Feb. 5, 2000
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Jan. 23, 2012
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Snake
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巳 Si
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Jan. 24, 2001
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Feb. 10, 2013
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Horse
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午 Wu
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Feb. 12, 2002
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Jan. 31, 2014
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Goat
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未 Wei
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Feb. 1, 2003
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Feb. 19, 2015
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Monkey
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申 Shen
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Jan. 22, 2004
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Feb. 8, 2016
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Rooster
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酉 You
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Feb. 9, 2005
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Jan. 28, 2017
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Dog
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戌 Xu
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Jan. 29, 2006
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Feb. 16, 2018
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Boar
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亥 Hai
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Feb. 18, 2007
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Feb. 5, 2019 |
According to legend, in ancient China, on the eve of Lunar New Year the Nián (年), a man-eating beast with a huge mouth from the mountains, could silently infiltrate houses to prey on humans. Everyone was terrified, until one day an elderly man appeared and offered to subdue the monster.
The old man then challenged Nian: I've heard you are very capable, but instead of people, can you swallow other beasts of prey that are more worthy opponents? Rising to the occasion, Nian swallowed other predators, simultaneously ridding people of dangers to themselves and their livestock.
The old man was then revealed to be a God and successfully tamed Nian. The elder man (God) advised the people to put up red paper decorations on their windows and doors, light torches and set off firecrackers at the end of each year. This would frighten Nian away so he wouldn't dare to come back again, for he was afraid of the color red, fire-light and loud noises. With Nian gone and other predators frightened off, people resumed lives of peace.
So every year, they scared Nian away with explosions, fireworks and the liberal use of the color red. These customs led to the first New Year celebrations. Guò Nián (Simplified Chinese: 过年; Traditional Chinese: 過年), which means to celebrate the new year, literally means the passing of the Nian beast.
Nowadays, Chinese hold red to be a color of happiness and good fortune, while firecrackers are lit to ward off evil spirits.
The Chinese Year celebrations are marked by visits to kin, relatives and friends, and the liberal use of the color red. Red packets are given to juniors and children by the married and elders.
[1] Days before the New Year
On the days before the New Year celebration, Chinese families give their home a thorough cleaning, known as 'spring cleaning'. It is believed the cleaning sweeps away bad luck of the preceding year and makes their homes ready for good luck. Brooms and dust pans are put away on New Year's Eve and the first day so that luck cannot be swept away. Some people give their homes, doors and window-panes a new coat of red paint. Homes are decorated with paper cutouts of Chinese auspicious phrases and couplets.
[2] Reunion Dinner
A reunion dinner is held on New Year's Eve where members of the family, near and far, get together for celebration. The venue will usually be in the home of the most senior member of the family. The New Year's Eve dinner is very sumptuous and traditionally includes chicken and fish. Fish (魚, yú) is included, but not eaten up completely (and the remainder is stored overnight), as the Chinese phrase 年年有餘 (nián nián yǒu yú), which means "may there be surpluses every year", sounds the same as "may there be fish every year."
Most Northerners serve dumplings as the main dish in this festive season and many Chinese around the world do the same. It is believed that dumplings (餃子, jiǎozi) resemble ancient Chinese gold ingots (金元寶, pinyin, jīn yuán bǎo). Mandarin oranges are the most popular and most abundant fruit during Chinese New Year -- jin ju (金橘子) or kam (金) in Cantonese.
Red packets for the immediate family are sometimes distributed during the reunion dinner. These packets often contain money in certain numbers that reflect good luck and honorability.
[3] First day of the new year
The first day is for the welcoming of the deities of the heavens and earth. Many people, especially Buddhists, abstain from meat consumption on the first day because it is believed that this will ensure longevity for them.
Most importantly, the first day of Chinese New Year is a time where families will pay a visit to their oldest and most senior member of their extended family, usually their parents, grandparents or great-grandparents.
Some families may invite a Lion dance troupe as a symbolic ritual to usher in the Lunar New Year as well as to evict bad spirits from the premises.
[4] Second day of the new year
Incense is burned at the graves of ancestors as part of the offering and prayer ritual.
The second day of the Chinese New Year is for married daughters to visit their birth parents. Traditionally, daughters who have been married may not have the opportunity to visit their birth families frequently.
[5] Third day and fourth of the new year
The third day of Chinese New Year is generally accepted as an inappropriate day to visit relatives due to the following schools of thought. People may subscribe to one or both thoughts.
1) It is known as "chì kǒu" (赤口), meaning that it is easy to get into arguments. It is suggested that the cause could be the fried food and visiting during the first two days of the New Year celebration.
2) Families who had an immediate kin deceased in the past 3 years will not go house-visiting as a form of respect to the dead. The third day of the New Year is allocated to grave-visiting instead. Some people conclude it is inauspicious to do any house visiting at all.
[6] Fifth day of the new year
In northern China, people eat Jiǎo zi (饺子) (dumplings) on the morning of Po Wu. This is also the birthday of the Chinese god of wealth. In Taiwan, businesses traditionally re-open on this day, accompanied by firecrackers.
[7] Seventh day of the new year
The seventh day, is traditionally known as ren ri (人日), the common man's birthday, the day when everyone grows one year older.
It is the day People get together to toss the colorful salad and make wishes for continued wealth and prosperity. This is a custom primarily among the Chinese in Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia and Singapore, but not commonly practised by Chinese in other parts of the world. For many Chinese Buddhists, this is another day to avoid meat.
[8] Ninth day of the new year
The ninth day of the New Year is a day for Chinese to offer prayers to the Jade Emperor of Heaven (天公) in the Taoist Pantheon.
Additionally this day is heralded as the New Year of the Hokkiens. Come midnight of the eighth day of the new year, the Hokkiens will offer thanks giving prayers to the Emperor of Heaven. Offerings will include sugarcane as it was the sugarcane that had protected the Hokkiens from certain extermination generations ago. Tea is served as a customary protocol for paying respect to an honoured person.
[9] Fifteenth day of the new year
The fifteenth day of the new year is the last day of the traditional New Year's celebrations. It is celebrated as Yuánxiāo jié (元宵节), the Chinese Valentine's. otherwise known as Chap Goh Mei in Fujian dialect. Tangyuan (Simplified Chinese: 汤圆; Traditional Chinese: 湯圓; pinyin: tāngyuán), a sweet glutinous rice ball brewed in a soup, is eaten this day. Depending on locality, the same day may also be celebrated as the Lantern Festival, or as the Chinese Valentine's Day.
[1] Red packets
Traditionally, red packets (Mandarin: 'hóng bāo' (紅包); Hokkien: 'ang pow' (POJ: âng-pau); Hakka: 'fung bao'; Cantonese: 'leih síh' (利市)) are passed out during the Chinese New Year's celebrations, from married couples or the elderly to unmarried juniors. It is common for adults to give red packets to children. Red packets are also known as 压岁钱 (Ya Sui Qian lit age suppressing money) during this period.
The red envelopes always contain money, usually varying from a couple of dollars to several hundred. The amount of money in the red packets should be of even numbers, as odd numbers are associated with cash given during funerals (白金 : Bai Jin)
[2] New Year markets
Markets are set up near the New Year especially for vendors to sell New Year-related products. These usually open-air markets feature floral products, toys, clothing, for shoppers to buy gifts for new year visitations as well as decor for their homes. The practice of shopping for the perfect plum tree is not dissimilar to the Western tradition of buying a Christmas tree.
[3] Firecrackers
Firecrackers come individually or strung on a long string. They are cased in red paper, as red is auspicious. The loud popping noise created by the explosion is thought to scare away evil spirits.
In Singapore, firecrackers have been banned due to safety reasons since 1972. However, in 2003, the government allowed firecrackers to be let off during the festive season. At the Chinese New Year light up in Chinatown, at the stroke of midnight on the first day of the Lunar New Year, firecrackers are let-off under controlled conditions by the Singapore Tourism Board. Other occasions where firecrackers are allowed to be let off are determined by the tourism board or other government organizations. However, they are not allowed to be commercially sold.
Malaysia banned firecrackers for the same reason.
[4] Fireworks
Fireworks are banned in Hong Kong for safety reasons, but the government will put on a fireworks display in Victoria Harbour on the second day of the Chinese New Year. Similar displays are also held in many other cities in and outside China.
[5] Clothing
Red clothing is worn throughout the Chinese New Year, as red will scare away evil spirits and bad fortune. Also, people typically wear new clothes from head to toe to symbolize starting anew in the new year.
[6] Shou Sui
守岁(守歲)（Shou Sui) is when members of the family gather around throughout the night after the reunion dinner and reminisce about the year that has passed while welcoming the year that has arrived.
"一夜连双岁，五更分二年" means that the night of New Year's eve (which is also the morning of the first day of the New Year) is a night that links 2 years. 五更 (Wu Geng - a time period in Chinese time keeping roughly equivalent to 0300 - 0500 hrs) is the time that separates 2 years.
Some believe that children who 守岁 (Shou Sui) will increase the longevity of the parents.
[7] Decorations
Red diamond-shaped banners with the character 福 (pinyin: fú), or "auspiciousness" are displayed around the house and at the fronts of doors. This sign is usually seen hung upside down, since the Chinese word 倒 (pinyin: dǎo), or "upside down", sounds similar as 到 (pinyin: dào), or "arrive". Therefore, it symbolizes the arrival of luck or happiness.
The following are popular floral decorations for the New Year and are available at new year markets.
Peach blossom (symbolises luck)
Plum blossom (symbolizes luck)
Kumquat plants (symbolises prosperity)
Narcissus
Chrysanthemum (symbolises longevity)
Bamboo (A plant used for anytime of year.)
[8] Foods
Niangao, Chinese New Year lucky cake: red bean paste between two layers of longane flavoured rice paste.
Several foods are eaten to usher in wealth, happiness, and good fortune. Several of the Chinese food names are homophones for words that also mean good things.
Fish - Is usually eaten on the eve of Chinese New Year. The Cantonese pronunciation of fish makes it a homophone for "more than enough", or "extra".
Dumplings - Eaten traditionally because the preparation is similar to packaging luck inside the dumpling, which is later eaten.
Candy
Kwatji/ sunflower, pumpkin or melon seeds
Turnip/Taro cakes
[9] Superstitions (迷信) during the New Year period
The following is a list of beliefs that vary according to dialect groups / individuals.
Buying a pair of shoes is considered bad luck. The word "shoes" is a homophone for the word for "rough" in Cantonese.
Buying a pair of pants is considered bad luck. The word "pants" is a homophone for the word for "bitter" in Cantonese. (Although some perceive it to be positive as the word 'pants' in Cantonese could be a homophone for the word for "wealth".)
A hair-cut is considered bad luck. The word "hair" is a homophone for the word for "prosperity". Thus "cutting hair" could be perceived as "cutting away your prosperity" in Cantonese.
Candy is eaten to ensure the consumer a "sweet" year.
Sweeping the floor is considered bad luck, as it will sweep away the good fortune and luck for the new year; in the same way that having a bath will wash away the good fortune.
Talking about death is inappropriate for the first few days of Chinese New Year, as it is considered inauspicious as well.
Buying books is bad luck, because it is a homonym to the word "lose".
Opening windows and/or doors is considered to 'bring in' the good luck of the New year.
Switching on the lights for the night is considered good luck to 'scare away' ghosts and spirits of misfortune that may compromise the luck and fortune of the New Year.
The Chinese New Year is often accompanied by loud, enthusiastic greetings, often referred to as 吉祥話 (Jíxiánghùa), or loosely translated as auspicious words or phrases. Some of the most common examples may include:
[1] Happy new year
Simplified Chinese: 新年快乐; Traditional Chinese: 新年快樂; pinyin: Xīnnián kuàilè; Hokkien POJ: Sin-nî khòai-lo̍k; Cantonese: Sun nin fai lok. A more contemporary greeting reflective of western influences, it literally translates from the greeting "Happy new year" more common in the west. But in northern parts of China, traditionally people say Simplified Chinese: 过年好; pinyin: Guo Nian Hao instead of Simplified Chinese: 新年快乐, to differentiate it from the international new year. And 過年好 can be used from the first day to the fifth day of Chinese new year.
[2] Congratulations and be prosperous
Kung Hei Fat Choi at Lee Theatre Plaza, Hong Kong
Simplified Chinese: 恭喜发财; Traditional Chinese: 恭喜發財; pinyin: Gōngxǐ fācái; Hokkien Keong hee huat chye (POJ: Kiong-hí hoat-châi); Cantonese: Gung hei fat choi; Hakka: Kung hei fat choi, which loosely translates to "Congratulations and be prosperous". Often mistakenly assumed to be synonymous with "Happy new year", its usage dates back several centuries. While the first two words of this phrase had a much longer historical significance (legend has it that the congratulatory messages were traded for surviving the ravaging beast of Nian, although in practical terms it may also involve surviving the harsh winter conditions), the last two words were added later as ideas of capitalism and consumerism became more significant in Chinese societies around the world. The saying is now commonly heard in English speaking communities for greetings during Chinese New Year in parts of the world where there is a sizable Chinese-speaking community, including overseas Chinese communities that have been resident for several generations, relatively recent immigrants from Greater China, and those who are transit migrants (particularly students).
[3] Other greetings
Numerous other greetings exist, some of which may be exclaimed out loud to no one in particular in specific situations. For example, as breaking objects during the new year is considered inauspicious, one may then say 歲歲平安 (Suìsuì píng'ān) immediately, which means everlasting peace year after year. 歲 (Suì, meaning "age") is homophonous with 碎 (meaning "shatter"), in demonstration of the Chinese love for wordplay in auspicious phrases. Similarly, 年年有餘 (Niánnián yǒuyú), a wish for surpluses and bountiful harvests every year, plays on the word yú to also refer to 魚 (meaning fish), making it a catch phrase for fish-based Chinese new year dishes and for paintings or graphics of fish that are hung on walls or presented as gifts.
These greetings or phrases may also be used just before children receive their red packets, when gifts are exchanged, when visiting temples, or even when tossing the shredded ingredients of yusheng particularly popular in Malaysia and Singapore.
Irreverent children, particularly in the United States, may jokingly use the phrase 恭喜發財,紅包拿來 (Gōngxǐ fācái, hóngbāo nálái), roughly translated as "Happy New Year, now give me a red envelope."
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