Chinese New Year activities

Chinese New Year is the occasion filled with activities to indulge in. From young to the old there is something to do for everyone. Traditional activities like, eating jiao zi, setting off fire crackers, gifting ya sui to decorating homes

with various colorful handmade stuff, are some of the Chinese New Year activities to be a part of.

Traditional Chinese New Year activities:

Chinese New Year activities are many. Most of these activities have been carried forward from yesteryear practices. Some of the top activities practiced as a part of the celebrations are:

Painting and cleaning the house in the lunar month
Shopping for gifts and dí©cor items for Chinese New Year
Waking up all night or shou sui with near and dear ones on last night of lunar month
Firecracker show at midnight, burning crackers as a practice to scare away demons
Eating dumplings or jiao zi at midnight
Welcoming the new day of the New Year with prayers
Grand ceremony with Qing and Ming emperors welcoming the gods from heaven
Take blessings from elders and in return getting ya sui or money as gifts
Celebrating the next day of the Chinese New Year Day as all dog’s birthday. Being kind and caring for the dogs on this day
Prayers to the ancestors on day two of the New Year
Special activity for son-in-laws to pay respect to their –in laws on day three and day four Staying home and welcoming the God of Wealth on day five of the Chinese
Day six of the New Year is spent in visiting families, friends and relatives

One very special traditional activity takes place on Day seven of the Chinese New Year. On this day, eating noodles is a main activity done for the longevity of life, as the day is observed as the birthday of mankind.

Its feast time for family, friends and relatives from day ten to day twelve of the Chinese New Year
The fourteenth and fifteenth day of the New Year celebrates the Lantern Festival. The festival is celebrated on the first full moon night and ends the celebrations for the Chinese New Year

Other activities for Chinese New Year:

Apart from the usual traditional activities, there are various other interesting activities to indulge in, on this excellent occasion. Some of them are:

Shopping for Chinese New Year:

Chinese New Year means decorations, gifts and self-pampering. To so this, you need to make a list of all the ‘must-have’and head straight to the market that sells latest goods for the occasion. You can shop for the red colored paper decoration items, red packets, new clothes for you and your family, gifts and seasonal delicacies.

House decoration for Chinese New Year:

Cleaning and decorating the house for the Chinese New Year is an important activity for the entire family. This must be done prior to the New Year Day, as cleaning or sweeping is a strict ‘no-no’activity for the day. This might drive away your and your family’s luck for the year and bring bad luck instead.

Decorating the house with flowers, live plants form an important part of the activity. Bamboo, flowers like azalea, pussy willow and water lily and pine are used for decoration.

Preparing the feast:

Making the dinner for the special feast is a special activity during Chinese New Year. You can make different dishes using oysters, dumplings, noodles, green-vegetables and fish. These ingredients signify abundance, prosperity and longevity.

There are various other Chinese New Year activities to take part in. Some of the activities include making decorative items at home using paper, cloth, glue and other materials. Families come together to be a part of the various activities and enjoy celebrating their most awaited occasion in this way.

Latest Updated on 14/12/2010