A long long time ago,
thousands of years
in ancient China
there was a beautiful village.
But at the bottom of the sea
lived a scary beast called Nian.
This creature resembled a lion
with sharp teeth, horns and claws.
Throughout the year he would sleep soundly.
But once a year he would go ashore,
come down to the village,
and scare people, and eat their crops.
For many many years villagers were scared of the creature,
until the wise man told them about three things that Nian was scared of.
Loud noises,
fire
and red colour.
Next time Nian appeared
the villagers fought back with loud drums,
fires
and they were all dressed in red.
Nian ran away and never came back.
And that is the Legend of Nian.
Hello guys!!!
Follow us to learn more interesting facts about Chinese New Year.
Today, Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year is
filled with happiness and not the frightening roar of Nian.
It is not only celebrated in Mainland China,
but also observed in Hong Kong,
Taiwan,
Vietnam,
Singapore
and some other Asian countries as well as Chinatowns around the world.
In China the first day of Chinese New Year
begins on the new moon. The date changes every year.
This is because it follows the lunar calendar, based on the movement of the moon.
Usually, it falls on a day between mid-January and mid-February.
In 2022 Chinese New Year falls on February 1st.
It is also called Spring Festival.
The Festival celebrates both the beginning of a New Lunar Year and the beginning of spring.
The celebration lasts for 15 magical days till the Lantern Festival.
The most important part of the Chinese New Year is the family reunion.
The whole country is on the move,
because people try their best to return home for a family reunion.
The reunion dinner on Chinese New Year's Eve is a big feast.
This is the most important time to be with family.
The most common Chinese New Year foods include dumplings,
fish,
spring rolls and nian gao (Chinese desert).
Different foods have different meanings.
A whole fish means we will have plenty to eat; long noodles mean we will live long lives.
Dumplings are crescent shaped like ancient gold nuggets.
This means our family will be satisfied and happy.
Oranges and candy- to make sure of a sweet future.
The more food - the more we will have next year.
Everyone wears new clothes.
It is believed that wearing new clothes symbolizes a new start and fresh hopes for the New Year.
The celebration decorations are mostly in red.
This is because red in Chinese culture is the symbol of happiness, wealth and prosperity.
You will also see gold, which is said to bring wealth.
Alina, look what I got, money! I got money also. Let's check in the others, more money.
Kids receive red envelopes. They're stuffed with lucky money!
Chinese new year starts a new animal's zodiac year.
The Chinese zodiac is a repeating cycle of 12
years, with each year being represented by an animal.
2022 is the year of the Tiger!
Dragon and lion dances are some of the most important traditions at Chinese New Year.
Lion and dragon dances are intended to bring luck and prosperity.
In the lion dance, two performers hidden inside the brightly- coloured costume of a lion perform
a martial art like series of steps. Remember the legend of Nian?
The traditions of firecrackers, red lanterns, and red robes found in many lion dances,
originate from the legend of Nian.
In the dragon dance, several dozen people
parade together holding a colourful dragon above their heads on poles.
And of course fireworks!!!
The most fireworks in the world are set off on a Chinese New Year's
night. Both firecrackers and fireworks sound throughout the whole night.
Firecrackers are supposed to scare away evil monsters and bad luck .
Happy Chinese New Year!!!
See you in the next video, bye!