The Chinese New Year is coming. The Chinese, unlike the rest of the world, will celebrate the year of the Rooster on the twenty-eighth of January. In the meantime, they have a year of the Monkey. By eastern calendar New Year comes to different time and this relates to the phases of the moon. This year will end in February 2018.

Chinese New Year 2017, signs

Once in antiquity, a whole month was devoted to this, now the celebration fits into fifteen days. In honor of the arrival of the New Year, Chinese families gather at their parents' house. The house is decorated with many lanterns, fireworks are sure to go off. It is not customary to give gifts for the New Year in China, but children must be given envelopes with money as a symbol of future prosperity. The main place on the table is occupied by dumplings - after all, they resemble a gold ingot in their shape. There is also a tradition similar to the Russian one - there must be manarins on the table during the Chinese New Year.

Chinese New Year 2017: when it starts and ends

On January 28, according to the Chinese calendar, the Fire Rooster comes to replace the Fire Monkey. The Chinese revere the Fire Rooster and do their best not to upset him. They believe that the Rooster will bring good luck and happiness to everyone who deserves it.

Upcoming Chinese New 2017 year of the Rooster, differs from ours, if only in the fact that for the Chinese any event in life is permeated with a spirit - evil or good, but always alive. This means that he should either be appeased, or driven out if he came with bad intentions, or treated and honored, if his arrival will bring good to the family.

The Chinese live according to the lunisolar (Chinese) calendar, so their chronology does not coincide with the one we are used to. For example, in 2016, the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire celebrated the coming of the 4714 New Year of the Monkey, which took place on February 8.

In 2017, the Chinese New Year begins on January 28th.

It is not for nothing that this event is otherwise called the Spring Festival, because for the Chinese this date symbolizes the beginning of sowing work (often in the buttonhole outerwear insert a few spikelets of rice as a symbol of the abundance of the harvest). All Chinese in honor of such an event gather at their home - in the house of their parents. If someone is away, then they definitely try to catch the family table - this is the most persistent tradition of celebrating the Chinese New Year.

Chinese New Year Celebration

Gifts are not common in China. However, after the date of the first day of the Chinese New Year comes, parents make sure to give their children money in a red envelope with the hope of their material well-being. Greeting Cards also hard to find in China. But the red color strikes the eyes from all possible places - red is the main color of the New Year. After all, the evil spirit, which the Chinese call New Year, is so afraid of him. He should also be chased away with the noise of fireworks and loud laughter. Houses are decorated with many red lanterns and scrolls with wishes of goodness to their families, protecting the dwelling from evil spirits.

In honor of the New, the people of China will replace old clothes new, clean the house (so that the favorable energy of the house circulates freely in it and does not stagnate), prepare treats. Their favorite dish is dumplings, whose shape resembles an ingot of gold - a symbol of prosperity. Often houses are decorated with tangerines, necessarily eight pieces - a number that symbolizes infinity.

When the Chinese New Year 2017 ends

Chinese or Oriental New Year is a grandiose event that lasted a whole month in the old days, but now, with a modern busy lifestyle, the people of China cannot afford so many days off, and the holiday ends on the fifteenth day (in 2017 this date falls on February 11) by the huge Festival of Chinese Lanterns.

The exact time of the beginning of the Chinese New Year 2017 is January 28 at 3 hours 6 minutes Moscow time.

The Eastern New Year has no fixed date and is celebrated differently each year. The exact time of the Chinese New Year depends on the lunar cycle - it is celebrated on the first new moon of the first month of the year. Traditionally, in China at this time, business life freezes for two weeks - a holiday is celebrated for 15 days, each of which is distinguished by its own traditions and customs.

The celebration of the Chinese New Year in 2017 will begin on January 28 and will last until February 11, but there will be only 7 days of holiday in China, that is, they will rest from January 27 to February 2, 2017.

Chinese New Year and its history

According to legends, it all started with the fact that a terrible monster named Chun on the first day of the New Year began to get out of his dwelling in the depths of the sea and eat animals, grain, supplies and even children. To protect their families, on the eve of the holiday, people piled food at their doorstep. It was believed that the more you put, the more likely the beast will not touch it. It was like this for many years, until Chun met a boy in red clothes. All the villagers were scared, but a miracle happened, the beast got scared. People realized that the monster was afraid of red and since then it has become a custom to decorate houses with lanterns and scrolls of the same color. Later, fireworks were used to scare Chun away.

There is another legend that says that Chun (also called Nian) was defeated by an old man. According to the story, an old man came to the Chinese village on New Year's Day, but no one paid attention to him because of the hustle and bustle. Only one old woman told the old man to leave quickly, since Nian would appear soon. He replied that if he was left for the night, he would drive him away once and for all. On the same day, he hung up red lanterns and scrolls, and installed firecrackers at the entrance. When the beast came to the village, everything was completely different, and as soon as he saw the house of this old woman, he immediately ran away from this village and did not appear again. As it turned out, Chun is afraid of red color and loud noise, and the old man, knowing this, decorated the old woman's house accordingly.

How to Celebrate Chinese New Year 2017

As we already mentioned, the holiday lasts a little over two weeks, namely 15 days. As with us, they carefully prepare for this holiday, celebrate vividly, delight each other with small surprises. And also this holiday, like in all other countries, is an excellent occasion to gather the whole family to communicate and relax after a hard working year.

Preparing for Chinese New Year

The first thing the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom start with is by cleaning their homes, after which they throw away all the trash and unnecessary things that have accumulated over the year.

They pay special attention to decorating their home - red and its shades are considered traditional. Not only the house is decorated with red, but also special red clothes are bought. After all, it is this color, according to legend, that drives away unhappiness and sorrow from the house.

If we talk about decoration, then it is worth focusing on this, because the Chinese have a special ritual. At the entrance to the house, paired inscriptions must be pasted, and the walls of apartments and houses are decorated with special paintings from paper patterns... There is no Christmas tree, of course, on this holiday at all, but trays with oranges and tangerines replace it. But they need to be laid in a special way - it is necessary in a circle and each of the fruits should be exactly 8 pieces, no less and no more. According to Chinese superstitions, this number means longevity. However, more and more often you can find those who, instead of citrus fruits, decorate small artificial trees, which are decorated with dried fruits or fresh fruits in sugar.

On the last night before the holiday, the whole family usually gathers at the table. They prepare various delicious dishes and discuss the outgoing year - what they have achieved, what they have learned and what remains to be done.

Recently, the Chinese have developed a rather strange and funny tradition. To begin with, in China, people who, after a certain age, have not started a family are not respected. For women, this age is 30 years, for men, 32. And therefore, in order to earn respect in this country in front of their families, more and more on New Year's Eve, the Chinese use such a service as a boyfriend for hire. To do this, they turn to a special agency, where they can find a person who will play in front of the family of their beloved / beloved.

Chinese New Year Celebration Traditions

1 day

The first day of the Chinese New Year begins with a gala dinner, loud fireworks and noisy festivities. Be sure to burn bamboo sticks with the whole family, moreover, it is considered. that the louder the holiday is, the happier and happier the year will be. After all, the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom believe that noise, laughter and joy drive away all negativity, misfortune and grief from the house. A lot of dishes are necessarily prepared on the table, especially meat dishes - pork, jerky, and Chinese sausage, as well as fish. After dinner, everyone usually goes to visit. Also, on this day, it is imperative to go to the cemetery to visit your relatives in order to honor their memory.

2nd day

The second day of the Chinese New Year begins with a prayer - families ask for health and happiness to all their loved ones, old people - longevity, business people and businessmen - prosperity and enrichment. After that, everyone must visit their parents and grandmothers. Children are given gifts, but these are not such gifts as we are used to seeing them, in China it is customary to present red envelopes with money. For beggars, the second day of the holiday is a great success, because they can come to visit and ask for food and alms. Usually, the Chinese try to help in any way they can.

3-4 days

This period can be called a holiday of friends, because all the Chinese during these two days try to respect all their comrades and relatives and come to visit to congratulate. They believe that this day should be spent with loved ones in order to be together next year. From this period, all large corporations start their work and everything gradually returns to its normal course.

5-6 days

These days are dedicated to wealth and business, and therefore the rest of the companies start to work, but they go to work for a reason, but they certainly launch fireworks. And every Chinese person's morning begins with a special dish called jiaozi that looks more like dumplings.

Day 7

Like the second day of the holiday, it is customary to start on the 7th day with prayer and worship of God. It is believed that man was created on this day. So that incomes only increase and business flourishes, the Chinese prepare a special salad of raw fish called "Yusheng".

8-10 days

All Chinese are already returning to work, and in the evenings they arrange small family festive dinners with prayer, after which they go to the temple to light special smoking candles. For dinner, each hostess prepares yuanxiao, which are more like small koloboks.

Day 11

In China, this is the day of the son-in-law, when the father-in-law always arranges a noisy and rich holiday for the husband of his daughter. Every father tries to respect him and arrange the best holiday for him.

12-14 days

Basically, there are no holidays during this period, because everyone is busy preparing for the main holiday - the holiday of lanterns. Everyone buys decorations, lanterns, lantern sheds and so on. All three days, the Chinese eat only wholesome food and do not eat meat in order to cleanse their body of toxins. Also, on these hectic days, they try to carve out a minute to pray for prosperity, well-being and wealth.

15 - day

Concerts, theater performances are usually held in the city on this day, people with lighted lanterns walk around the square with their families, and fireworks, firecrackers and firecrackers are thundering around. Jiaozi and sticky sweet rice are usually on the table, and can also be bought in the square. Singapore and Malaysia have an interesting and romantic tradition on this holiday. To do this, single ladies on the mandarin attach their phone number, and then send the fruit down the river. Single men, in turn, catch these tangerines, eat it, and then call to meet the lady.

What is customary to give for Chinese New Year

As we have already mentioned, on this holiday, no serious gifts are given, only small ones. So it has long been customary to present such gifts:

• postcards with wishes and kind words;
• red envelopes with money;
• various souvenirs;
• charms and amulets;
• sweets;
• images of the symbol of the coming year.

How to give gifts for Chinese New Year

• Any gift should be paired, if, for example, it is a painting, then the image should have two objects. The owner is always presented with two tangerines.
• Also, the color of the presentation plays a huge role - the main rule is that neither a gift nor a gift paper should be white or blue. In this country, these colors represent death and burial.
• The number 4 is also a symbol of death, so it should not be anywhere - neither on a gift, nor on money, and the number of bills should be either more or less.
• The gift itself is presented only in private and with two hands. But it is necessary to distribute presents not chaotically, but from the eldest to the youngest.
• It is indecent to open a gift in front of everyone, it must be done in private, so as not to offend the donor with a careless look or word.

One of the noisiest countries in the new year is China. Here, as in principle in Russia, it is customary to celebrate this holiday with fireworks, laughter and noisy companies. However, the Chinese New Year has one significant difference - it is celebrated at least two weeks later than in our country. So let's take a look at when the 2017 Chinese New Year begins, how many days it lasts, and how it is celebrated in China.

When does Chinese New Year 2017 start

Chinese New Year is celebrated on the first new moon of the first month of the year, so in 2017 it falls on January 28 and will be celebrated for another 15 days, that is, until February 11. The Chinese New Year, according to the Eastern calendar, ends on February 15, 2018. To divide the New Year according to the Gregorian style, it was called the "Festival of Spring", and in China it is known as "Chun Jie".

2017 Chinese New Year Celebration

As we mentioned in the previous category, the New Year in China lasts 15 days, while all these two weeks for every day the Chinese have certain traditions. So, let's find out in more detail what traditions the Chinese observe every day on the "Spring Festival":

1 day. As with us, it is customary to have a festive dinner at midnight. And if our New Year's table one cannot do without salad and herring under a fur coat, then in China traditional dishes on this festive night are pork, jerky, fish and Chinese sausage. Also on this day it is customary to visit each other and present gifts. And on the streets this night a real extravaganza takes place - fireworks and fireworks are launched, sparklers and bamboo sticks are lit, explosions of firecrackers are heard from all sides, as well as joyful laughter and fun. And be sure to visit the cemetery on this day - to honor the memory of ancestors.

2nd day. One of the most important traditions on this day is prayer. Each person asks the Lord for his own - someone for prosperity in business, someone for well-being in the family, someone for health. After that, the Chinese continue to visit their relatives and friends, it is imperative to go to their parents - to communicate with them, give gifts to children, they also go to those relatives and friends whom they have not seen for a long time. It is not uncommon to meet the poor and homeless at your door - they ask for help. The Chinese do not refuse and help in any way they can, and those in need, in turn, say words of gratitude, congratulate you on the holidays and wish you all the best.

3 - 4 days. During this period, it is customary to visit each other. Young people go to their friends, who are older also try to visit all their friends and congratulate them on the holiday. One important tradition is to visit all your relatives, since on this holiday it is extremely important to unite the whole family. After all, they, like us, have a saying: "As you celebrate the New Year, so you will spend it."

5 - 6 days. These days for the Chinese begin with jiaozi, or as it is also called bobo. This is a traditional Chinese dish that resembles our dumplings in shape and tastes more like dumplings. In ancient times, they were eaten for five days, but today no one uses them like that and the Chinese bobo consume two or three days maximum. Also, starting from the fifth or sixth day of the New Year, the Chinese begin to more and more pour into work, do business, and so on. However, the first working day after the weekend is sure to start with fireworks and fireworks.

Day 7 received the name Jinjitsu. On this day, it is also necessary to honor and glorify the Lord. After all, this is a holiday of the creation of man. The Chinese people pray and thank God for the creation of mankind. It is also customary to serve another traditional dish on the table - the Yusheng raw fish salad. The Chinese believe that if you eat it on this day, then the whole coming year his income will only prosper, no one will need anything in the family, and harmony and prosperity will reign between relatives and friends.

Day 8. According to legends, the first grain was born on this day, and there is also a sign: if the weather is clear on this day, then the whole coming year will be a good harvest of rice, and if, on the contrary, the harvest will be poor and poor. And also on this day it is customary to go to the temple and light smoking candles in honor of the stars. And in the evening everyone gathers for dinner, and the hostesses always prepare yuanxiao, the so-called koloboks.

Day 9. According to legend, the supreme heavenly deity Jade Emperor was born on this day, and it is also the day of heaven. On the ninth day of the New Year, the Chinese go to the temple and pray in honor of the Emperor, as well as bring sacrifices to him and pray for prosperity and wealth. Basically, from that day on, all Chinese people return to work.

Day 10. This is the day of the stone. In no case should you use any objects made of stone, and incense and candles are lit in temples in honor of the stone. They also visit each other and mainly the holiday is held for the game of majian, and some of them for chess.

Day 11- this is the day of the son-in-law. The father-in-law must definitely arrange for the husband of his daughter real holiday and a real banquet in his honor.

12-14 days. During this period, careful preparation begins for the Lantern Festival - the last day of the New Year. They buy jewelry, paper lanterns, and build lantern sheds. Also during this period, they try to eat more vegetarian food. In this way, the Chinese are trying to cleanse themselves of the previous days, when their holiday tables were packed to capacity.

Day 15. The New Year ends with a holiday of lanterns. It is considered more family-run and is held accordingly. The whole family gets together for a festive dinner. Necessarily all together create lanterns with their own hands. And on the table there must be a yuanxiao - a ball of rice flour with a sweet filling. This traditional dish is a symbol of happiness and well-being in the family. After the meal, the whole family goes out into the street with their lanterns. Performances and concerts are often given in the city on this day.

Customs in Chinese New Year

• On the eve of the holiday, as, in principle, we have before the New Year, it is customary for the Chinese to clean the house, decorate it. And it is desirable that the decorations are mostly red. This is a kind of ritual to attract good luck and success to the house;


• But gifts are not as common with them as with us. They are almost never given to anyone, only children, and often they are just red envelopes with money in them. Moreover, if a child knocks on a visit, then it is also customary to hand him such an envelope with money. If suddenly there were not enough red envelopes, then the money is handed over just like that;


• If on New Year's Eve someone goes to visit, then it is imperative to take a couple of tangerines with you, and the owners, in turn, give two tangerines to the guests. This tradition has long been a symbol of wealth and success. By exchanging these fruits, the Chinese seem to wish each other wealth and prosperity;


• If the Chinese want to please their loved ones and still present a gift, then they give paired items, for example, two cups, or two souvenirs, in general, whatever, the main thing is that the gift is a couple. Thus, they wish each other happiness and harmony in the family;


• Dinner must be plentiful and rich. This is considered a symbol of wealth in the family. Therefore, for almost the entire holiday, as you have already noticed, the Chinese indulge themselves with various delicacies;


• On New Years, it is customary to wear only new things. They believe that in this way they attract good luck and success for the whole coming year, and leave old mistakes and failures in the last year;


• But you can't buy something new from clothes, especially shoes. Since this word is consonant with the words bad and unhealthy. And getting a haircut during this period is also undesirable, because you can cut your happiness in the coming year;


• It is also customary not to sleep on the first night of the new year. In China it is called "show sui", but in our opinion it is simply to protect the year. And so that the year goes well, paper is pasted on the jambs, where they write good wishes for the coming year.

Chinese New Year 2017 in Russia

As we can see, a lot of the traditions of the Chinese New Year and the Russian one are mixed together. And, perhaps it is not without reason. In our country, as is customary in China, every year they tie to the Eastern horoscope, and some families sometimes gather as families on this day. In large cities of Russia, you can often see events dedicated to the Chinese New Year. Like Halloween, the Chinese New Year is increasingly gaining the hearts of Russians, and more and more families can be found where they create beautiful and bright red lanterns with their own hands, and some just buy them in a store and launch them into the sky.

Do's and Don'ts on Chinese New Year

In China, like us, there are many superstitions and beliefs about the holiday, which they carefully perform:

1. In no case should you clean up on the first two days of the New Year, and also wash your hair and wash.


2. You can not give gifts with elements of white and blue flowers, even on the gift box they should not be present.


3. Do any needlework that is associated with threads - sewing, knitting, sewing, patching, embroidering, and so on. It is believed that the threads are the lines of fate. which can be easily confused.


4. Poorly pronouncing words associated with negativity is death, funeral, resentment, betrayal.


5. Take and lend to someone.


6. You can't grieve and cry.


7. It is also a bad omen to go to the doctor and stay in the hospital.


8. You cannot kill any animal, insect, and in general any living creature.


9. Clothes can be of any color, but only not white or black.


10. There should only be an even amount of money in the wallet, otherwise a year will pass in poverty and misery.

For those who did not have time to properly celebrate the onset of the New 2017, not all is lost. The real Chinese New Year is about to come, which, according to Eastern traditions, can be celebrated for a whole month.

As everyone has already learned during the New Year's Eve, according to the Chinese calendar, the coming New Year is a year Fiery red rooster.

When is the New 2017 Year of the Rooster according to the Chinese calendar

Since the coming of the Chinese New Year is calculated by lunar calendar, its beginning may fall on different days... In 2017, the Chinese New Year of the Rooster comes on the night of 28 January, and until that time in countries that really, and not pretend to live according to the Eastern calendar, the year is still going on Monkey.

How New Year is celebrated in China

In fact, according to ancient traditions, the New Year in China and the countries of Southeast Asia was celebrated for a whole month, and it was customary to spend this time with their relatives, to have fun and drink and eat from the heart. Now, of course, it is difficult to carve out a month for rest, and the Chinese celebrate the New Year from 11 to 15 days (depending on the loyalty of employers). On the eve of the New Year, millions of Chinese travel by all means of transport to visit their families, mainly to their parents, with whom it is customary to celebrate the holiday. It is believed that the pre-New Year migration of the population in China is the highest in the world.

Preparation for the holiday begins ahead of time - on the eve of the New Year in China and in numerous Chinatowns around the world, it is customary to hang in houses holiday decorations and Chinese lanterns, cleaning the house and other pleasant pre-New Year's chores.

It is very important to appease the god of the hearth these days. Tsza-o-wana who looks after the behavior of people in the family circle.

The main festivities in 2017 will begin on the night of January 27-28, when Fiery red monkey will finally give way A fiery red rooster.

What colors symbolize the year of the Fiery Red Rooster - 2017

These are all shades of red (from pink to burgundy), orange, yellow, fiery, ocher, gold, etc. Elegance and adherence in trend fashion trends, this applies not only to outfits, but also to jewelry - they should be expensive, bright, but not flashy.

2017 Chinese New Year Mascot

The mascot of the Chinese New Year 2017 is an elegant, creative, brilliant, popular with people of the opposite sex, but at the same time a homely Rooster.

It is believed that people born in the year of the Rooster are creative, adventurous, persistent in achieving goals, ambitious and even a little narcissistic. These are often people of creative professions, politicians, public figures and, of course, artists. Despite his wild popularity, the Fire Rooster is an excellent family man, which does not prevent him from sometimes "walking to the left", acting according to the saying: "A good leftist strengthens a marriage."

How New Year is celebrated according to the Chinese calendar

The traditions of celebrating the Chinese New Year are very ancient, but some of them have perfectly taken root in the West, including Russia. On this day, it is customary to gather for festive table, as well as launch fireworks and firecrackers and generally have fun from the heart. In China itself, these days there are folk festivals with dragon dances and an abundance of dishes from the famous Chinese cuisine. The main celebrations in China end after the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day after the start of the New Year.

In Russia, the Chinese New Year is celebrated in the same way as in January, adding an oriental flavor. Those who are not familiar with the real Chinese traditions, are limited to their imitation: there are Chinese lanterns, and fireworks, and red outfits on ladies, and red fruits and vegetables on the table, and entourage in the form of cockerels, and the prohibition to put chicken on the table. And, of course, what kind of New Year's table, even if it is Chinese, without your favorite salad Olivier and herring under a fur coat and without under champagne and vodka?

What not to do on Chinese New Year 2017

• At the festive table, it is undesirable to talk about the old year - all thoughts and conversations should be directed towards the future.
• In outfits, you should not combine black and white. In the East, it is believed that black is the color of failure, and white is mourning.
• On the first three days of the Chinese New Year, it is not customary to clean the house in order not to frighten off the house deity. Tsza-o-wana that hides in dusty corners.
• After the Chinese New Year, you should not immediately buy shoes, otherwise the year will be difficult.
• Also, in the first month of the New Year, you should not cut your hair, otherwise you can cut your luck.
• You don't need to wash your hair either on the first three days of the new year - otherwise you will wash off your luck.
• In the first days of the New Year, you cannot use knives, scissors and other sharp objects, so as not to cut off your happiness.
• You should not borrow money on New Year's, and it is advisable to distribute the debts accumulated over the previous year before New Year's Eve.
• You also can't quarrel and swear, otherwise the year will go badly.