/ Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year (Spring Festival)
&2015 Chinese New Year falls on February 19. It is the
according to Chinese zodiac. 2016 Chinese New Year will fall on February 8. It&will be&a great chance to traditional Chinese folk customs of this grand feast!
Writing Festival Couplets
Chinese New Year, also called Spring Festival, has more than 4,000 years of history. Being one of the traditional Chinese festivals, it is the grandest and the most important festival for Chinese people. It is also the time for the whole families to get together, which is similar with Christmas Day to the westerners. Originating during the Shang Dynasty (about 17th - 11th century BC),&it celebrates family reunion and hopes the advent of spring and flowers blossomingrich with full of colorful activities. People from different regions and different ethnic groups celebrate it in their unique ways.&Festival TimeIt&comes on the first day of &and lasts for almost half of a month. But in folk custom, this traditional holiday lasts from the 23rd day of the twelfth month to the 15th day of the first month () in the lunar calendar. Among these days, the Eve and the first day Spring Festival holiday is the peak time. The exact days are different in every year according to the lunar calendar. Schedule details in recent years&are offered in the following table.
Chinese Zodiac
January 31
January 31 - February 6
February 19
February 18 - 24
February 8
February&7 - 13
January 28
January&27 - February&2
February 16
February 15 - 21
February 5
February 4 - 6
January 25
January 24 - 30
Couplets and Decorations
&History&It is said that the custom of Chinese New Year started in when people offered sacrifice to ancestors in the last month of Chinese lunar calendar. At that time, people prepared the sacrifice by doing thorough cleaning, having bathes and so on. Later, people began to worship different deities as well on that day. It is the time that almost all the farm works were done and people have free time. The sacrificing time changed according to the farming schedule and was not fixed until the Han Dynasty (202BC-220AD). The customs of worshipping deities and ancestors remains even though the ceremonies are not as grand as before. It is also the time that spring is coming, so people held all kinds of ceremonies to welcome it.&&Legends&There are many legends about&the Spring Festival in Chinese culture. In folk culture,&it is also called &guonian& (meaning &passing a year&). It is said that the &nian& (year) was a strong monster which was fierce and cruel and ate one kind of animal including human being a day. Human beings were scared about it and had to hide on the evening when the &nian& came out. Later, people found that &nian& was very scared about the red color and fireworks. So after that, people use red color and fireworks or firecrackers to drive away &nian&. As a result, the custom of using red color and setting off fireworks remains.&The preparation&starts 7 days before the New Year&s Eve. According to Chinese lunar calendar, people start to clean the house on Dec. 24, butcher on Dec. 26th and so on. People have certain things to do on each day. These activities will end Jan. 15th of the lunar calendar.&&
of Character 'Fu' Meaning&
Happiness and 'Feng' Meaning &Harvest
Every family does a thorough house cleaning and purchases enough food, including fish, meat, roasted nuts and seeds, all kinds of candies and fruits, etc, for the festival period. Also, new clothes must be bought, especially for children. Red scrolls with complementary poetic couplets, one line on each side of the gate, are pasted at every gate. The Chinese character 'Fu' is pasted on the center of the door and paper-cut pictures adorn windows.&TaboosAs a start for a new year, it is regarded as the omen of a year. People have many taboos during this period. Many bad words related to &death&, &broken&, &killing&, &ghost& and &illness& or &sickness& are forbidden during conversations. In some places, there are more specific details. They consider it unlucky if the barrel of rice is empty, because they think they will have nothing to eat in the next year. Taking medicine is forbidden on this day, otherwise, people will have sick for the whole year and take medicine constantly.&
Dumplings, Traditional Food of Spring Festival
Food during this happy event has its characteristics, which is the representative of Chinese festival food culture. Dumplings and the reunion dinner are indispensable at this time. Cold and hot dishes are all served. Fish is always an important dish then, which expresses people&s hope of having a wealthy year.&In China, different places have their own traditions and activities to celebrate this grand festival. Beijing, Guangzhou, Xian and Pingyao are some good places to go if one intends to come during the time period. If one does not want to travel so long, but still want to enjoy the festival's atmosphere, the local Chinatown is the best place.&
Chinese New Year Greeting Cards
& New Year Wishes
& Happy New Year!
& Welcome to China!
&Further Reading:&&is available for you to know the schedule of all holidays in China and better make your travel plan.& happens over one month around the festival when China faces an extremely high traffic load, especially on the railway services.&: Every lunar year in China is related to an animal sign according to the zodiac system - rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog&and pig.: : 4 Days Luxury Tour of Beijing : 5 Days Luxury & Standard of Guiyang - Kaili - Shidong - Kaili - Guiyang : 4 Days Standard of Hohhot
Copyright &
&All rights reserved.2015 NPC & CPPCC
Annual legislative and political advisory sessions
  
Prince William attends premiere of film 'Paddington' in Shanghai
China's top political advisory body starts annual session
Memories of service staff at the two sessions
Trending: Caveman saves money for family
Buddhist monk breaks brick in kung fu
Owners and pets enjoy reunions
Most Popular
A total of 14 national political advisors were expelled due to corruption, said Yu Zhengsheng, China's top political advisor in Beijing.
China is expected to launch the unmanned Chang'e-5, its fifth lunar probe, in South China's Hainan province, a top Chinese space scientist says.
China's top legislature will study the possibility of abolishing the crime of "soliciting underage prostitutes" after China's top judicial authorities showed support to the move.
China's drafting of its first counterterrorism law is a domestic issue, China's Foreign Ministry said in response to comments made by the United States.
China's stocks fell for the first time in four days, led by financial and energy companies, amid market concern for growth prospect.
Air pollution, corruption and the wealth gap are the three issues of most concern to readers ahead of the annual parliamentary sessions of China, according to an online survey by the China Daily website.
China's Ministry of Science and Technology has started planning for a five-year air pollution prevention and control project, the ministry announced on Tuesday.
Wang Jianlin, head of China's biggest private property developer, outwins Alibaba's Jack Ma, to be re-ranked the country's wealthiest person this year.
Not to MissCurrent Location:
& Main Body
Lesson 153 Happy New Year ! (1)
Profile：Lesson 153 Happy New Year ! (1)
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Cam: Yajie, we are all finished with Christmas and the countdown begins for the New Year.&
YJ: Yes. Do you have any plans for New Year&s eve?
Cam: I plan to go to a party. What&s the Chinese for &party like it&s 1999& Yajie?
YJ: You&ll find out in Key Words of the Day.
Key Words of the Day
New year&s eve, 31号晚上，What
are you doing on New Years Eve? 31号晚上你打算怎么过？& party，聚会, 派对，& Bar酒吧，
Champagne香槟. All in today&s Chinese Studio.
Cam:& So Yajie, the first thing we have to do is planning the New Year&s Eve. How do I say New Year&s Eve in Chinese?
YJ: Well, in oral Chinese we often say 31 hao4 wan3 shang4, which means the night of Dec. 31th.
Cam: I see, san1shi2yi1 hao4 wan3 shang4,
YJ: san1shi2yi1 hao4 means 31th,
Cam: san1shi2yi1 hao4
YJ: wan3 shang4 means the night,
Cam: wan3 shang4,
YJ: san1shi2yi1 hao4 wan3 shang4,
Cam: san1shi2yi1 hao4 wan3 shang4, New Year&s eve. I wonder how to ask &What are you doing on New Years Eve?& in Chinese?
YJ: you can say &san1shi2yi1 hao4 wan3 shang4 ni2 da3 suan4 zen3me guo4& 31号晚上你打算怎么过？
Cam: &31hao4 wan3 shang4, ni2 da3 suan4 zen3me guo4& Can you tell me what&s the meaning for each word?
YJ: Sure. Ni3 means you,
YJ: da3 suan4, plan to do sth,
Cam: da3 suan4.
YJ: zen3me, how,
Cam: zen3me
YJ: guo4, to spend the day,
YJ: san1shi2yi1 hao4 wan3 shang4, New Year&s Eve,
Cam: san1shi2yi1 hao4 wan3 shang4,
YJ: san1shi2yi1 hao4 wan3 shang4 ni2 da3 suan4 zen3me guo4
Cam: which means &What are you doing on New Year&s Eve?&
Conversation1:
（1）A：31号晚上你打算怎么过？
B： 我打算去看电影
（2）A: 31号晚上你打算怎么过？
B: 我打算去参加一个聚会。
YJ: So Cam, san1shi2yi1 hao4 wan3 shang4 ni2 da3 suan4 zen3me guo4? 31号晚上你打算怎么过？
Like I mentioned at the beginning, I plan to go to a party. I know it&s
okay for me to say party in English, but I still want to know how to
say it in Chinese.
YJ: you can say &ju4 hui4&
Cam: ju4 hui4
YJ: both ju4 and hui4 means to get together,
Cam:& ju4 hui4
YJ: or you can say &pai4 dui4&, which is another example of a similar pronunciation.
Cam: pai4 dui4, party&
Conversation2:
（1）A: 31号晚上你打算怎么过？
B: 我打算去参加一个聚会。
（2）A：31号晚上有一个派对，咱们一起去吧，
B: 太好了，我喜欢派对！
Cam: How about you, Yajie? What are you doing on New Year&s eve?
YJ: I may go to a bar with a group of friends.
Cam: What&s the Chinese for a bar?
YJ: it&s jiu3 ba1
Cam: jiu3 ba1
YJ: jiu3 means alcohol
Cam:& jiu3
YJ: ba1 means a place like a bar,&
Cam: I guess it&s another similar pronunciation example, right?
YJ: Exactly, jiu3 ba1
Cam:jiu3 ba1, bar. I must bring some champagne if I go to a house party!
YJ: Right, it&s a lot of fun to pop the cork and drink together.
Cam: What&s the Chinese for Champagne?
YJ: it&s &xiang1 bing1&
Cam: xiang1 bing1
YJ: How about we make a toast now?
Cam: Good idea, let&s wish all of our listeners a very Happy New Year!
YJ: zhu4 da4 jia1 xin1 nian2 kuai4 le4! Happy New Year!
Conversation3:
（1）A: 这是我送你的香槟，祝你新年快乐！
B: 谢谢，也祝你新年快乐！
（2）A: 新的一年又到了，新年快乐!
B: 让我们开香槟庆祝一下吧！
Key Words Reminder
New year&s eve, 31号晚上，What are you doing on
New Years Eve? 31号晚上你打算怎么过？& party，聚会, 排对，& Bar酒吧， Champagne香槟， All in
today&s Chinese Studio.
Hot Tags：
------分隔线----------
------------------
Previous：
Next：None
Column ListTuesday Mar 03, 2015
UK PM greets Happy New Year in Chinese
Web Editor: Li Yan
UK PM greets Chinese New Year
As Chinese people around the world celebrate the lunar new year, British Prime Minister David Cameron has sent his greetings from 10 Downing Street.
"On this new year, I want to pay tribute to the incredible contribution that the British Chinese community makes to this country. So let me once again wish you a happy new year and every possible success for the next twelve months. Happy New Year (in Chinese)," greeted by David Cameron, UK PM.
Cameron said the celebrations reflect the richness and vibrancy of Chinese culture in the UK, and it's a good moment to reflect on Britain's relations with China. He stressed the economic ties particularly and reminded of his visit to China last year, accompanied by Britain's largest-ever trade delegation. The British Prime Minister said he hoped both countries would continue working closely together in future years, as Britain is more open to Chinese investment than many other western countries.
Related News
Comments (0)
Most popular in 24h
& Archived Content
Copyright &1999-.
All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.daily lesson
Cam: Yajie, we are all finished with Christmas and the countdown begins for the New Year.& YJ: Yes. Do you have any plans for New Year’s eve?Cam: I plan to go to a party. What’s the Chinese for “party like it’s 1999” Yajie? YJ: You’ll find out in Key Words of the Day.
Key Words of the Day New year’s eve, 31号晚上，What are you doing on New Years Eve? 31号晚上你打算怎么过？& party，聚会, 派对，& Bar酒吧， Champagne香槟， All in today’s Chinese Studio.
Cam:& So Yajie, the first thing we have to do is planning the New Year’s Eve. How do I say New Year’s Eve in Chinese? YJ: Well, in oral Chinese we often say 31 hao4 wan3 shang4, which means the night of Dec. 31th. Cam: I see, san1shi2yi1 hao4 wan3 shang4, YJ: san1shi2yi1 hao4 means 31th, Cam: san1shi2yi1 hao4 YJ: wan3 shang4 means the night, Cam: wan3 shang4, YJ: san1shi2yi1 hao4 wan3 shang4, Cam: san1shi2yi1 hao4 wan3 shang4, New Year’s eve. I wonder how to ask “What are you doing on New Years Eve?” in Chinese? YJ: you can say “san1shi2yi1 hao4 wan3 shang4 ni2 da3 suan4 zen3me guo4” 31号晚上你打算怎么过？Cam: “31hao4 wan3 shang4, ni2 da3 suan4 zen3me guo4” Can you tell me what’s the meaning for each word? YJ: Sure. Ni3 means you,Cam: ni3YJ: da3 suan4, plan to do sth,Cam: da3 suan4. YJ: zen3me, how,Cam: zen3meYJ: guo4, to spend the day,Cam: guo4YJ: san1shi2yi1 hao4 wan3 shang4, New Year’s Eve, Cam: san1shi2yi1 hao4 wan3 shang4, YJ: san1shi2yi1 hao4 wan3 shang4 ni2 da3 suan4 zen3me guo4Cam: which means “What are you doing on New Year’s Eve?”&Conversation1:（1）A：31号晚上你打算怎么过？B： 我打算去看电影（2）A: 31号晚上你打算怎么过？B: 我打算去参加一个聚会。&YJ: So Cam, san1shi2yi1 hao4 wan3 shang4 ni2 da3 suan4 zen3me guo4? 31号晚上你打算怎么过？Cam: Like I mentioned at the beginning, I plan to go to a party. I know it’s okay for me to say party in English, but I still want to know how to say it in Chinese.YJ: you can say “ju4 hui4”Cam: ju4 hui4YJ: both ju4 and hui4 means to get together, Cam:& ju4 hui4YJ: or you can say “pai4 dui4”, which is another example of a similar pronunciation. Cam: pai4 dui4, party…&Conversation2:（1）A: 31号晚上你打算怎么过？B: 我打算去参加一个聚会。（2）A：31号晚上有一个派对，咱们一起去吧，B: 太好了，我喜欢派对！ &&Cam: How about you, Yajie? What are you doing on New Year’s eve?YJ: I may go to a bar with a group of friends. Cam: What’s the Chinese for a bar?YJ: it’s jiu3 ba1Cam: jiu3 ba1 YJ: jiu3 means alcoholCam:& jiu3YJ: ba1 means a place like a bar,& Cam: I guess it’s another similar pronunciation example, right?YJ: Exactly, jiu3 ba1 Cam:jiu3 ba1, bar. I must bring some champagne if I go to a house party!YJ: Right, it’s a lot of fun to pop the cork and drink together. Cam: What’s the Chinese for Champagne? YJ: it’s “xiang1 bing1”Cam: xiang1 bing1YJ: How about we make a toast now?Cam: Good idea, let’s wish all of our listeners a very Happy New Year!YJ: zhu4 da4 jia1 xin1 nian2 kuai4 le4! Happy New Year!
Conversation3:（1）A: 这是我送你的香槟，祝你新年快乐！B: 谢谢，也祝你新年快乐！（2）A: 新的一年又到了，新年快乐! B: 让我们开香槟庆祝一下吧！
Key Words Reminder New year’s eve, 31号晚上，What are you doing on New Years Eve? 31号晚上你打算怎么过？& party，聚会, 排对，& Bar酒吧， Champagne香槟， All in today’s Chinese Studio.
Cam:& Okay… our plans for New Years are coming together!& See ya tomorrow! Yajie:& Ming tian jian.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
我现在____实现了童年的梦想，当上了一名文艺工作者。A 已经B 就要C 正在D 马上&
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
& |& & |& & |& & |& & |& & |& & |& & |& & |&