Interesting Facts about Lunar New Year
I created a 1-pager that contains 8 (8 is a lucky number for the Chinese) key points on the Lunar New Year on one side and a little tutorial on stroke order for the tiger character in Chinese plus a fun Word Search activity on the other side. This piece is great for sharing with kids and raise their interest and appreciation at an early age of the East Asian cultures that celebrate Lunar New Year!
The information contained in my blog post below is lengthier and couldn’t be jammed in to a 1-page document about Lunar New Year. Thank you for reading and sharing!
The largest human migration in the world
Did you know that 3 billion trips are made each year (including return trips) to visit relatives by plane, train and automobile to celebrate Chinese New Year? Referred to as chunyun (春运), it is the travel period up to 15 days before the week-long observance of China’s Spring Festival (or chunjie (春) and up to 40 days. It is up to 40 days in part due to the lack of transportation options available for the millions to make each one-way trek during the same timeframe. Depending on one’s luck in buying airplane/train/bus tickets, travelers end up traveling within the window 15 days prior to the start of and 15 days after chunjie ends. This year, chunjie starts on February 9 (New Year’s Eve) and ends on February 24. In modern China, most elderly parents still live in the rural villages of their ancestors, while the younger generation works in the cities. Why do they call it Spring Festival when it takes place during the winter? The Festival marks the end of the coldest days of winter, with people welcoming the coming spring with planting, which represents new beginnings and fresh starts.
YEAR OF THE DRAGON
Source: Utica College
The Dragon is the fifth sign of the Chinese Zodiac, the ultimate auspicious symbol signifying success and happiness. In ancient China, the Dragon represented an emperor and power. For centuries, the Dragon has been considered one of the luckiest signs of the zodiac, possessing a mystical side, one that is intuitive, artistic and strangely lucky. No matter what surprises fate may have in store and whatever difficulties or hardships encountered along the road, the Dragon will always ultimately land on its feet. Its mystical allure may, however, be a bit too other-worldly, making the Dragon difficult to get close to.
Dragons are tenacious and successful. Tenacious, in that they tend to devote themselves to a great cause or work, determined to see it through to the end. Successful, in that regardless of whether they choose an artistic, medical, political or business career, they will shine. In business, they are honest and straightforward.
Although seemingly affable and agreeable, Dragons can be as ferocious as the mythical beast on which the sign is based. Intellectually, Dragons are clever, bright, and sharp people, yet on occasion they will throw all logic to the wind and follow their hunches. Fortunately for them, they are strong on intuition and invariably all works out well. Temperamentally, they can be hot-headed, and quick-tempered—spouting words often before thinking. Nevertheless, their opinions are worth listening to and their advice is well-intended.
The Dragon is not the most domesticated of the Animal signs, preferring outdoor activities rather than staying at home. Dragons are extroverts who also have a deep love for nature.
Most & Least Compatible Signs
Most Compatible Signs: Rat, Monkey, Rooster
Incompatible Signs: Ox, Rabbit, Dog, Sheep
A few celebrities who were born during the year of the DRAGON
| Martin Luther King | Sigmund Freud | Florence Nightingale | Joan of Arc |
| Susan B. Anthony | Grace Kelly | Mae West | John Lennon |
| Bruce Lee | Shirley Temple | Wynonna Judd | Christopher Reeve |
| Keanu Reeves | Orlando Bloom | Colin Farrell | Sandra Bullock |
| Calista Flockhart | Courtney Cox | Jeremy Lin | Stephen Curry |
| Isabella Rossellini | Julia Ormond | Juliette Binoche | Reese Witherspoon |
| Al Pacino | Jack Ma | Rihanna | Adele |
My collection of red envelopes saved through the years
More on Chinese New Year red envelopes
Etiquette:
1. Do gift crisp, new bills, as gifting dirty or wrinkled bills is in bad taste.
2. Do receive a red envelope with both hands and express thanks with an appropriate phrase. It is considered impolite to receive a red envelope with one hand and not express thanks with an appropriate phrase.
3. Don’t gift coins.
4. Don’t give amounts starting with the number 4, like $4, $40 or $400. The number ‘4’ Chinese sounds like ‘death’ and is therefore considered bad luck. Even numbers are better than odd numbers. The number ‘8’ is considered good luck, so gifts like $8, $80 or $88 would be best.
5. Don’t open your red envelope in front of the person who just gave it to you.
Taboos and Superstitions
As in practically all other cultures around the world, there are a lot of taboos and superstitions adapted over the course of centuries, all of which have the intent of attracting good fortune into the New Year and protecting against bad fortune.
Do’s:
- Do talk about good, happy things to set the tone for the new year
- Do pay back your debts before the new year starts
- Do wear red because red is the luckiest color
Don’ts:
- Don’t cut your hair on during the New Year, as that would cause connections to be severed
- Don’t wear black or white, as both colors are associated with mourning
- Don’t wash your hair or do laundry on the 1st or 2nd day of the new year, as that would wash good fortune away
- Don’t sweep on the 1st or 2nd day of the new year, as that will sweep away accrued wealth / luck
- Don’t cry or argue, as that will bring bad fortune
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