Guò Nián Hǎo!Happy Chinese New

Year!

Guò Nián Hǎo!•The most important festival for Chinese people just like Christmas in the West.

Guò Nián Hǎo!•Time: The 1st day of the 1st lunar month

( one month later than the Gregorian calendar)

Guò Nián Hǎo!26th of January 2009.

Guò Nián Hǎo! Chinese New Year

2009 is the Year of the

Ox

Guò Nián Hǎo!• Papercut-Ox

Guò Nián Hǎo!• Papercut-Ox

Guò Nián Hǎo!• Papercut - Ox

Guò Nián Hǎo!• Papercut – Ox

Family Reunions!

“about 2.17 billion people are expected to travel to and from home in 40 days this year”

“The railways expect to carry 156 million passengers this year”

----China Economic Net

Guò Nián Hǎo!• They are buying train tickets!

Migrant workers return home

Guò Nián Hǎo!• Bus station

Guò Nián Hǎo!• Airport

Spring Festival couplets

                                                   

 

春联 Spring Festival couplets: Then people begin decorating their clean rooms featuring an atmosphere of rejoicing and festivity. All the door panels will be pasted with Spring Festival couplets ( 春联 chunlian), highlighting Chinese calligraphy with black characters on red paper. The content varies from house owners’ wishes for a bright future to good luck for the New Year. Also, pictures of the god of doors and wealth will be posted on front doors to ward off evil spirits and welcome peace and abundance

Guò Nián Hǎo!Spring Festival couplets

Spring Festival couplets

Everything goes well

East Spring

South Summer

West Autumn

North Winter

given good

assistance fortune

The character “ Fú ” is a must!

福 Fú (happiness)

is pasted

on the door

The character “ Fú ”- happiness

The character “ Fú ” - happiness

The character “ Fú ” - happiness

New Year’s Eve feast

• Chinese people attach great importance to New Year’s Eve or Spring Festival Eve.

• At that time, all family members eat dinner together.

New Year’s Eve feast

• The meal is more luxurious than usual.

• Dishes such as chicken, fish cannot be excluded.

New Year’s Eve feast

New Year’s Eve feast

Hóngbāo - Red Packet• On New Year, everyone dresses up.

• First they say “Guò Nián Hǎo!” (Happy New Year!) to extend greetings to their parents.

• Then each child will get “Hóngbāo” with money in it as a New Year gift!

Hóngbāo - Red Packet

Hóngbāo - Red Packet

Hóngbāo - Red Packet

Hóngbāo - Red Packet

Jiǎozi - Dumplings

•People in north

China will eat Jiǎozi

Jiǎozi - Dumplings

Jiǎozi - Dumplings

Jiǎozi - Dumplings

Jiǎozi - Dumplings

Jiǎozi - Dumplings

Jiǎozi

Making Jiǎozi

Why eat Jiǎozi ?

?

• In sound it means “bidding farewell to the old and ushering in the new”

• Also, the shape of “Jiǎozi ” is like a gold ingot from ancient China.

Nián gāo – New Year cake

• Southern Chinese

eat Nián gāo.

Nián gāo – New Year cake

Nián gāo – New Year cake

Nián gāo – New Year cake

Nián gāo – New Year cake

Nián gāo – New Year cake

Nián gāo – New Year cake

Why eat “Nián gāo” ?

• nián: year

• gāo : high / higher

• “Nián gāo” is homophonic with

“higher and higher,

one year after another”

Celebrations

• Burning fireworks!

• Lion dancing

• Dragon lantern

dancing

• Temple fairs

Guò Nián Hǎo!• China has 56 ethnic groups.

• Minorities celebrate their Spring Festival almost the same day as the Han people, and they have different customs.