Chinese New Year - What does it mean to you ?

To the Chinese, Chinese New Year is one of the most important holidays. It is celebrated on the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar. Unlike the Western New Year, which is celebrated only one day a year, the Chinese New Year is celebrated for 15 days ending with the Lantern Festival.

On the days before the New Year celebration, Chinese families usually give their home a thorough cleaning. It is believed the cleaning sweeps away the bad luck of the previous year and makes their homes ready for good luck. Brooms and dust pans are put away on the first day so that luck cannot be swept away.

The Chinese New Year celebrations are marked by visits to kin, relatives and friends, a practice known as "new-year visits. Families will gather on the eve of Chinese New Year for a reunion dinner. The venue will usually be in or near the home of the most senior member of the family. The New Year's Eve dinner is very splendid and traditionally includes chicken and fish. Several foods are consumed to usher in wealth, happiness, and good fortune. Red packets for the immediate family are sometimes distributed during the reunion dinner. These packets often contain money in certain numbers that reflect good luck and honorability.

The first day is for the welcoming of the deities of the heavens and earth. Many people, especially Buddhists, refrain from meat consumption on the first day because it is believed that this will ensure longevity for them. Some consider lighting fires and using knives to be bad luck on New Year's Day, so all food to be consumed is cooked the day before. Most importantly, the first day of Chinese New Year is a time when families visit the oldest and most senior members of their family. Members of the family give red packets containing cash to junior members of the family, mostly children and teenagers.

The last day of the New Year is celebrated as Yuan Xiao Jie (元宵节), rice dumplings Tang Yuan, a sweet glutinous rice ball brewed in a soup, is eaten this day. Candles are lit outside houses as a way to guide wayward spirits home. This day is celebrated as the Lantern Festival, and families walk the street carrying lighted lanterns. This day often marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations.

To me, Chinese New Year is a time to strengthen family bonds.