About China's Spring Festival

DESCRIPTION:

The Spring Festival is the name given to the 15 day period between the Chinese New Year and the Festival of Lanterns. This is a big holiday in China and with Chinese communities worldwide. It is treated much like Christmas in the West or the Eid Holidays in the Islamic world. A national holiday, the entire country takes a week off for the celebrations.

Gifts are exchanged and red packets with money in even number denominations. Families travel far and wide to be together, special foods are prepared with the night before the Chinese New Year called the ‘reunion dinner’ being the most important. And of course, the retailers have many specials leading up to and during the festivities. Activities culminate on the 15th day with the Lantern Festival, marking the end of the annual Chinese New Year Celebration. For any business doing business with China, basically lock out the week leading up to it and the first seven days of the fifteen day period. You’ll have a hard time getting anyone to pay much attention to business. This time is about celebrating.

Each day of the Spring Festival has a different activity.

Day 1: Welcoming of the deities with firecrackers, dragon dancing and a vegetarian diet.

Day 2: Married daughters visit their parents

Day 3: Red Mouth Day is used to burn paper as a sign of destroying wrath. It is considered very unlucky to visit or have guests on this day.

Day 4: Dinner hosted by companies and employers. Businesses go back to work.

Day 5: Birthday of the god of Wealth. Firecrackers are shot to insure his favor, good fortune and prosperity in the year ahead.

Day 6: open

Day 7: Everyone becomes one year older, regardless of their actual birthday. Buddhists will avoid meet and others will have a raw fish salad to eat in order to promote wealth and prosperity in the year ahead.

Day 8: Family dinner night, company hosted lunch or dinner, all to celebrate the birth of the Jade emperor. In the hours leading up to midnight, incense are burnt and food offerings are made. Should a family fail to make offerings, the Kitchen god reports their lack of adherence to the Jade Emperor.

Day 9: A Day of Prayers and offerings to the Jade Emperor.

Day 10: A party is held for the Jade Emperor.

Day 11 & 12: Celebrations and parties continue with lots of food.

Day 13: Vegetarian day to cleanse the stomach and prayers, offerings and various forms of honor are paid to the Chinese god of War, General Guan Yu from the Han dynasty.

Day 14: Open

Day 15: The Shangyuan Festival of lanterns is when people eat traditional Chinese foods like rice dumplings, rice ball soup and candies. Families walk the streets together with colorful lanterns.