Chinese New Year dates. Blog about China. What is served on the New Year's Table in China

Let's find out everything about the Chinese New Year 2018: when does it start and when does it end.

It so happened historically that modern China celebrates two New Year holidays. One holiday on the occasion of the arrival of the New Year is celebrated together with the whole world on the night of December 31 to January 1, and the other with a truly Chinese scope and millennial traditions a little later. Eastern culture is recognized all over the world and interest in it is steadily increasing, so many people in the west celebrate the New Year according to the Chinese calendar.

Myths, legends, signs and traditions of the holiday are incredibly attractive and shrouded in a touch of ancient times. It is with this that the interest in holding the main and pompous holiday in the Land of the Rising Sun, still mysterious and original, is connected.

The start date of the Chinese New Year is not fixed, but changes annually. In ancient times, all the dates of Chinese holidays, including the onset of the New Year, were determined solely by the lunar calendar. This tradition, like many others in China, is still alive today.

Chinese New Year always falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, this period lasts from January 21 to February 21.

The Chinese will celebrate the arrival of 2018 on February 16, and it will end next winter with the advent of the new year 2019. The arrival date of the next year is calculated in a similar way and falls on February 4, 2019, on this day 2018 ends.

Many are interested in the Chinese New Year 2018 exactly when the holiday begins and ends!

The duration of the celebration of the Chinese New Year has changed, if before the Chinese had fun for 30 days, now only 15. Such a reduction is connected with the changed circumstances of the life of Chinese society.

So, summing up, we determine the start and end dates of the Chinese New Year 2018:

beginning February 16, 2018;
end February 4, 2019;
The duration of the celebration is 15 days, and this year the end of the festivities falls on March 2.

It should be noted that the end of the celebration of the onset of the Chinese New Year smoothly flows into the beginning of another holiday, also very revered in China - the Lantern Festival, which begins just on March 2.

Some information related to Chinese New Year

It is also important that since 1911, the Chinese New Year began to be called in China the holiday of the onset of Spring, in Chinese it sounds “Chun Jie”. The connection between man and nature, as the basis of all Chinese culture, is reflected both in relation to the change of times and in the traditions of celebrating the New Year. New Year in China is perceived as a renewal of the world, its rebirth after the winter death of nature.

For a little over a hundred years now, there have been two holidays in China, the essence of which is the same, but the dates of celebration are different. This is the International New Year, celebrated according to the Gregorian calendar, and the Spring Festival, which is the ancient Chinese New Year, which is celebrated according to the Chinese calendar.

Chinese New Year is celebrated not only in China, but also in other countries of the East, for which Eastern culture is native.

Recall that the Chinese New Year in 2018 begins and ends on the above dates.

According to the ancient Chinese calendar, each year has its own animal patron. Such a legend is connected with an ancient legend, like all other Chinese traditions. The legend says that at the call of the Buddha to come to him, only 12 animals were able to quickly get there, which were given the reign for each year.

In addition to the patron, each year has its own color, and also refers to one of the five elements, each of which, according to ancient Chinese legends, is the main driving force and has a powerful influence on the fate of people, their behavior and character.

Brief description of the upcoming New Year 2018

The coming year according to Chinese time is 4716, will be held under the auspices of the Yellow Earth Dog. In addition, the coming year will have a masculine Yang, which will also have a positive effect on the characteristics of the year. Under the influence of Yang energy in people in the New Year:

the energy supply will increase, they will feel a surge of fresh strength;
the efficiency and speed of thinking will increase;
there will be purposefulness and pressure in achieving the goal;
general mobility and physical activity will increase;
Creativity will prevail in everything.

The defining element of 2018 will be the earth, which, unlike other elements that have a limited seasonal influence, will have an impact throughout the year. Its influence on the character of people will be manifested in endowing them, to one degree or another, with such qualities as:

reliability;
responsibility in decision making;
patience;
solidity in any business;
high moral values;
high intuition;
ability to raise money.

There is also a negative impact that will affect the manifestation:

excessive ambition;
lack of healthy adventurism and liveliness;
some cruelty;
stubbornness;
the desire to keep everything under control of their interests and benefits.

However, the upcoming New Year will be held under the auspices of the Dog, which will also make its own adjustments to the fate of people. If we consider in general, then under the control of such a symbol of the year, it will pass as calmly as possible, without conflicts, with a favorable influence.

A dog is a faithful, obedient, kind animal, some unpredictability and willfulness, according to astrologers' forecasts, is compensated by the fact that the year will not be a leap year, calm in terms of geomagnetic disturbances.

2018 promises well-being and prosperity to everyone, you can safely start a new business, enter into happy marriages, sign profitable financial contracts.

The historical roots of the holiday

In addition to when the Chinese New Year 2018 begins and ends, people are also interested in its history.

The origin of the Chinese New Year celebration is shrouded in many myths and legends, you can choose any one and believe in it. What the Chinese have done, the most popular variant is the legend of the amphibian monster Nian, which comes to land once a year. Nian ruthlessly devours everything that gets in his way. The villages were empty every New Year, fleeing from the monster.

But one day a brave little boy who was dressed in red clothes, together with his mother, scared and drove away the monster. The boy frightened him with the color of his clothes, and his mother with a loud clatter of a stick with which she banged in order to frighten the animal even more.

Since that time in China, they began to celebrate the New Year every year, as a change of times and a victory over a monster. They celebrate noisily, cheerfully and in all red or purple.

The crackle of logs in the oven, as well as the sound of a stick, which in ancient times scared away evil forces, was replaced by the active use of various firecrackers.

Two other popular versions of the origin of the holiday

China is a big country, in one part of it one legend dominates, while in another part people believe in another legend and even a third. Fortunately, Eastern culture does not experience a shortage of myths and legends.

Another legend relates to the popular and beloved Emperor Shun, who ruled in the 23rd century BC, according to the history book Shu-jing (one of the five books of Confucius).

In short, fate gave one miserable boy, whose childhood was one continuous misfortune, a gift in the form of the opportunity to serve with the just and kind Emperor Shun. The boy possessed so many virtues and was so devoted to the emperor that he showered him with royal honors. He gave both his daughters in marriage to him, and presented the throne, bypassing his own son.

The boy was crowned on the first day of the new moon after the winter solstice. In the sky, according to legend, ten suns lit up, as a sign that the new emperor is the chosen one of God. When it was his turn to hand over the reins of government to the country, he also handed over the crown not to his son, but to a person who, more than his son, was worthy of such an honor, this event also happened on the first day of the new moon.

Since then, as they say in the book, the tradition of annual fun festivities has begun, in honor of the wisdom of Chinese emperors, who care, first of all, about the prosperity of their country, and not about their family.

The third popular legend in China is connected with the annual start of sowing, the awakening and rebirth of nature after death during the cold season. The connection between man and nature is fundamental in Chinese culture. It is on this postulate that almost all myths and legends are built, including also household and economic activities of a person.

The awakening of nature from sleep among the Chinese is associated precisely with the first new moon, it is this period that is the starting point of the annual cycle. The holiday of the New Year is connected both with the change of times and the beginning of the annual economic activity.

Preparing for the Chinese New Year

Knowing when the Chinese New Year 2018 begins and ends, it is important to carefully prepare for it!

Chinese New Year is the most important event in the country, every family should be at the festive table in full force. No matter how scattered the lives of members of one family, they must certainly return to their native nest on New Year's Eve. Preparations for the New Year's Eve begin with the Chinese with mass movement around the country, tickets cannot be obtained for any type of transport.

An important step in preparing for the holiday is cleaning and decorating the home. After all the corners are cleared of signs of dust and the space is prepared for the circulation of the renewed Qi energy, all tools are securely hidden.

The first few days of the New Year, when grace is scattered around the house, cleaning should not be done in any case.

There is no Christmas tree in the Chinese New Year holiday; instead, the Chinese decorate the so-called Light Tree. Five multi-colored ribbons are hung over the door, symbolizing love, good luck in business, wealth, career success, family happiness.

How to celebrate Chinese New Year

It is important to know when the Chinese New Year 2018 starts and ends!

According to the famous fashion designer Henry Lau, clothes for the Chinese New Year should meet three postulates:

all shades of red and purple;
shiny details and accessories;
clothes must be new, never worn.

Whatever color of the year tops the palette of colors of the year, the red color of New Year's outfits remains unchanged. This is not just a centuries-old, but several centuries-old tradition, to which the Chinese are very careful and reverent. New clothes should be to attract all the same renewed and free energy, which will become the basis of well-being in the New Year.

Modern Chinese fashion designers and designers specially for the New Year develop collections of fashionable clothes, all models are simply stunning beauty and enchanting chic, to match the holiday itself.

What should be on the holiday table

On the modern Chinese table on the occasion of the celebration of the New Year, any favorite delicacy prepared according to the recipes of world cuisine can stand. However, the Chinese strictly honor their traditions and without the obligatory jiaozi (dumplings), as well as niangao (pieces of sweet sticky rice of various shapes), this will not be a Chinese New Year's table.

Chinese dumplings - a traditional dish for the New Year

Dumplings symbolize wealth, because they remind the Chinese (it is not clear why) gold bars, and rice symbolizes prosperity and a high harvest.

Table setting is also very important for the Chinese, the color scheme is traditionally kept in red tones, various shades.

The attitude of the Chinese to New Year's gifts

It is not customary to give gifts for the Chinese New Year in the Celestial Empire; this ancient tradition has not been fully preserved lately. Usually the main gifts from the Chinese are red envelopes with money and, again, according to tradition, they are presented by parents to children in order to attract the energy (where without it) of well-being.

Recently, gifts have increasingly become an integral part of the celebration, however, the attitude towards them is special:

the gift should not be expensive, but purely symbolic;
pairing must be observed, in one copy a gift is not given;
give a gift in private or secretly when guests leave the home, leaving a gift;
if you give a gift, then only with two hands;
start presenting gifts, if there are several, from the eldest;
the color of gift wrapping should not be blue or white (in China, these are mourning colors);
the inscriptions should not contain the number 4 (sacred number).

How is the Chinese New Year

We remind you! When does the Chinese New Year 2018 start and end: From February 16 to March 2, there will be 2 weeks of public holidays!

The whole family gathers at the festive table, abundantly laden with various dishes, communicate, relax, laugh. The main traditional requirement is that everything be noisy, fun, enchanting. As you know, the Chinese speak quite loudly and sharply enough, so this requirement is easily met.

If possible, you should go outside, communicate with neighbors, congratulate them and start firecrackers.

On New Year's Eve, the Chinese do not sleep until the morning, this tradition was also formed from mythological legends, having already become a folk omen. Even very sick people get up to the festive table in order to meet their happiness and good luck, which the coming year will certainly bring.

First days of Chinese New Year

No matter how much you want to clean up after a lot of fun, it is strictly forbidden to do it. The deterrent is not someone's ban, but the fear of destroying the positive energy and grace scattered around the house in the coming year.

Having rested after a sleepless night, the Chinese go on a visit, taking tangerines as a gift, of course, in the amount of two pieces. Tangerines in the Middle Kingdom are considered a symbol of prosperity and wealth.

It so happened that the behavior of the Chinese after the onset of the New Year is literally scheduled by day:

second day. On this day, the Chinese pray, thank God for all the blessings that the past year has brought. They continue to visit guests, visit various entertainment attractions, and participate in mass festivities with fireworks. It is important on this day to help the poor by distributing food and things;
the third day. Holidays in the family circle, called "red dog" or "red mouth";
fourth day. For many, the last day off, so they either complete their last visits, or just relax;
fifth and sixth day. A calm day, everyone is busy with their household chores, a traditional “bobo” dish is being prepared, reminiscent of dumplings with the taste of dumplings;
seventh day. Again prayers and dinner with the traditional Yusheng dish on the table;
eighth day. Celebrating the appearance of the first grain of rice;
ninth day. Some of the Chinese go to work, the rest go to temples to light candles for the soldiers - liberators from the Japanese;
tenth day. Day of the stone, the tradition of honoring this object of the earth. Rest with family;
eleventh day. Son-in-law's day, feast, eulogies, gifts;
twelfth day. Day of cleansing the body of heavy food. Everyone spends it in their own way;
thirteenth, fourteenth. Preparation for the day of lanterns, making lanterns by all family members;
fifteenth day. The end of the New Year's holiday, the beginning of the Lantern Festival. Some family members continue to make lanterns, the other part prepares festive dishes for the feast. In the evening, a walk with lanterns, participation in folk festivals.

Now, having learned everything about the Chinese New Year 2018, and when the holiday begins and ends, it is important to carefully prepare for it!

One of the longest and funniest holidays in China and in many other countries of East Asia is the Chinese New Year. Despite its Western counterpart, this holiday does not have a specific day of celebration. Every year it is celebrated on different days.

The first day of the feast falls on the second new moon, which comes after the winter solstice. According to the Gregorian calendar, this day falls somewhere between January 21st and February 21st. Usually, the holiday lasts for 15 days.

This year, the New Year's holiday began on February 16, 2018 and will end on February 4 of the next year. The celebration will take place from February 16 to March 2, 2018. But, the Chinese will officially rest only for 7 days, starting from February 15 and ending on February 21.

As already known, the Chinese New Year began on February 16, just at that time the second new moon after the winter solstice occurred.

Every year, China has its own combination, which can only be repeated once in 60 years. This combination represents one of the 12 available zodiacal animals of a certain color, which will correspond to one of the available 5 elements: earth, fire, wood, water and metal. This year, the symbol of the year is the dog, and the element is earth, the main color is yellow.

It should be said that all 60-year circles begin with a wooden rat and end with a water pig. Such a circle began on February 2, 1984, and will end on January 29, 2044.

If you believe the old myths, then with the onset of the New Year, all Chinese must hide from the monster, which is called Nian (translated from Chinese as “Year”). He always comes on the first day of the celebration and ruins all the settlements: he eats cattle, crops, and also the villagers.

To protect themselves and their home from this monster, all Chinese people decorate their homes in advance. They cover them with beautiful red patterns with different inscriptions, hang pictures with wishes, and also hang red lanterns. Red has its own legend.

As you know, Nian, who always loved to feast on children, once saw a child in a red robe and was frightened of him. After that, everyone concluded that the monster is afraid of red. In addition, all families, before the arrival of the holiday, try to carefully clean their homes in order to cleanse their lives of various failures and make room for happiness.

As has long been accepted, all families in China gather at the same table. In the Celestial Empire, it is suitable to set a chic table for the holidays. All housewives try to cook the favorite dish of their household. On the table without fail there must be fish and meat, as well as dumplings.

Even those family members who study or work in another country or city return to this holiday. All Chinese people celebrate the New Year with their parents. Because of this, all transport in the country is overcrowded and it is impossible to buy a ticket.

The festive night ends with fireworks that scare away evil spirits and bring happiness and peace to the family.

The next morning, the children try to wake up as early as possible to congratulate their parents on the holiday, and also tell them a lot of pleasant and warm words. Parents respond to their children and give them red envelopes containing money, the rosregistr website reports.

After this ritual, the whole family gathers and goes to visit their relatives or neighbors. It takes them five days to make such walks. It is not customary to come to the house without a gift, so they prepare gifts for their friends and relatives in advance. In the Celestial Empire, it has long been customary to give paired gifts that symbolize unity and family harmony.

It would seem where we are and where the Chinese are. Russia has been and remains a country of European culture, and what is happening around us in the mysterious Celestial Empire remains generally incomprehensible to us when it comes to traditions and ideas about life. Nevertheless, there is interest in the Chinese New Year in our country, and not everyone knows that there is a similar holiday in Russia and is celebrated in some republics located in the east of the country. When is the Chinese New Year celebrated in 2018, how long will the next year last, what analogues of this holiday do we have.

Chinese New Year in 2018 - when is it celebrated

The Chinese New Year was celebrated on February 16, 2018. Since its date is calculated in a special way, it is always unstable, and the year itself can be either longer or shorter than 365 days. This time it is 12 days shorter - the next New Year in China will come on February 4, 2019.

On February 16, the year of the Yellow Earth Dog, whose arrival the Russians celebrated on December 31, actually came.

Indeed, our interest in the Chinese New Year is mainly due to the fact that the Chinese horoscope contains 60 different combinations, and each subsequent year is the year of one of the 12 animals and one of the five elements. The horoscope of the Chinese, even if it has nothing to do with reality, is composed very beautifully and poetically in its own way, and many find hints in it about what the next year will be like, what character the children born this year will be, etc. .

The date of the Chinese New Year is fickle for much the same reasons that the date of Easter is fickle for Christians. The Chinese are guided by the lunisolar calendar, and they have a new year on the day of the second new moon after the winter solstice. The winter solstice always falls on December 21-22, but the dates of the new moon are not constant due to the fact that the lunar month is slightly shorter than the solar month.

What analogues of the Chinese New Year exist in Russia

Such analogues do exist. Moreover, these holidays are celebrated quite officially and are contained in the calendar of holidays in our country. True, at the level of regional legislation.

Absolutely the same holiday, the new year according to the lunisolar calendar, is officially celebrated in the Russian republics of Altai, Buryatia, Kalmykia and Tuva.

With the exception of Kalmykia, all these regions are located in the east of our country, and all of them, including European Kalmykia, are united by the fact that the traditional religion of the local peoples is Buddhism. This religion is closer to Chinese traditions than to European Christianity, so there is nothing surprising in the fact that the peoples of these republics also celebrate the New Year according to Eastern rules and traditions.

So the real one finally arrives Chinese New Year which is dedicated yellow earth dog. According to tradition, the New Year according to the Chinese calendar can be celebrated for a whole month, in the Celestial Empire, in any case, they do it.

When is the "real" Chinese New Year of the Dog?

Chinese calendar year yellow ground dog comes into the night from 15 to 16 February 2018, leaving in the past the totem animal of the outgoing year - Red fire rooster.

In China, the lunar calendar has been used since ancient times, and the second new moon after the winter solstice is considered the onset of the New Year. In total, there are twelve totems-symbols in the Chinese astrological calendar, which, replacing each other, form twelve-year cycles. These cycles, in turn, are superimposed by two more cycles - the five main elements (metal, wood, water, fire and earth) and two types of "cosmic energy" - Yin and Yang.

Coming on the night of February 16, the year of the Dog is the eleventh in a 12-year cycle, its Yang energy, the year also obeys the energy of the earth, which, according to Chinese tradition, is associated with yellow. Therefore, the year is dedicated yellow earth dog.

In China, the traditional New Year is a very important holiday. It is desirable to spend this time with the family - in feasts and fun.

At this time, the Chinese try to take vacations (of course, it is customary to celebrate not a month, but from 11 to 15 days) and go to their families. The movement of Chinese citizens around the country and the world at this time is the highest seasonal migration of the population.

By the beginning of the New Year in China itself and in numerous Chinatowns around the world, houses and streets are decorated in accordance with national traditions. It is also customary to carefully clean the dwellings and prepare a plentiful festive table to appease the family gods.

Although the traditions of celebrating the Chinese New Year are very ancient, some of them have taken root well in Western countries, in America and in Russia. On this day, it is customary to gather at a richly laid festive table, launch fireworks, and delight loved ones with gifts. In China, traditional colorful parades with dragon dances and other vibrant national events are held on New Year's days. Around the world, tables are bursting with an abundance of dishes from the famous Chinese cuisine.

What to wear for Chinese New Year

If you want to celebrate the onset of the New Year of the Dog in all the rules, then all shades of yellow, ocher, gold, brown, crimson, burgundy, etc. are suitable for the outfit. Also appropriate is the most popular color in China, red, which is given a mystical meaning.

What to put on the table

The dog is known to be very fond of meat, and Chinese cuisine is famous for its meat dishes. So all kinds of meat delicacies on the festive table will be more than appropriate. But do not forget about the Russian flavor - New Year's Olivier, herring under a fur coat, aspic, tangerines, as well as drinks suitable for the holiday, have not yet been canceled. The main thing to remember here is that, unlike China itself, the Chinese New Year in Russia is by no means a day off.

Chinese New Year - 2018: traditions and signs, what not to do

The ancient Chinese had a whole series of prohibition traditions that could not be violated when celebrating the New Year. Some of these traditions have migrated to our days.

Before the New Year, all debts should be distributed (in Russia there is also such a sign). Borrowing and borrowing money on New Year's Eve is not worth it, it harms financial "health".

At the festive table, you need to talk only about the future, not remembering what happened in the past year. Therefore, the Russian tradition to properly “spend” the old year on a Chinese holiday is hardly appropriate.

In the first three days of the Chinese New Year, do not clean the house, especially sweeping, so as not to sweep away good luck. They also do not advise the first three days of the New Year to have a haircut and even wash, otherwise, they say, you can cut your hair or wash off good luck.

After the onset of the Chinese New Year, you should not immediately buy new shoes, otherwise the year may turn out to be difficult to climb.

Well, and, of course, in the New Year, in no case should you quarrel and swear, otherwise you won’t see good luck and prosperity.

The Chinese are good. Having celebrated one New Year, they begin to prepare for another. But unlike the usual New Year, which they celebrate, since we are on the night of December 31 to January 1, their second holiday, the Chinese New Year, does not have a fixed date. If you do not mind, we would like to introduce you a little to this amazing holiday, telling you its essence and features.

From what date and on what date is the Chinese New Year in 2018

The most important thing is that in 2018, the second Chinese New Year begins on the 16th, in the month of February. And this celebration continues right up to the 2nd of March inclusive. For all these 15 days, China turns into a smart Christmas tree. The streets are decorated, smart Chinese scurry around relatives and friends. And the most interesting thing is that the patron of the year, which is the yellow earth dog this year, they change only for the Chinese New Year, and not like ours - January 1.

But the Lantern Festival, this is the very end of the Chinese New Year, which takes place on the 2nd day, the month of March.

How the Chinese traditionally celebrate the New Year according to their calendar

On any such holiday, the Chinese put on all red and pour out into the street. Like us, they buy gifts for friends, relatives and relatives. Most often they donate money. They put banknotes in envelopes, which are also red.

The Chinese believe that donated money for this holiday will bring even more money to their new owner. Of course, these envelopes are not given “dry”, the Chinese have collected a lot of beautiful congratulations, which they share on the holiday.

Much earlier, the beginning of the Chinese New Year, was the beginning of agricultural work. Thus, the workers wished each other a good harvest and prosperity for their families. Usually, on New Year's Eve, the Chinese, like us, sit down at the festive table with their families and watch festive programs on central television.

Do they celebrate Chinese New Year in Russia?

In Russia, this Chinese date is rarely celebrated. It happens that lovers of Chinese culture arrange similar celebrations at home. And they arrange such a holiday with the help of traditional paper lanterns, and also prepare delicious Chinese dishes.

First New Year in 2018 in China

But the fact that the Chinese have their own New Year does not oblige them to abandon the traditional one, which the whole world celebrates on the 1st. By the way, the fact that they, like us, launch fireworks on New Year's Eve, is explained as follows: they scare away evil spirits for the whole next year. Red is their favorite color, as they believe they attract good luck. The noise and din in Chinese houses is the same as we are used to hearing during the celebration of the New Year holidays.