Chinese new year 2020: 10 interesting facts about the festival that are sure to wow you

The Chinese New Year is celebrated by more than 20 per cent of people across the world. It is the most important day for Chinese people across the world. The Chinese New year does not have a set date and follows the Lunar calendar. Here are some interesting facts about the Chinese new year 2020.

10 unknown facts of the Chinese new year

It is also known as the Spring Festival

In China, you will hear the Chinese festival being referred to as Chunjie or the Spring festival. Since the holiday marks the end of the cold season, they also welcome the spring by harvesting new crops, it's like a new beginning for them.

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It’s a day to pray to the gods and fight monsters

The Spring festival was originally known as a ceremonial day to pray to the gods for a good harvest. People also believe in praying to their ancestors as they are treated as gods.

There are also some myths associated with it. A popular story states that long ago there was a monster named Nian, who would come on New Year Eve and people would hide in their homes, but one brave boy once came forward and fought the monster with firecrackers.

Firecrackers are a must

According to the myth of Nian, firecrackers are supposed to scare off monsters and bad luck. So the people in China believe in bursting firecrackers at midnight to draw away bad luck and the firecrackers are burst in the morning to bring in good luck.

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It’s the longest holiday

The Spring festival or the Chinese New Year is celebrated for 15 long days. However, the 5th day is a national holiday and people are supposed to spend it with their family. But, shopping for these days starts earlier because many shops remain closed on new years.

Largest migration

The most important part of the Chinese New year is a family reunion. Everyone is supposed to go back home, no matter what corner of the world they are in. This migration is called the Spring migration as many people living in the cities go back home.

Singles hire a partner

The Chinese culture includes having children and passing down the family name. It is believed that some singles hire a partner just so they could take them home for the family dinner, to avoid speculations from nosy relatives.

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No showering!

According to Chinese culture, showering is not allowed on New Year's Day. Before the 5th, throwing out garbage and sweeping too, isn’t allowed. In fact, before the Chinese new year, there is a specific day dedicated to cleaning and making room for good luck.

Dumplings become a staple

Dumplings are supposed to be eaten every day during the Spring festival. However, over the generations, people have stopped eating too much of it. They generally have it for New Year eve’s dinner or the first breakfast.

Everything is in red!

Right from the decoratives to the desserts and envelopes, everything is red in colour, during the Chinese New year. It is believed that Nian was scared away from firecrackers and the colour red, an invaluable weapon. Thus red is important!

Lantern festival

The Chinese new year ends with the Lantern Festival. Initially, women were not allowed to go out of the house on their own except during the first full moon year or the Lantern Festival. The lantern festival is also known as Valentine’s day in China.

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