Chinese New Year

While mention about Chinese new year, many people may think of red、hilarious and family reunion. People may prepare for almost a moth to celebrate the festival. There are a lot of interesting stories toward Chinese new year. It is the best time to seeing the quintessence of Chinese culture.

In Chinese culture, people regard red as a fortuitous color. Children may receive red envelope which is used to load money form the adults. People may stick on some red scissor-cut and spring Festival couplets which had been written down many holiday words on the wall or window whether inside or outside of the house. People may also hang gold and red decoration their house such as flowers and monthly calendar.

While new year is coming, everybody may become much busier. Each family has to clean up the house totally. Parents or grandparents may busy in preparing traditional food for the Supreme Being and our ancestor. Children may play firecrackers and asking for dressing on their new clothing. Nowadays many people may regard Chinese new year as a troublesome date so they would rather to go aboard and take a rest during the vacation. In fact, my father told me that the festival has an important usage--it is the time to caring about your belongings and cousins. Whether they are good or bad, at least we may get together. Maybe it is the reason why the relations between Chinese people may be much stronger.

Chinese called their new year “guo nian”. In fact, it originally came form a immemorial story. In the ancient China, people are afraid of a monster which is called “Nian”. Nian fixed attacked people at this time each year. Finally, people got together and make a racket to scare it away. Since that time, people got together and made hilarious atmosphere. In Chinese, “gup” means pass, “Nian” originally means the monster but today people may no longer remind the story.

Another vintage story is about spring Festival couplets. In the Ming Dynasty, there is a nice queen named Ma. One day, the emperor heard that people were laughing at Queen Ma’s big feet by making riddle. He was very angry about it and sent his bodyguard to stick on a red paper on the house where the men who made the riddle lived. He intended to kill them after he returned to the palace. As soon as Queen knew it, she sent people to stick red papers on almost all houses in the city so the emperop can't punish people. Finally, Queen Ma told the emperor that it was not a big deal besides her feet is really bigger than the other girls at that time. People loved Queen Ma even more and wouldn’t laugh at big feet anymore. As time goes by, people not only stick red papers in order to ask for luck but also write down poems or meaningful words in order to make wishes and celebrate the new year.

Chinese new year is the most important festival in traditional Chinese culture. An article is not enough to show how colorful and how many details people shell notice during new year. I really enjoy it and treasure it as my favorite festival.