Feb 22, 2013

The people of China celebrate the New Year on the first day of the lunar calendar. Since it is also considered to be the first day of spring, the traditional 15-days long celebration is also called Spring Festival, where schools and shops are sometimes closed for up to a week.

According to folklore, a wild and mystical beast named “Nien,” the word for year, appears at the end of the year to feast on defenseless villagers and children. It was found that the beast could be scared away by loud noises and bright lights. Therefore the New Year tradition of lighting firecrackers, hanging of bright red “Chūnlián,” and wearing of new clothing in red or gold – the colors of good fortune and prosperity – was created.

: The traditional Chinese lion head used for celebrating the new year. The paper mch lion head weights about 15 pounds, but with its ornate cloth body, it becomes quite heavy for the performer over the course of the performance. (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)

: Chinese lion dancers perform for over 1500 children and parents who join in the celebration of Chinese New Year, the Year of the Snake, at Port Discovery Children’s Museum. (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)

: Children with the Gina Ling Chinese Dance Chamber perform during the celebration of Chinese New Year, the Year of the Snake. Over 1500 children and parents attended a celebration at Port Discovery children’s museum. (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)

: A lion dancer performer jumps down steps as children and parents watch on during the celebration of Chinese New Year at Port Discovery Children’s Museum. (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)

: Amaya Torres, 5, a kindergartener at Baltimore International Academy, dances as a butterfly while performing in a Chinese New Year program at Port Discovery. (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)

: A dance performer entertains the crowd at Port Discovery Children’s Museum. To warn off evil spirits, the lion dance, accompanied by the playing of drum and cymbals, is performed in front of homes or at the place of work. The mythical lion represents vitality, prosperity and good fortune. (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)

: Red envelopes, called “hong bao” in Mandarin, filled with money typically given to children or unmarried adults with no job during new year or special occasions such as birthdays. These pictured are specially for children and wishing them “Happy New Year.” The color red denotes good fortune and abundance in Chinese Culture. (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)

: A dance performer lifts the head of the lion over his head as children and parents watch on during the celebration of Chinese New Year. The lion or dragonÕs head, made out of bamboo and paper-mch, can weight from 15 to 50 pounds. (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)

: Ariel Nealy, 6, a kindergartener at Baltimore International Academy, performs the Kung Fu Fan dance with classmates during the school’s Chinese New Year performance. (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)

: The drummer plays the edge of the kettledrum for a higher pitch sound during the lion dance. (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)

: Xiao Xia Zhang (cq), left, the Chinese immersion co-ordinator at Baltimore International Academy, leads her students in performing mandarin songs and dances during the celebration of Chinese New Year, the Year of the Snake. Over 1500 children and parents attended the event on the seventh day of usually a 15 days celebration of the new year. (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)

: Lion dancers perform for children and parents as part of the celebration of Chinese New Year, the Year of the Snake. (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)

: A pair of cymbals are played during the performance of the traditional lion dance. (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)

: Dontae Ryan II, 9, a fourth grader at the Baltimore International Academy, dressed in a traditional Chinese new year coat, sings in Mandarin Chinese while performing new year song and dance with classmates at Port Discovery. (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)

: A dance performer entertains the children and parents who came to Port Discovery Children’s Museum to join in the celebration of Chinese New Year. (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)

To warn off evil spirits, the lion or dragon dance, accompanied by the playing of drum and cymbals, is performed in front of homes or at the place of work. The mythical lion or dragon represents vitality, prosperity and good fortune.

The lion or dragon’s head, made out of bamboo and papier-mâché, can weight from 15 to 50 pounds. The lion dance is performed by two people usually Kung Fu artists, while the dragon requires at least nine to 10 people. Some grand dragons can require up to 100 performers.

The modern southern lion dance, the style most often seen in the U.S., requires the performers to mimic the scratching, shaking and licking of hair like a cat, but also the strength, jumping and tumbling abilities of big cats all the while lifting and manipulating the head and tail to showcase their martial art techniques and prowess.

Families prepare for the New Year by cleaning and decorating their homes with “Chūnlián,” which are red strips or diamond-shaped paper written or printed with Chinese characters or sayings representing good fortune. Then the whole family gathers for the most important meal of the year, the New Year’s Eve reunion dinner.

Throughout the following days, they would visit different relatives’ homes for more celebration and meals. During these visitations, red envelopes filled with money, called “Hong Bao,” are given by parents to their own and other’s children and also to singles to wish them happiness and abundance in good fortune for the new year.

Celebrating Chinese New Years, the Year of the Snake

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