The Chinese New Year is an important celebration all over the world. Many years ago the Emperor Han Wu Di of China determined the start of the New Year. Today celebrations are based on his Lunar almanac. It uses the first day of the first month of the Lunar Year as the start of Chinese New Year. It does not fall on the same date each year, although it is always in January or February. It is celebrated on January 29; the year 2006 is the Year of the Rooster. In the Chinese calendar, it is the year 4704.
Everyone celebrates their birthday this day as well and turning one year older. During the New Year celebrations people are kind to each other, because to fight or be mean would bring a bad, and unlucky year. On New Year's day, everyone has on new clothes, and puts on his best behavior. It is considered improper to tell a lie, raise one's voice, use indecent language, or break anything on the first day of the year.
Lai See
During the Chinese New Year celebration, children receive money in red envelopes from their married relatives and friends. This envelope, called "lai see" is filled with money. It is a symbol of good luck. The amount of money is usually an even number as odd numbers are regarded as unlucky.
The Lucky Red Envelope Story
Red is a lucky color to the Chinese and is used for decorations during holidays, especially Chinese New Year or Spring Festival. Red is one of the colors in the Yin and Yang symbol. The red portion represents positive energy. Traditional Chinese wedding dresses are red, too!
In the Chinese culture, if a child is alive to celebrate a new year's celebration, the older relatives give that child a red envelope with money inside. The red envelope has positive, good power to protect people from negative or bad power.
Another custom during Chinese New Year, is for married people to give unmarried people a red envelope with money in it. Also, older relatives, such as a grandmother, gives young members of her family a lucky red envelope. In China, it is believed that this red envelope will bring luck to the person who gets it and to the person who gives it. Sometimes the red envelope is called "lay see" or lisee. Giving a Chinese child money is important to Chinese children because they usually do not get spending or pocket money in the form of allowance.
The dragon, emblem of the Chinese emperors, is a symbol of strength and goodness. The dragon is considered to be a good omen. During the Chinese New Year holiday, the dragon appears and wishes everyone peace and good fortune.The dragon dance is believed to repel demons. The dragon has two main dancers, one to maneuver the head, the other the back.
Chinese New Year
You'll find whenever the New Year comes
The Kitchen God will want some plums.
The girls will want some flowers new;
The boys will want firecrackers, too.
A new felt cap will please papa
And a sugar cake for dear mama.
Tangram is an ancient Chinese puzzle. This activity is sometimes called "seven pieces of cleverness." The object of the puzzle is to rearrange the pieces of a square (the puzzle pieces) to form figures (like a picture of a cat) using the tangram pieces.
Panda
Pandas are black-and-white bears from China. These large, cuddly-looking mammals have a big head, a heavy body, rounded ears, and a short tail. The pandas are on the verge of extinction.
The Chinese people call the panda "Da xiong mao," which means "giant bear cat" in Chinese. The panda is a symbol of peace in China. This bear is quite different from other bears. It has unusual cat-like eyes, and its front paws have an opposable "thumb." Female pandas are called sows, males are called boars, and the young are called cubs.
Pandas have a specialized diet is almost exclusively two species of bamboo (arrow and umbrella bamboo). They eat about 40 pounds of food each day. Bamboo is not very nutrition.
Giant pandas do not hibernate since their food is available all year long. During the cold winter months, giant pandas go to lower altitudes where it is a bit warmer; they also take shelter in hollow trees or dens. They don't seem to have permanent dens.
