The Year of the Horse!!!

It was quite strange being able to celebrate 2 New Years in the same month - one on January 1 and another on January 31!  The only thing I knew about the Chinese New Year before is that our Chinese suppliers would close for what felt like forever (compared to any of our American holidays) and we hoped our shipments left on time or we were in trouble!  Being in China this year, we were of course able to take advantage of that long holiday, but we were also able to learn a little bit about their tradition.

Chinese New Year (or you may also hear it referred to as the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival) is a very traditional Chinese holiday celebrating the turn of the Chinese calendar and it lasts for 15 days!  I won't pretend to understand the Chinese calendar, but it is solar and has something to do with the moon phase ...  

Between online research and discussions with my coworkers, I have learned a few things about their holiday.  One of the most important things is to be with your family during Chinese New Year.  It is expected to arrive home no later than New Year's Eve to have a reunion dinner where you eat fish.  Since many people have to travel by plane, train (which sell out quickly) or automobile, many companies close a few days earlier to let their coworkers travel and make it home on time.  With that being said, cities like Wuxi become a ghost town pretty quickly and everything shuts down! 

I have also been told that you should thoroughly clean your house before the new year to get rid of any bad luck and make room for incoming good fortune!  Purchasing new clothes and shoes symbolizes a good start, but get that hair cut BEFORE the new year because cutting your hair cut on new year is considered bad luck!  It is very common to give money to people (especially those not married) in red envelopes and how could you have a Chinese holiday (or any other day for that matter) without some fireworks - and I mean fireworks and fireworks and fireworks - all day and all night - for days! 

Even though the holiday lasts until the 15th day of the new month, which happened to be on Valentine's Day this year, not all businesses are closed that long.  In fact, most reopen starting the 8th day.  Between New Year's Day and the 8th day, people are traveling around to see all of their family members.  I was told that they rotate amongst each other's houses because it is rare for someone to have a house large enough to host everyone at the same time. It sounds like a Thanksgiving or Christmas that never ends (and without the football)!   

One last interesting fact:  Each year represents a different animal, rotating between the following:  Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog & Pig.  This year is the year of the horse! 

Here are some pictures of Ava celebrating Chinese New Year in her Qipao (Chinese dress) while in Thailand!