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New Year is the most important holiday for the Chinese, and celebrations will be taking place right across Australia. Also known as 'Spring Festival’, the next New Year falls on Tuesday, February 5, beginning a Year of the Pig. Get ready for dragons, firecrackers, delicious food and dazzling song and dance.
This year’s new year festivities will include anything from street festivals, markets, vibrant displays of lanterns and firecrackers, to festive menus at local restaurants.
New Year Traditions
For a year of good fortune and blessings, children often receive red envelopes with money (Hong Bao, Ang Pao, or Lai See).
The Chinese decorate everything red for New Year, adorning homes with red lanterns and strings of chilli peppers, as well as red paper pasted onto doors.
New clothes are also believed to bring good luck and a fresh start. Chinese lion dancing is for blessing either a home or business. The loud drums and cymbals are to chase away the bad evil spirits.
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What to eat
Spring rolls and dumplings are eaten during every special occasion but are the most significant during Chinese New Year.
There are too many different types of filling to count. You can have whatever type of meat, vegetable and flavour you’d like. Typically, they include Chinese cabbage, green onion, pork and shrimp.
Steamed fish is another favourite; it is said to symbolise surplus and wealth. Nian gao, also known as “rice cake” or “New Year cake” in English, and they are a must for Chinese New Year.
Year of the Pig
In Chinese culture, pigs are the symbol of wealth. It is the twelfth of all zodiac animals and years of the Pig include: 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007 and 2019.
If you are born in these years, the following things are said to be lucky; the colours yellow, grey, brown and the numbers 2, 5 and 8. The mineral agate is also deemed to bring luck.
Pigs are said to have a beautiful personality and are blessed with good fortune in life.