【Spring Fesitval!!!】

KittyJ

The biggest holiday in China---- "Spring Fesibal" is near to come~~~~~~~~
It occur to me that is could be a fantastic topic for all of us to talk about!
So, anything about this tranditional but wonderful holiday is welcome here!!!!!!

KittyJ

The Origin of Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year is now popularly known as the Spring Festival because it
starts from the Begining of Spring (the first of the twenty-four terms in coodination
with the changes of Nature). Its origin is too old to be traced. Several explanations
are hanging around. All agree, however, that the word Nian, which in modern
Chinese solely means "year", was originally the name of a monster beast that started
to prey on people the night before the beginning of a new year.
One legend goes that the beast Nian had a very big mouth that would swallow
a great many people with one bite. People were very scared. One day, an old man
came to their rescue, offering to subdue Nian. To Nian he said, "I hear say that you
are very capable, but can you swallow the other beasts of prey on earth instead of
people who are by no means of your worthy opponents?" So, swollow it did many
of the beasts of prey on earth that also harrassed people and their domestic animals from time to time.

After that, the old man disappeared riding the beast Nian. He turned out to be an
immortal god. Now that Nian is gone and other beasts of prey are also scared into
forests, people begin to enjoy their peaceful life. Before the old man left, he had
told people to put up red paper decorations on their windows and doors at each
year's end to scare away Nian in case it sneaked back again, because red is the
color the beast feared the most.
From then on, the tradition of observing the conquest of Nian is carried on from
generation to generation. The term "Guo Nian", which may mean "Survive the Nian"
becomes today "Celebrate the (New) Year" as the word "guo" in Chinese having
both the meaning of "pass-over" and "observe". The custom of putting up red paper
and firing fire-crackers to scare away Nian should it have a chance to run loose is still
around. However, people today have long forgotten why they are doing all this,
except that they feel the color and the sound add to the excitement of the celebration.

潘骁

Happy Spring Festival~~
Wish you have lots of beautiful dreams and all the dreams come true.
hehe~~,

zbz

大吉大利
hehe

KittyJ

only 10 days before the Spring Festival to come,
I'm so excited~~~~that I can enjoy everything this great/magic holiday will bring to me!!!!

Aren't you feel excited???

KittyJ

Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The 15th day of the new year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.
The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. In order to "catch up" with the solar calendar the Chinese insert an extra month once every few years (seven years out of a 19-yearcycle). This is the same as adding an extra day on leap year (闰年). This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year.

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated as a family affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving. The celebration was traditionally highlighted with a religious ceremony given in honor of Heaven and Earth, the gods of the household and the family ancestors.
The sacrifice to the ancestors, the most vital of all the rituals, united the living members with those who had passed away. Departed relatives are remembered with great respect because they were responsible for laying the foundations for the fortune and glory of the family.
The presence of the ancestors is acknowledged on New Year's Eve with a dinner arranged for them at the family banquet table. The spirits of the ancestors, together with the living, celebrate the onset of the New Year as one great community. The communal feast called "surrounding the stove" or weilu. It symbolizes family unity and honors the past and present generations.

潘骁

以下是引用KittyJ在2003-1-20 10:30:35的发言：
only 10 days before the Spring Festival to come,
I'm so excited~~~~that I can enjoy everything this great/magic holiday will bring to me!!!!

Aren't you feel excited???

In fact when I was in compus I regarded Spring festival as a common day~~I feel nothing about it. But this year I am ususally excited for Spring festival. the reason maybe is far away from my home.maybe I begin to miss my parents after I know their hardship to bring me up.But the feeling is absolutely different from the excitement in my boyhood~~[em02]

Ameliazhang

Hello,everybody,it is a long time not to come here.
Spring festivel is around at hand,I am so excited about it because since I was born I never left my parents for such a long time-four months.
I lived near hangzhou and when I became a high school student,I first left my parents,but every two weeks,I would come home.I took my college education in hangzhou and every month I would get back.
I miss my parents and want to eat the dishes my mother prepares for me.
I feel this spring festival is important to me.I hope it will come soon.

KittyJ

以下是引用潘骁在2003-1-20 10:57:47的发言：
In fact when I was in compus I regarded Spring festival as a common day~~I feel nothing about it. But this year I am ususally excited for Spring festival. the reason maybe is far away from my home.maybe I begin to miss my parents after I know their hardship to bring me up.But the feeling is absolutely different from the excitement in my boyhood~~[em02]

From the moment I was born till now, I never leave my parents when New Year and Spring Festival coming~~~
So, lucky I am, uh?? Of course I can reach the feeling you have!
Do you mean that you will stay at Beijing during the Spring Fesitval this time??

潘骁

以下是引用KittyJ在2003-1-21 12:14:26的发言：
From the moment I was born till now, I never leave my parents when New Year and Spring Festival coming~~~
So, lucky I am, uh?? Of course I can reach the feeling you have!
Do you mean that you will stay at Beijing during the Spring Fesitval this time??

There must be little mistake in my words.or you would not misunderstand me~~
I surely go back home and spend the holiday with my parents. But It is difficult to buy the train ticket~~,So your are lucky,you need not try to buy ticket,you need not spend so much time in "journey"~~[em15][em15]