Chinese New Year Traditions
Chinese New Year is celebrated all over the world. In China, it's a time when families take holidays and get together. They gather at each other's homes for visits and meals, and often have a special feast on New Year's Eve.
Before the new year, it is a tradition to clean house to sweep away all the bad luck from the old year. Often, at midnight on New Year's Eve, people open all the doors and windows to let the old year leave.
People dress in bright red clothes to celebrate a happy year. They decorate their houses and write poems on red paper. The color red is for fire, which according to legend, can drive away bad luck. It is also a tradition to bang gongs and set off fireworks to celebrate and to frighten off evil spirits.
At Chinese New Year people give money to children in red envelopes. The red color is for good luck, and the amount of money can be anything from a few coins to a larger amount. Lucky money envelopes are also known as Red Packets or Red Envelopes.
Chinese New Year is a 15-day holiday. It begins on the first day of a new moon and ends with the Lantern Festival, which is held 2 weeks later on the night of the bright full moon.