Chinese New Year is also called chūn jié 春节 or literally spring festival, and starts with the first day of the lunar month, which falls on January 31 this year. To celebrate, let’s learn a bit about the Chinese language and culture associated with this holiday.
People in China also refer to the new year holiday as guò nián 过年 which means literally to cross or pass (guò) a year (nián). The second word, nián 年, is also the name of a monster who, according to Chinese legend, would come to villages on New Year’s Eve and eat people. This is where the tradition of setting of firecrackers came from. The ritual began with people making loud noise and lighting bamboo to scare off the evil monster and enter safely into the New Year! The modern day version is a pyrotechnic masterpiece. Take a look at one of the spectacular displays from last year:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQM6kQCL4ZI
Chinese New Year ends on the full moon 15 days after it starts. 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.
This year 2014 is the Year of Horse in the Chinese zodiac. If you were born in 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, or 2002, you’re a horse. The word for horse in Chinese may seem easy, but be careful! It only differs from the word for mother in Chinese by the tone it carries. The word for horse is mǎ 马, which has a scooping town (from low pitch to medium) that sounds kind of like when someone says “Really?” in disbelief. (e.g. Really? You’ve never eaten sushi?) The word for mother is mā 妈, which has a high tone that remains constant. It sounds a bit like the tone one might use when they start a sentence with “Well,…” as they are thinking about what to say.