Lunar New Year Calendar
The Lunar New Year is the biggest holiday in Chinese culture. It usually falls between late January and early February. The date is based upon the Lunar calendar. The Lunar calendar is written based upon lunar movements or cycles and starts on the first new moon of the New Year. The New Year celebration finishes on the next full moon 15 days later. A complete cycle takes 60 years and is comprised of five 12 year cycles.
Legend
It is on this New Year day that legend tells of a horrible monster that would come out and devour villagers. People were so frightened by the terrible monster that no one would dare leave their house until 15 days later on the next full moon when the monster returned to its cave. A wise man told the villagers that the monster was afraid of the color red and loud noises. So the villagers began using firecrackers and decorating everything in red including their clothes. This drove the monster back into his cave. So now during the 15 days of Chinese New Year, Chinese celebrate with lots of firecrackers (mostly red ones), red decorations, lucky red money envelopes (lay sei), and food to welcome prosperity.
Celebration
Each day of the Chinese New Year celebration holds a specific meaning.
| Day 1 | Welcome the gods of heaven and earth |
| Day 2 | Remembrance of ancestors |
| Days 3 and 4 | Sons in law pay respect to parents in law |
| Day 5 | Welcome the god of wealth (po woo) |
| Days 6 through 10 | Visit relatives and pray for good fortune |
| Days 10 though 12 | Invite relatives and friends for dinner |
| Day 13 | Day of rest and cleansing of the system after eating so much rich food |
| Day 14 | Preparation for Lantern Festival |
| Day 15 | Lantern Festival |
During the Chinese New Year Celebrations will exchange the phrase "Gung Hay Fat Choy."; It has a similar meaning to the western phrase, "Happy New Year." "Gung Hay Fat Choy" is the common saying during this time of year and translates into “wishing you be prosperous”. Each New Year brings revived vitality and new luck to the home or business. Many businesses will also request for Lion Dancing performances. The lion is one of the prime symbols of Chinese New Year and it symbolizes power and drives off evil spirits to bring new luck and prosperity into the establishments.
During the Lunar New Year, Jow Ga Kung Fu performs traditional Lion and Dragon dancing demonstrations in establishments including restaurants and grocery stores in surrounding localities. In traditional beliefs, these dances ward off the evil spirits and bring new fortune everywhere the lion and dragon travels. To request a lion or dragon dancing demonstration for your establishment or for a special event please use the following form or contact us via any method on the contact page
Zodiac
Each year in the 12 year cycle is represented by a special animal often referred to as the Chinese Zodiac. The zodiac signs starts with the rat and ends with the pig. Chinese folklore tells a tale that on one day the animals debated on who would be the head of the 12 year cycle. The animals decided to have a race across the river to decide who would be first in the 12 year cycle. The animals all jumped into the river, but unbeknown to the ox, the rat had climbed on to his back. As the ox jumped ashore, the rat jumped ahead of him winning the race. The laziest animal of all, the pig, came in last. Thus, the rat comes first in the zodiac and the pig comes last.
It is said that each animal passes on definitive characteristics to its year. Many Chinese believe that the a person’s characteristics, traits, personality, habits, physical and mental attributes, and how successful he or she will become can be determined in part by the birth year of that person.
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