Chinese people don’t have a particular interest in December 31st / January 1st. What the whole country is excited about is the Chinese New Year! Chinese people call the whole celebration-过年guònián. The importance of this celebration can be compared with the importance of Christmas in most western cultures.
中国人对 12 月 31 日/1 月 1 日并没有特别的兴趣。全国人民真正兴奋的是中国新年！中国人把整个庆祝活动称为”过年”。这个庆祝活动的重要性可以与大多数西方文化中圣诞节的重要性相媲美。
The general duration of “过年” is 3 weeks, including the preceding preparing week, the New Year holiday week (the national public holiday of this year: Jan 31st to Feb 6th) and the third week ending up with the Lantern Festival (Feb 15th). People will plan their holidays accordingly from 1-3 weeks.
“过年”的持续时间通常为 3 周，包括之前的准备周、新年假期周（今年的国家公共假期：1 月 31 日至 2 月 6 日）以及以元宵节（2 月 15 日）结束的第三周。人们会根据 1-3 周的时间来计划他们的假期。
In this article, we would like to give you an all-round guide to understand the upcoming 虎年/Hǔnián (Year of the Tiger). As we summarize below, we believe there are 5 facts that you can’t miss about Chinese New Year. Let’s check them out one by one!
在这篇文章中，我们想为您提供一份全面的指南，帮助您了解即将到来的虎年（Hǔnián）。根据我们总结的以下内容，我们相信有 5 个关于中国新年的重要事实您不能错过。让我们逐一查看！
The 12 Zodiac Calendar
You must know that most Chinese national holidays are set according to the lunar calendar. Chinese people didn’t use the solar calendar (Western calendar) until 1912. But why “Tiger” this year? What do the animals stand for each year?
您必须知道，大多数中国法定假日都是根据农历设置的。中国人直到 1912 年才开始使用太阳历（西历）。但为什么今年是“虎年”？每年的动物代表什么？
The Chinese Zodiac is a classification scheme that assigns an animal and its reputed attributes to each year in a repeating 12-year cycle. The 12-year cycle is an approximation based on the 11.85-year orbital period of Jupiter.
中国十二生肖是一种分类体系，它将一种动物及其相传的特质分配给每个 12 年循环中的年份。这个 12 年循环是基于木星的 11.85 年轨道周期而近似计算的。The 12 animals and 12-year cycle start from the rat, followed by ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat/sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. That’s why Chinese people call 12 years “one round/cycle”- “一轮yìlún”.
12 种动物和 12 年的周期从鼠开始，依次是牛、虎、兔、龙、蛇、马、羊/山羊、猴、鸡、狗和猪。这就是为什么中国人把 12 年称为“一轮”——“一轮”。
“12 Chinese Zodiacs”, which one is yours?
“12 个中国生肖”，你的属于哪一个？The coming new year, in the name of the tiger (虎/hǔ), is the third year of the 12-year cycle. You might wonder why the tiger is chosen as one of the Chinese Zodiacs？Why not lion?
即将到来的新年，以虎（虎/hǔ）为名，是 12 年循环中的第三年。你可能会好奇为什么虎被选为十二生肖之一？为什么不是狮子？
Here is one of the famous stories that explains why tiger has the privilege of being included in the Chinese Zodiacs：
这里有一个著名的传说解释了为什么虎有资格被纳入十二生肖：
As tiger is known as the king of all animals in China, the zodiac sign “Tiger” is a symbol of strength, exorcising evils, and braveness. So during Chinese New Year, elders often prepare tiger shoes and tiger hats for kids, hoping to bring them good luck and tiger spirits.
在中国，虎被称为百兽之王，因此十二生肖中的”虎”象征着力量、驱邪和勇敢。所以在中国新年期间，长辈们常常为孩子们准备虎鞋和虎帽，希望给他们带来好运和虎的精神。
And just like their eponymous zodiac animal, people born in Years of the Tiger tend to be vigorous and ambitious, daring and courageous, enthusiastic and generous, self-confident with a sense of justice and a commitment to help others for the greater good. Therefore, many Chinese couples hope to have a baby in the Year of the Tiger, wishing their kid inherits tiger’s temperament.
和他们的星座动物一样，出生于虎年的人往往精力充沛、雄心勃勃，大胆勇敢，热情慷慨，自信且富有正义感，致力于为更大的利益帮助他人。因此，许多中国夫妇希望虎年出生孩子，希望孩子能继承老虎的气质。There are many celebrities were born in the years of the Tiger, here I listed a few:
许多名人出生于虎年，这里列举几个：
1. Elizabeth II 1. 伊丽莎白二世2. Marilyn Monroe 2. 玛丽莲·梦露
3. Lady Gaga
4. Leonardo DiCaprio5. Drake6. Victoria Beckham
7. Robert Pattinson 7. 罗伯特·帕丁森
8. Jimmy Fallon 8. 吉米·法伦
9. 杨紫琼 (Michelle Yeoh)
10. Bradely Cooper 10. 布拉德利·库珀
Chinese New Year’s EveOne of the most important routines for Chinese people in the New Year’s Eve is the dinner – 年夜饭niányèfàn. This meal is comparable to Thanksgiving dinner in the U.S. and relatively similar to a traditional Christmas dinner.
中国人除夕最重要的例行活动之一是吃年夜饭。这顿饭与美国感恩节晚餐相似，也与传统圣诞晚餐比较相似。
Dumplings play a very important role on the table of Chinese New Year Eve’s dinner especially in the north
饺子在中国新年除夕晚餐的餐桌上扮演着非常重要的角色，尤其是在北方
Chinese people try very hard to “save” luck for the whole year during CNY celebration. So all the food on the dinner table can symbolize fortune and luck.
中国人会在春节期间非常努力地”保存”整年的好运。因此，晚餐桌上的所有食物都可以象征财富和好运。
Dumplings/饺子/jiǎozi, symbolize wealth because their shape resembles ancient Chinese money.
饺子/饺子/jiǎozi，象征着财富，因为它们的形状类似于中国古代的钱币。Sometimes people will hide a coin inside the filling while making the dumplings, and whoever bit that coin later will be the most lucky person in the family!
有时候人们在包饺子时会将一枚硬币藏在馅料里，而后来咬到那枚硬币的人将成为家里最幸运的人！
Rice cake/年糕/niángāo, equals progress because “niángāo” has a homophonous meaning of “increasingly prosperous year in year out”.
年糕/年糕/niángāo，代表进步，因为”niángāo”与”年年高”谐音，意为”逐年日益繁荣”。
Fish/鱼/yú, means abundance because “yú” sounds the same as “surplus”.
鱼/鱼/yú，意味着丰盈，因为“yú”的发音与“余”相同。Traditionally, people stay up for the whole night after the feast to welcome the New Year. Lots of people will choose to go out to set off firecrackers in midnight. You probably won’t hear firecrackers at midnight in Shanghai now, as the government in the past few years has forbidden firecrackers for a variety of safety reasons.
传统上，人们在盛宴后通宵达旦地守岁迎接新年。许多人会选择在午夜外出燃放鞭炮。现在你可能在上海午夜听不到鞭炮声了，因为过去几年政府出于各种安全原因禁止了燃放鞭炮。
Some people buy electronic firecrackers to add some CNY vibe to the house
有些人购买电子鞭炮，为家中增添一些春节气氛。
However, if you go to other smaller cities to celebrate the New Year, you will see the whole city is lit up by tons of the firecrackers and fireworks to scare away evil spirits for the New Year.
然而，如果你去其他小城市庆祝新年，你会看到整个城市被成千上万的鞭炮和烟花点亮，以驱赶邪灵，迎接新年。
The Spring Festival Gala
of China Central Television
If you don’t feel like going out on New Year’s eve, watching the CCTV New Year’s Gala is also a great option.
如果你不想在除夕夜出门，观看央视春晚也是一个很好的选择。
Beginning in 1982, CCTV held this Gala to accompany Chinese people who practice the tradition of staying up late “守岁shǒusuì”. This tradition of going to bed late on New Year’s Eve, or staying awake the whole night is thought to add on to parents’ longevity.
从 1982 年开始，央视举办这台晚会，陪伴那些有”守岁”传统习惯的中国人。这个在除夕夜晚睡或通宵不睡的传统被认为能增添父母的寿命。The CCTV New Year’s Gala is broadcast in China four hours before the start of the New Year and lasts until early morning the next day. Watching it has gradually become a tradition in China.
央视春晚在中国新年开始前四小时开始播出，持续到第二天清晨。观看它逐渐成为中国的一种传统。
Today, after 40 years, even though the TV industry has been strongly impacted by Internet, this Gala remains a special element in Chinese people’s cultural life. The gala this year will gather hundreds of the most popular Chinese celebrities, and this has already caused a bustle on the Internet.
今天，经过 40 年，尽管电视行业受到了互联网的强烈影响，这个晚会仍然是中国人文化生活中一个特别元素。今年的晚会将聚集数百位最受欢迎的中国明星，这已经引起了互联网上的热潮。
Greetings
during the CNY holiday
Chinese people love lucky words during CNY holidays and they hate to hear some negative things to break the whole year’s fortune.
中国人喜欢在春节假期期间使用吉祥话，他们不喜欢听到一些负面的事情来破坏整年的好运。
There’re some general words you can use every year, such as:
有一些你可以每年使用的通用词，例如：
过年好！
Guò nián hǎo! 去年好！
Happy Chinese New Year celebration!
春节庆祝！
新春快乐/吉祥！
Xīnchūn kuàilè/jíxiáng! 新春快乐/吉祥！
Wish you a happy/auspicious Spring Festival！
祝你春节快乐/吉祥！
恭喜发财！
Gōngxǐ fācái! 恭喜发财！
May you be happy and prosperous！
祝你幸福安康！
As every Chinese New Year has a zodiac, so Chinese people will make some special lines related to the animal. This year is 虎年hǔnián (Year of the Tiger), so you can also say:
每个中国新年都有生肖，所以中国人会制作一些与动物相关的特别语句。今年是虎年（虎年），你也可以说：
虎年大吉！
Hǔnián dà jí！ 虎年大吉！
Wish you a greatly auspicious Year of the Tiger！
祝您虎年大吉！
There is another very cute one I would like to share with you:
我还想和你们分享另一个非常可爱的小东西：
爱老虎油！
Ài lǎohǔ yóu！ 爱老虎哟！
I love you! 我爱你！
We are supposed to finish this article with 4 points, but you know, we hate 4 (Homophonic with death – 死sǐ in Chinese), especially during the festival celebration. So here’s the last but not the least point:
我们本应完成这篇文章的四个要点，但你知道，我们讨厌四（与死亡同音 – 中文中的死 sǐ），尤其是在节日庆祝期间。所以这是最后但同样重要的一个要点：
The CNY decorations
Spring Festival Scrolls 春联 Chūnlián
春联 Chūnlián
春联Chūnlián are composed of a pair of poetry lines vertically pasted on both sides of the front door and a four-character horizontal scroll affixed above the doorframe. The couplets express Chinese people’s delight in the festival and wishes for a better life in the coming year.
春联 Chūnlián 由一对垂直贴在门两侧的诗句和门框上方贴的一个四字横幅组成。这对对联表达了中国人民对节日的喜悦和对来年美好生活的愿望。
The red diamond-shaped 红色的菱形
FU福 character FU 福字符
福 (Fú, blessings, happiness) is played in Chinese homes. This sign is usually seen hanging upside down, since the Chinese word 倒 (dào, upside-down), is a homophone with 到 (dào, arrive) in Chinese. Therefore, it symbolizes the arrival of happiness and prosperity.
福（Fú，祝福，幸福）在中国家庭中广为使用。这个标志通常倒挂着，因为中文中的“倒”（dào，倒置）与“到”（dào，到达）是同音词。因此，它象征着幸福和繁荣的到来。
I hope you can enjoy the Chinese New Year celebration more with these explanations! It’s definitely anexcellent opportunity to understand and experience Chinese culture during the Spring Festival. We wish you all have fun in the next few weeks!
我希望这些解释能让你更享受春节的庆祝活动！这绝对是一个了解和体验中国文化的绝佳机会。我们祝愿你们在接下来的几周里玩得开心！
春节快乐！虎年大吉！
Chūnjié kuàilè！Hǔnián dàjí！
春节快乐！欢乐新年！
