The Chinese Lunar New Year Customs you need to know
Dragon Dance
To count the most distinctive New Year's traditions and customs, there must be a dragon dance. Every Chinese New Year, large-scale dragon dances will be held in Chinese-concentrated areas around the world. "Dragon" is a symbol of auspiciousness in Chinese culture, and it is also the god of wind and rain, so the dragon dance has the meaning of praying for good weather, good harvest, and national prosperity in the coming year.
When the dragon dance ceremony is held, there is usually a person holding a painted ball and lead the dance? This is called "The dragon pearl". It is a legend that the dragon's hold a pearl in its mouth, which is its favorite things. When it is happy, it often spit it out and play with it. The dragon dances vigorously when playing with it, so the dragon dancers imitate the dragon's various gestures under the guidance of the dragon pearl. The musicians beat the drums and played music, and the dragons came alive.
See more: Chinese new year gift idea about traditional customs
Lion Dance
During the Lunar New Year, many villages still retain the tradition of lion dance. Traditionally, lion dance can exorcise evil spirits and bring good luck. Every festive festival, new store opening, the performers will dress up in the form of lions, with the surging sound of gongs and drums, and dance to celebrate the event.
The traditional lion dance performances have to do with "the eye-dotting ceremony" and "plucking the greens" (cai qing). Cinnabar is used as the "dotting" of the lion, which means giving new life and making great achievements. In the "cai qing" ceremony, the lion will pretend to eat the lettuce with the meaning of making money, and then spit it out, which means wealth, and the person who gets the lettuce is considered to have good luck in the new year.
See more: Chinese new year gifts about traditional customs
Flower Plague
Traditionally, bright and dazzling red flower plagues are indispensable decorations for festivals, temple fairs, festive openings, and weddings. The location of the flower plagues is very particular, and it is usually placed in a conspicuous position on the street. The bamboo flower plague can be made even larger than 20 feet, with congratulatory words written on it, so as to announce the festive event to everyone on the street.
To make a traditional flower plague, the process is complicated, and the top of the flower plague is generally presented in the shape of a peacock with an open screen, because the shape of the peacock is similar to the legendary Phoenix and Suzaku, symbolizing good luck. The bottom shape of the flower card is trapezoid, like a vessel containing treasures, which means retaining wealth and reputation.
See more: Chinese new year gifts about traditional customs
Upside-down 'Fu' Character
Many people know that the word "Fu" (福) means "good fortune arrives". Usually, people paste the "Fu" Faichun (揮春) upside down, but not all places are suitable for pasting in this way. For example, the word "Fu" on the gate must be pasted upright, because it has the meaning of "welcome blessing" and "enjoy blessing". If the "Fu" character on the gate is pasted upside down, the blessing will be kept out of the door.
Of course, no matter how Faichun is pasted, it is just a traditional custom to ask for a good New Year.
