Cultural tips

Etiquette and Customs 4: the Spring Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival

1. Spring Festival the Lunar New Year is the biggest holiday in China. The New Year season lasts from two weeks before New Year's day to two weeks after. Many students and employees get a vacation during this time. New Year's is a time of unity, and it is very important for families to come together during this time. The train is especially busy during this season as most people return to their hometowns to unite with their families. People fastidiously prepare their homes in anticipation of the New Year. They clean their homes thoroughly, apply a new coat of paint to their homes exterior, and mend anything that needs repair. They do this all with an "out with the old and in with the new" spirit. Spring Festival couplets ("春联", chūn lián) and New Year's greetings written on red paper are pasted on and around the doors and windows of houses. One of the most common greetings is happiness, good fortune and blessing. "福" (fú), The actually piece of paper is also referred to as "福字" or (fú zì, meaning blessing character). Often the blessing character is hung upside down. One interpretation of this practice is that it is a play on the words. "福倒了" (fú dào le, means " 'fu' upside down"), but it sounds the same as "福到了" (fú dào le), which means blessing has arrived.

On New Year's Eve night, the whole family eats a feast together, which usually includes dumplings (in the north). They then watch New Year's programming on television and stay up until midnight. The next day people make New Year's greetings to each other called "拜年" (bài nián). Younger people are expected to make "拜年" to the elder people first, and in return, the elder people give a lucky envelop or "红包" (hóng bāo, literally meaning "red packet") filled with money, to the younger people.

It is said that there once was a monster named Nian, "年" (nián, now the word for year), that terrorized village after village, eating people and animals. One day, the people were tired of worrying about when Nian would come again and wreak more havoc, so they decide to do something about it. They knew that Nian had a few weaknesses; it was horrified of the color red and loud noises. Thus, the people wore red and pasted red-colored decorations everywhere. They also set off firecrackers during this time to scare Nian away.

2. Mid-Autumn Festival Mid-Autumn Festival is based on the lunar calendar. It is also known as the Moon Festival, and is the second biggest holiday for Chinese people. It is celebrated on a full moon, the 15th day of the 8th month. The full moon symbolizes unity, and the Mid-Autumn Festival is another time of the year when it is customary for the family to come together. People will usually eat moon cakes on this day.