Happy New Year! This Chinese New Year, we say goodbye to the Year of the Snake and welcome the Year of the Horse. The Chinese New Year Holiday has been celebrated for centuries throughout China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines and other Asian countries.
This holiday marks the beginning of the new lunar year, which falls this year on January 31st. In the traditional Chinese calendar, lunar years are grouped into a 12-year cycle, with each cycle year corresponding to an animal of the Chinese zodiac. The year of the Horse is believed to bring prosperity and wealth. In China, people born in the Year of the Horse are believed to be energetic, intelligent, warm-hearted and cheerful. They are said to be excellent communicators, kind to others, hard-working and skillful with money.
The festivities traditionally last for 15 days, beginning on New Year’s Eve and ending with the Lantern Festival on the 15th day. Red is the traditional color of New Year because it symbolizes fire, which is said to drive away bad luck. Windows and doors are decorated with red paper cutouts to celebrate joy and hope for the New Year. Young children are given red envelopes with “lucky money” from their parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts and other adults. Other customs and traditions observed during the New Year celebration include fireworks, red lanterns, the lion dance and the dragon dance.
In the few days before the New Year celebration, it is traditional for Chinese households to give their homes a thorough cleaning. This cleaning symbolically sweeps away the bad luck of the previous year, and makes way for good luck to come. On New Year’s Eve, families gather for Reunion Dinner, with traditional dishes that include fish, dumplings and cake. New Year’s Day is celebrated as a day to honor elders and family members, and people travel to visit the oldest and most senior members of their extended families.
On behalf of Shield HealthCare, we wish everyone peace and good health in the Year of the Horse! 馬年安康 (Mǎ nián ān kāng)
Shield HealthCare | Medical Supplies For Care At Home Since 1957
