Chinese New Year 2012

Chinese New Year is biggest festival in China. It is also called Chinese Spring Festival. There are a lot of Chinese New Year cerebration and fairs in many major cities around the world. Chinese New Year 2012 falls on Jan. 23, 2012 and 2012 will be the year of the Dragon.

How to Celebrate Chinese New Year?

• Clean the whole house before Chinese New Year: It means to clean the bad chi that left in the previous year in order to welcome the good energies in for the coming year. Besides cleaning house, people in China need to have hair cut, take a shower and dress formally. On Chinese New Year Eve (Jan. 22, 2012), people also throw away the old feng shui products that are useless;
• Cook food for party or pray: Make Chinese Nian Gao and cook a lot of food. The food for Chinese New Year Eve should be many to represent wealth and abundant. The Nian Gao is New Year Cake that make out of glutinous rice flour. Nian Gao stands for Better in the Coming Year;
• Pray to the Gods of Tu Di and ancestors who passed away using the Nian Gao and foods. The gods of Tu Di is the god of the earth. Chinese people thanks to them for safety in the previous year;
• Decorate the House using New Year Decorating: Put Spring Festival couplets on gateposts (Spring Festival couplets are red New Year Scrolls which are originated from ancient scripts). In modern, people write auspicious sentences on the scrolls to wish them wealthy, prosperous and safe in the coming year. In addition to the couplets, people also paste some pictures, which symbolize good luck and noble, on the door panels or windows (See Items for Chinese New Year);
• Gather together eating the dinner. This is also the time to wish something each other. In addition, people can’t eat all the food. the remain of food is the symbol of abundant and wealth ( Nian Nian You Yu);
• After finishing dinner, people are gather together waiting for the New Year coming. They usually don’t sleep at that night. Young persons need to Shou Sui for their parents and wish their parents live longer (Shou Sui means Holding Age );
• Old people put money inside the Chinese Red Envelopes and give them to the younger and hope the younger good luck in the coming year. Giving red envelope is called Li Shi;

Make sure not to do the following things on Chinese New Year 2012:

• Don’t use water to clean the floor or dump trash. Water is the symbol of wealth. People don’t want the money to go away. Dumping trash is like Giving Away;
• Don’t kill animals. It symbolize safety (no war);
• Don’t break porcelain bowls or plates. Broken is the opposite of reunite;
• Don’t use scissors or needles. Using scissors or needles is said it will bring bad chi;
• Don’t speak inauspicious words.

Here we list some 2012 Chinese New Year Events for Chinese New Year Celebrations in some major cities in US:
1. San Diego, CA, US: Food and Cultural Fair in Third Ave and J Street from Jan. 28 (Sat.) to Jan. 29 (Sun)

2. Riverside, CA: Lunar Fest 2012 in Riverside Downtown on Jan. 28, 2012

3. San Francisco, CA: Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco Chinatown on Feb. 11, 2012.
4. Los Angeles, CA: Golden Dragon Parade in Los Angeles chinatown on Jan. 28, 2012

5. Seattle, WA: Seattle Lunar New Year Celebration in Seattle Chinatown and International District on Jan. 28, 2012.

6. New York, NY: Firecracker Ceremony & Cultural Festival in Roosevelt Park on Jan. 23, 2012

7. Houston TX: Lunar Chinese New Year Festival in Chinese Community Center From Jan. 28, 2012 to Jan. 29, 2012

8. Chicago IL : Chicago Chinese New year Parade 2012 in middle of Chicago Chinatown on Jan. 29, 2012