How much do you know about Chinese New Year?
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1. When is Chinese New Year celebrated each year?
The date changes each year depending on the lunar calendar. This calendar follows the phases and movements of the moon. Usually, Chinese New Year falls somewhere between mid-January and mid-February. In 2020, it falls in January 25th.
Calendar from Travelchinaguide.com
2. Do you know another name for Chinese New Year?
The festival starts with the ending of the solar term and the beginning of Spring, hence the name. It may as well be known as the Firecrackers and fireworks Pride Week because a staggering number of them light up the skies over the course of the festival.
3. What is the lucky colour for CNY?
Easy one. It’s true that glittery golden and bright colours are always a Chinese favourite, but red is the lucky colour in China and this festival, worn by brides in the wedding day and used for decorations everywhere. This festival is no exception. Close relatives give red envelopes with lucky money to children in their family and allow them spend it on anything they like.
4. What do Chinese people eat during CNY?
We hope you got this one right. We all love Mexican food, let’s not deny it, but Chinese families like to enjoy the 7 lucky foods during their New Year family reunions: dumplings (饺子 jiǎozi), fish (鱼 yú), spring rolls (春卷 chūnjuǎn), sweet rice balls (汤圆 tāngyuán), glutinous rice cake (niángāo 年糕), good fortune fruits and longevity noodles.
5. What is the animal for New Year 2020?
2020 is the year of the metal rat (nothing to do with rock music) for the Chinese zodiac. Your zodiac animal is a rat if you were born in 1912 (if you are 108 y.o. and you’re reading this, you are awesome!), 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032, 2044… (if you were born in 2044 and you’re reading this, isn’t it like reading the Rosetta stone or ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs? Mind-blowing.)
Anyway, yeah, the rat is a cool zodiac animal but this does not mean this is your lucky year. If your animal is the rat, it won’t be an auspicious time for you. Chinese astrologers say these tend to be unlucky years, and you should be cautious during years that match your zodiac sign.
新年快乐！恭喜发财！红包拿来！
Xīnnián kuàilè! Gōngxǐ fācái! Hóngbāo ná lái!
Happy Chinese New Year! Congrats on getting rich! Here comes the red envelope!
2020 is a very special year for MTS.
We congratulate ourselves on being your trusted Asian language services provider and good friend for the past 20 years.