Chinese New Year is the festival that marks the beginning of a new year per the traditional Chinese calendar. It is also known as the Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year. The date varies every year; in 2020, it was celebrated on 25 January. The Chinese New Year is also considered a major holiday in China and many other countries. In fact, more than 20% of the world celebrates this day. The festival includes annual family reunions, family meals, lion dances, dragon dances, fireworks, red envelope celebrations, and many other attractions. It is the best time to be captivated by the wonderful Chinese traditions. 5 interesting facts about Chinese New Year Festival that would urge you to book your flight tickets are:
The celebrations last for 16 days
The Chinese New Year is the most important event of the year for the Chinese and influenced communities. That is why it is really not a shocker that the celebrations last for the entire 16-day duration. The date of the New Year is dependent on the Chinese lunar calendar; the celebrations begin from the Chinese New Year’s Eve and carry on till the Lantern Festival, each year. Every day is marked with grand activities and celebrations, which are a treat for the tourists. These are family dinners, stunning fireworks, lion dances, dragon dances, traditional rituals, lantern lighting, and more. The entire country is sparkling with lanterns which are also let loose to fly and floated in rivers – a sight to behold.
The day is associated with myths and beliefs
The Chinese New Year was traditionally observed as a ceremonial day to pray to the Gods for a good planting and harvesting season. Moreover, people also honor and pray to their ancestors – who are considered equivalent to God. However, there are myths surrounding the day. It is believed that there was a monster called Nian that would come visiting on the New Year’s Eve. People would hide inside their homes with fear until a brave boy killed the monster using firecrackers. Since, then the day is observed with fireworks and celebrations. As per the theory, firecrackers are supposed to keep away monsters and bad luck. The Chinese New Year holds records for setting off most firecrackers in the world.
The day starts a new animal zodiac year
As per the Chinese, each lunar cycle has 60 years with 12 years regarded as a small cycle. Each of these 12 years is defined with an animal of significance – such as Rat, Ox, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Monkey, Rooster, etc. For 2020, the animal is Rat, while 2021 is the year of the Ox.
Largest migration in the world
Since, family reunion is the most critical element of the Chinese New Year celebrations, people flock from all around the world and also travel to their home from cities to make in time for the celebrations. This leads to the largest migration of people in the world, which literally also clogs flight tickets and mediums of travel.
Singles hire fake partners to take home
Yes, that is really true. In Chinese, passing down the family name and having children is considered utterly important. As part of the Chinese culture, on the day of the celebrations, each person of a certain age brings home their partners. Hence, all those single boys and girls either take home fake partners or hire people to pose as their partners for the celebrations.
The Chinese New Year is indeed the most splendid time to visit the country. But since the day of the celebrations differs every year, we’d suggest you take the travel assistance plan from LatinOFare, which will provide several post-ticketing benefits including cancellation. Book your flight tickets with LatinOFare and be assured of the best flight deals and offers.
