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The Spring Festival: One of China's most Important holidays

The Spring Festival

What is Chinese New Year? 

Chinese New Year or also known as Spring Festival is a celebration that begins with the first new moon and ends in the first full moon of the Chinese lunar calendar; it is celebrated in China, Vietnam, Singapore, Korea and a lot of different East Asian countries. 
This festivity can be traced back to thousands of years ago, during the spring festival farmers could rest from their work in the fields, and family members would travel from near and far to welcome the new year with their loved ones. 

The history behind the Spring festival 春节
The Lunar New Year can be traced back to 3500 years ago; even though there is not an exact date on when it was created, it's believed that it started in the Shang Dynasty, because in the winter people held ceremonies and sacrifices to gods and ancestors.
Then, in the Zhou Dynasty, the term 年 was introduced. And it had become a social practice to offer sacrifices to ancestors or gods, also they started to worship nature in order to bless the harvests of the upcoming year.
After that, in the Han Dynasty, it was determined that the celebration would take place on the first day of the first month in the Chinese lunar calendar and celebration activities became popular.
Finally, in the Wei-Qing Dynasties due to the prosperity of economies and cultures during these period the development of the Spring Festival was accelerated, and the function of this festival changed from religious to an entertaining social celebration. A lot of modern traditions arose in this time, for example: setting off firecrackers, visiting relatives and friends, eating dumplings, watching dragon and lion dances during the Temple Fair and enjoying lantern shows.

Different ways it is celebrated 

China: Families usually get together for 年夜饭（New Year's Eve dinner), and it is custom to wear new clothes in lucky colors like: red and gold. Depending on the region, the traditional dishes vary, but the main ones are: dumplings, fish, baos, glutinous rice cakes, noodles, etc. Most traditional dishes have a meaning, for example: 鱼  sounds like 余, which means surplus, that's why on New Year's Eve they eat fish so that the following year they'll have surplus. 

Vietnam: During this holiday, families get together and go to the temple to pray for good luck, health and fortune. On the Lunar New Year they wear an áo dài, a silk tunic with slits and it's worn over pants, and some of the main dishes are: bánh tét (log-like cylinder), bánh chưng (square sticky rice cakes), ủ kiệu (pickled scallion), tom kho (dried shrimp) and mut tet (candied fruits).
Philippines: Lunar New Year is called: Media Noche and like Chinese families, they also get together to have a feast to celebrate the upcoming New Year, their traditional dishes are:biko, bibingk (both are sticky rice dishes) and Pancit (long noodles) which represent a healthy, long life and good luck for the year ahead. Something interesting is that when the clock hits midnight, kids and adults both jump, as they believe it will make them grow taller.

Korea: In Korea, they use this holiday to honor their ancestors and elders; children usually bow to their elders as a sign of respect. Also, during this important holiday, they wear a Hanbok. Their traditional dishes are the following: mandu (Korean dumplings), dduk-guk (thinly sliced rice cake soup), mandu-guk (dumpling soup), galbijjim (braised beef short ribs), japchae (glass noodles), and ddeok (rice cakes).
Finally, a tradition that you'll see in the mentioned countries and many others, is the tradition of giving red envelopes and words of wisdom.

Sources:
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2021, December 1). Lunar New Year. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved: 2022, January 31st.  https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lunar-New-Year
Kim A. (2022, January). How Lunar New Year is celebrated around Asia. Travel and Leisuer. Retrieved: 2022, January 31st. https://www.travelandleisure.com/holiday-travel/lunar-new-year-celebrations
Lunar New Year: Rituals and Legends. Asia for Educators, Columbia University, Retrieved: 2022, January 31st,  31st. http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/china_general_lunar.htm
History of Chinese New Year, Timothy S. Y: Museum of Anthropology, Retrieved: 2022, January 31st.https://lammuseum.wfu.edu/education/teachers/chinese-new-year/history-of-chinese-new-year/
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