Do you know how this came about? Mazlan (author) from Malaysia on January 14, 2012: Thanks Nell for dropping by and your kind words. 团圆 (Tuányuán) is one of my children’s favorite Chinese New Year books! As you might expect, the Pig was hungry, and although he was in the race, he decided to stop and eat. People in China usually try to be together with their family for at least the first few days of the holiday. Most of Malaysia gets two days off work for Chinese New Year: the New Year itself and the day after it. Eight is a lucky number to many Chinese people, like seven in Europe and other places. People still do their "spring cleaning" before the holiday but, in old China, they didn't sweep or wash clothes on New Year's Day itself. A brief explanation and a source link is included with each answer, making this suitable for parents and kids. Born and raised in Malaysia, Mazlan is proud of his Malaysian and Asian heritage and likes to share its mysteries, culture & current issues. (The current list began in 1984 and will end in 2043.) In 2001, Davao City stopped letting people use fireworks because its people were hurting themselves too much. It provides parents a new perspective on observing their child. In the past, the Chinese emperors did not number their years from one place. Many countries celebrate the ne… Losar and Tsagaan Sar, the traditional Tibetan and Mongolian new years, are very close to the Chinese New Year but different ways of thinking about the moon's changes and adding months can make them happen weeks apart from the Chinese festival. Another special event is the "Bombing of Master Handan" in Taitung, where people throw firecrackers straight at the members of a parade who are wearing only red underwear and towels. Recommended by a children's librarian. The exact traditions were different in different parts of China. In 1967, as part of Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution, the PRC's government did not celebrate or allow special time off work for the traditional new year. The kitchen god was thought to return to the house on the 4th day of the New Year. Some Chinese also put out "Trays of Togetherness", dishes with eight different parts and eight different kinds of snack foods. Most traditional customs have to do with getting more good luck for the new year and staying away from anything unhappy. It is a 15-day holiday, beginning on the first day of a new moon and ending with the full moon on the day of the Lantern Festival. Popular short stories for students and teenagers. It also followed the overseas Chinese to their new homes in Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and other places. Love your work. Topics include independence, girls, setting rules, friends, and the importance of family time. This is why, until this day, the Cat will always hunt the Rat. A "reunion dinner" happens in the evening of the last day of the traditional year ("New Year's Eve"). The stems were the 10 days of the week under the Shang dynasty, each with its own sun and a special gift to different dead family members of the king. Lichun always happens near the Chinese New Year as well. He was all wet and looked very tired. The dragon is then burnt up at the end of the dance. As they neared the shore, the Rat quickly jumped off the Ox's back and sprinted to the finishing line, much to the Ox's disappointment. Check the table below to find out! Lanterns and Firecrackers: A Chinese New Year Story by Jonny Zucker. 2020 will start a new cycle with Year of the Rat. Around 12 o'clock, the new year is welcomed with public fireworks and private firecrackers. Some dishes are eaten because their Chinese names sound like lucky words, such as "fish" and "well-off". Got It! In the same way, people in China and around East Asia did not count their ages from zero or add one year at every birthday. The Pig got hungry and stopped for a snack. The red envelopes of money (Hokkien: âng-pau) are given on the morning of New Year's Day, not at dinner on the night before it. Its 7th day used to be used instead of birthdays to count people's ages in China. The Tiger had some trouble crossing the river. Typically, kids will get a haircut for New Year’s and a brand new set of traditional Chinese clothes. The country has had a large number of Chinese people since the 1930s and 40s, and the sultan sometimes comes to their New Year celebrations. He decided to have a swimming race with different types of animals, so he could give a name to each year of the Chinese zodiac. In Chinese, this is also a special name for the sun's place from about February 4 to 19 each year, when the sun is 45 to 30° ahead of its place on the 1st day of spring. Looking for ideas to keep the kids busy in the car? It is still celebrated today. Mazlan (author) from Malaysia on April 28, 2019: Dan, thank you very much for the compliment. Fortunately, he managed to hold on to a floating log and later made it to shore. Thank you for the tale Mazlan. The position each animal came in the race would decide which year was named after them. In the same way, people near Beijing thought that it was unlucky to cook or steam food for the first 5 days of the New Year. Today, people talk about "Northern" and "Southern" kinds of lion dances. Unlike in Western nations, the starting date of the Chinese New Year is not the same each year. People may say that 2017 is the "Year of the Rooster and Chicken" but the people born in January or early February 2018 will still be "Roosters" and "Chickens" and those born in the first few weeks of 2017 were still "Monkeys". Now, fewer and fewer people worry about those things. More than 100,000 come to see it in person, and millions of people see it on TV. Here are two of the best examples of fantasy board games that can be played and enjoyed with kids as young as 3 years old: Brandon the Brave and Unicorn Glitterluck. It urges the reader to connect with their early childhood to regain their enthusiasm for life. Mazlan (author) from Malaysia on February 18, 2018: Mazlan (author) from Malaysia on May 12, 2015: Hi Stephanie, This was written in January 2012 based on several articles on the Chinese Zodiac, Calendars and mythical stories and I don't have the link to these articles anymore. Hence, the Rat was the first to arrive, followed by the Ox. Most of it was known by the Zhou (11th–3rd centuries BC). I have the figures from the powerpoint stories which the children use to support re-telling the story on the small world table. but the Snake hitched a ride on the Horse's leg and beat him to the finish line! Instead, they gave names to eras (groups of years) any time they wanted. thanks! Mazlan (author) from Malaysia on January 14, 2019: Hi Kian, it is difficult to remember the order. Children in China are no different. In particular, the government helped with dragon and lion dancing, thinking that it was part of the special culture of Chinese people. They also have some special flavors in addition to vanilla and chocolate like pandan, a tree with good-smelling leaves. The holiday is a time for gifts to children and for family gatherings with large meals, just like Christmas in Europe and in other Christian areas. Red underwear is very common and is most commonly worn during New Years which have the same animal as the wearer's birth year (so, at ages 12, 24, 36, and so on). People started carefully cleaning their homes, having large family dinners, and staying up late on the day before Chinese New Year by the end of the Three Kingdoms (3rd century). They are all the same. And I like this story because the Chinese culture is important Log in or register to post comments YellowFluteCat replied on 18 January, 2016 - 16:41 Spain Permalink In 1967, Suharto helped make laws against using Chinese language or culture, including any celebration of Chinese New Year. Recommended level: 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th grade and up Pick a story. This is why it is often called the "Spring Festival" by Chinese speakers of English, even though the holiday always occurs in the winter months of January or February. In Chinese, its name sounds like nián gāo ("the year gets better") or niánnián gāoshēng ("getting better year after year"). a. Chinese New Year, known in China as the Spring Festival and in Singapore as the Lunar New Year, is a holiday on and around the new moon on the first day of the year in the traditional Chinese calendar. 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