Chinese New Year 2014, the Year of the Horse
Following the serpent of 2013, the horse of 2014 took its place from January 31 at 5:39 am, Beijing time. Like every year, Chinese New Year is celebrated worldwide with dragon parades
Following the serpent of 2013, the horse of 2014 took its place from January 31 at 5:39 am, Beijing time. Like every year, Chinese New Year is celebrated worldwide with dragon parades, fireworks, offerings and of course grand traditional feasts.
The festivities of the Year of the Horse began on January 31st and concluded during the first week of February. This famous date is determined by the alignment of the moon and always falls between January 20 and February 20. The Chinese New Year is celebrated over two to three weeks throughout Asia. A true tradition, the new year is an opportunity to celebrate, reunite the family and enjoy hearty meals. Chinese communities worldwide always make an effort to celebrate the end of the previous year in order to peacefully enter the new year.
The Spring Festival
The lunar new year corresponds in Chine to the spring festival. This period once served to signal to Chinese farmers that it was time to prepare their fields for planting. Farmers would then plant in spring to harvest in autumn. This period marked the entry into a new cultivation cycle, and this is how the spring festival was born.
New Year Festivities
After Christmas decorations, come the ornaments of the new year. All shopping centers, small shops, streets and parks proudly display signs of the new year with lanterns, cherry blossoms, orange trees and of course garlands and other decorations featuring the zodiac animal of honor. 2014 is placed under the sign of the horse, which is seen as an eloquent, active, independent, friendly, alert, even-tempered and free-spirited animal. These characteristics define the values of this new year to which the Chinese strive to conform.
All of Chine is mobilized for this event. Factories and offices take time off and it is an opportunity for all workers to return to their home villages and visit their families, leaving behind them large empty cities, like Guangzhou which is ordinarily particularly bustling.
Traditional meal for Chinese New Year - With the little red envelopes if you please!
The most important element of Chinese New Year is the reunion dinner. This is held the eve of the new year. It is the moment when all family members gather around a grand meal traditionally held at the parents' home, at the eldest paternal brother's house or at a restaurant. Gifts and red envelopes are distributed with the aim of guaranteeing luck and fortune for this new lunar year.
Major television networks are also on alert, offering their festive programs which attract over 700 million viewers. The programs all honor patriotic songs performed by China's greatest singers. This year, Sophie Marceau was the guest of honor at the CCTV New Year's Gala, in which she performed "La Vie en Rose" by Edith Piaf.
Traditional Parades
Whether in Chine or in other countries in Asia, Europe or America, the spring festival is an occasion for a colorful spectacle. Dominated by red and yellow, the parades offer spectators the traditional dragon dances that ward off evil spirits and honor the horse. Dragons and dancers take to the streets to offer a fabulous show fueled by costumes, fireworks, firecrackers, music and prayers.
Happy New Year to all! /新年快乐!
Frequently asked questions
Chinese New Year 2014 began on January 31 at 5:39 am, Beijing time. The festivities extended over two to three weeks, concluding during the first week of February 2014.
The year 2014 is placed under the sign of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac. The horse is associated with values such as eloquence, independence, activity, friendship and freedom of spirit.
The lunar new year is historically linked to the agricultural cycle: it signaled to Chinese farmers that it was time to prepare spring planting for autumn harvest. This symbolism of a new cycle gave rise to the term 'Spring Festival'.
The main traditions include the grand family reunion dinner on the eve of New Year, the distribution of lucky red envelopes, dragon parades, fireworks and firecrackers, as well as lantern and flower decorations in the streets.
Chinese New Year is celebrated worldwide, notably in Chinese neighborhoods (Chinatown) of major cities in Asia, Europe and America. Dragon parades, shows and festivities are organized in Paris, London, New York, Singapore, Hong Kong and many other major cities.
