The Biggest Celebration of the Year

Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year, is usually celebrated in January or February. This year’s celebration took place on February 17th. Chinese New Year is a big deal for Chinese people as it kicks off a fresh start to the new year and hopes for good luck and wealth. It was first celebrated over 3,000 years ago, during the Shang Dynasty in China, known as the Spring Festival during that period. There is a zodiac calendar that cycles through 12 different animals: The Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and the Pig. This year is celebrating the Year of the Horse. The zodiac calendar was created to determine personality traits, to guide luck, and to select auspicious days for celebrations, like weddings. 

Photo: A group of advanced Mandarin students enjoying a Lunar New Year lunch at Shanghai Osaka in Nashua

To celebrate the new year, the High School Mandarin class took a trip to Shanghai Osaka restaurant in Nashua, NH to have lunch. Everyone ordered a number of different foods, from juicy dumplings to mouthwatering spicy fish. People had lots of fun talking to each other, practicing their Mandarin, even a little Cantonese, and eating. 

There are many different kinds of traditions for Chinese New Year. Here are some examples: It is a tradition for married couples to give unmarried people red envelopes of money to wish them luck and wealth during the New Year. These are called Hóngbāo (红包) in Chinese. They also hang up red decorations since the color red means to be very lucky in Chinese culture. Everyone enjoyed this wonderful experience, and we would like to personally thank Mrs. Nini for arranging this event.