Xīn nián kuài lè! Or in English, Happy New Year! Yes, it is the festive Chinese New Year again and 2020 is the Year of the Metal Rat.
The celebration of the Chinese New Year has three parts: The Little Year, The Spring Festival, and the Lantern Festival. The Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) officially starts on January 25th and ends February 4th but preparations will be underway as early as the 17th of January until the New Year’s Eve (Little Year). Then preparations for the Lantern Festival start on the 4th of February and end on the Lantern Festival day itself, February 8th.
Metal Rat
What is lucky in the year of the rat? The rat is the first of the Chinese zodiac signs and represents the beginning of a new day. Rats are also seen as a sign of wealth and abundance. For people who are born in the year of the Rat, their lucky colors are blue, gold and green and the lucky numbers are 2 and 3.
Usually, a zodiac’s year is traditionally the most unfortunate, but 2020 will prove to be reasonably good for the Rat. This will come in the form of success in the career where efforts will be rewarded and seen. However, the areas where there will be difficulties will be in the relationships and health. Lucky months will be on March, September and November and unlucky months will be on April, July and October.
What to Expect
Make sure you know about what to avoid during the Spring Festival so that good fortune will smile upon you. Do not sweep on the day of the New Year and avoid saying negative words. Avoid breaking glass or ceramics because doing so will also break your connection with good luck and prosperity. The same is true for using sharp tools like scissors, knives, or other sharp objects as these will cut the stream of wealth and success.
Chinese New Year Food
As with every celebration, food is always served, and the Chinese put much effort and planning into the menu for this most important occasion of the year. Food represents traditions and beliefs that will bring good luck, success, and prosperity to the family.
Noodles are served for longevity. Eating dumplings means that you are sending away the old and welcoming the new. There should always be fish on the menu, too, because it symbolizes wealth and plenty.
Chinese New Year Décor
The decorations during this time of year are usually a bright, loud red. According to legend, it was believed that the horrible monster Nian would come to villages and devour everything every year. People learned to hide and hold feasts while hiding. Then one day, a young person thought of the idea of scaring the monster Nian away once and for all with firecrackers. So red became the lucky color of the Spring festival and the Chinese New Year as a whole because it represents happiness and good fortune.
The Chinese culture is centuries old, yet it continues to persist until today as older generations pass on traditions and beliefs to the next ones through everyday life and special occasions. The celebration of the Chinese New Year is one of the many ways you can witness how rich the Chinese culture is.
Luck, however, has nothing to do with good health, which begins with getting restful sleep every night. This requires work, which the Bamboo Pillow can help you with. When you use a pillow made from quality bamboo materials, you will enjoy several benefits: antibacterial and antimicrobial qualities, moisture wicking, thermoregulating, and antiallergenic properties, a fabric that is softer than cotton, and durability to make it all last longer.
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