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Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is the most important holiday of the Chinese calendar. The celebration starts with

the second new moon after the beginning of winter (December 21) and lasts until the next full moon.

A lot of things are done for Chinese New Year. Houses are cleaned from top to bottom in the days

before the beginning of the holidays. People write merry wishes on red paper and hang them all over the house. Rooms are decorated with flowers, plants and oranges.

On New Year’s Eve firecrackers send out the old year and welcome the new one. On New Year’s Day

children and adults who are not married get red envelopes with money in them. This is a symbol of

good luck and wealth in the new year.

The last event of the 15-day celebration is the Lantern Festival. Some people hang glowing lanterns in temples. Others carry lanterns in a moonlight parade.

How do you celebrate the new year in your country?

the Korean New Year is actually called Seollal. It´s one of the most important holidays on the Korean Calendar, together with Chuseok.

 commonly known as Seollal is the first day of the lunar calendar

 It is the most important of the traditional Korean holidays

 It consists of a period of celebrations, starting on New Year's Day

 Koreans also celebrate solar New Year's Day on January 1 each year, following the Gregorian Calendar

the Korean New Year is similar to a birthday for Koreans

eating tteokgukis part of the birthday celebration

Tteokguk (soup with sliced rice cakes) is a traditional Korean food that is customarily eaten for the New Year

What are the similarities and differences of your new year traditions and activities compared to the Chinese new year?

Like the Chinese, Koreans celebrate the New Year by wearing traditional costumes and holding formal greeting ceremonies between family members