According to eastern calendar, each year corresponds to a specific animal and element. This is known to many; some go to Asia for celebrations or celebrate this event in Russia, giving gifts of the appropriate theme, toys and objects with the image of mascots. But not everyone knows that there are twelve animals, and only ten elements, so years with similar horoscopes are quite rare. To prepare in advance you need to know what to buy and when the Chinese New Year 2016 begins. 
In fact, in Russia they began to celebrate Chinese New Year only recently, but it is becoming more and more popular. According to the calendar, 2015 started on February 19. Then a blue or green sheep and the element - a tree - took over. In 2016, the festivities will begin on the night of February 7-8. The former patrons will be replaced by Fire and the Red Monkey, also called the Fiery Monkey.
The celebrations last quite a long time, so it is important what date the Chinese New Year is and when the events end. Many people rely on this data when planning a vacation and buying tickets to eastern countries.
In China, New Year is celebrated for 15 days. The traditions are already a couple of thousand years old, so this celebration is recognized as the most ancient of those existing today. This is the time of spring and relaxation after hard work or study.
Local residents stop working and go on long-awaited vacations.
As noted in the Celestial Empire
The first night is usually light and bright, fireworks sparkle, firecrackers and firecrackers roar, music plays, people are treated to special dishes and just have fun. Masquerades and carnivals, fairs and other events take place everywhere. Residents of the Celestial Empire honor the Gods and pay tribute to their ancestors. In honor of the arrival of spring, all kinds of flower arrangements, fruit tree seedlings are sold. Local artists take to the streets and delight the townspeople with their creativity. There are also performances by dance groups and traditional processions. On this day, the Chinese pay attention to older relatives, visit parents and grandparents, and remember the deceased. Fruits, sweets and money are given as gifts. Moreover, banknotes are certainly packed in an envelope made of red paper. As the locals are sure, this is necessary for the coming year to be successful. Ceremonial dishes for a home feast are dumplings and eight-ingredient porridge - labadjou. The main ingredient is lotus seed, a sacred flower in China.
The next day is entirely devoted to family and friends, visiting family members who live far away. This good time and for the poor. They go from house to house and collect alms. The third day is traditionally spent at home. On days 4, 5 and 6, many return to work. But on the seventh day there is triumph again. The Chinese celebrate the birth of the first person. From 8 to 10 days - a significant part of the population works as usual, but some lucky ones celebrate the liberation of the people from Japanese pirates, who were going to turn the local population into slaves. The thirteenth day is the time to cleanse the body of food eaten during the entire holiday period; mainly vegetarian dishes are consumed. And the celebrations end with the Lantern Festival. Women who have not found their other half write a phone number on paper, attach it to a tangerine and lower it into the river. This message floats until one of the men catches it and goes to get acquainted.
And yet, in different regions there are distinctive features. The traditions of the northern and southern parts differ slightly, especially when it comes to the beginning and end of the celebrations.
Chinese New Year in Russian Federation. Days of Chinese culture are held in Russia, when everyone can join ancient customs. Paper lanterns and dragon figurines became invariable attributes of such events. Those who want to fit in order or make sushi and rolls themselves, although some do not disdain the Olivier dish, which is traditional for our table.
When to start celebrating?
If the European New Year always occurs on January 1, then the eastern holiday is changeable and is determined by the lunar calendar. The date of Chinese New Year 2016 falls on February 8th. The period of the Fire Monkey will end on January 27, 2017. Then the Fire Rooster. Two years in a row will pass under the rule of one element, which cannot but affect the lives of ordinary people.
Eastern horoscope 2016
The Fire Monkey promises changes characteristic of an animal talisman. It is prone to change and unbridled passions, fun and creativity.
People born during these periods have an extraordinary and versatile nature; children are very talented and can become geniuses in a certain field if the talent is recognized and developed in time. They have good intuition, but a capricious character. The mood can quickly change from joy to anger, and aggression to creativity.
In the year of the Monkey, you should not make far-reaching plans; the playful talisman will certainly make its own adjustments, and, most likely, they will be beneficial. The financial situation is normalizing, however, emotions are heating up. Any monetary investment is worthwhile, but do not forget about family and loved ones. They need support and attention. Also, this is a good time for building a career, growing political influence and strengthening social status.
New Year for the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom is one of the most anticipated and popular national holidays. This ancient celebration dates back more than two thousand centuries and, unlike the European New Year, does not have a fixed date. The beginning of the new year, according to the Chinese calendar, is determined by the positions of the Moon and the Sun and falls on the day of the second new moon, which is counted after the winter solstice.
Chinese New Year of the Fire Monkey
The date of the celebration always falls between January 21 and February 21, and in 2016 Chinese New Year will be celebrated starting on the night of February 8th. The celebrations traditionally last for several weeks. According to the Chinese horoscope, each year has its own patron animal and a special element. The change of animal occurs within a 12-year cycle, and the dominant element occurs within a cycle of 10 years. The animal mascot of 2016 is .
Fireworks and the color red are mandatory attributes of Chinese New Year
She is unpredictable and impulsive, so next year It's better not to make long-term plans. The year is successful for creating a home, strengthening family ties and increasing income - the Monkey provides special protection to these goals. The element of the new year will be fire, so 2016 promises to be quite turbulent in terms of the international situation, but for young people fire is good: it will bring passion and love.
Celebrating Chinese New Year
This holiday in the Celestial Empire is celebrated on a grand scale - even the most detached sages, immersed in contemplation, spend this day in worldly joys with family and friends. Chinese beliefs say that you should not buy shoes or get a haircut before the holiday - this is fraught with failure. And on the night before the New Year, the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire do not go to bed - this, according to ancient beliefs, helps protect the house from harm, illness and misfortune.
With the onset of the holiday, the sky is colored with thousands of colorful fireworks and sky lanterns, and the sound of exploding firecrackers can be heard from everywhere. This is not just because the Chinese enjoy the holiday; The symbolism of the tradition is much deeper - this is how evil spirits are driven away, who at the beginning of each year are looking for a loophole to penetrate people. Perfume also does not like the color red, so the main shade of jewelry in China is scarlet.
Traditional Chinese dragon during New Year celebration With the advent of the New Year, costumed lion and dragon dances begin in China. To ensure that the house is full all year round, the Chinese set a generous table, at which there are also places for those family members who are not present at the celebration. There is no traditional Christmas tree for us in China, but there is another tradition - to install the Tree of Light, which is decorated with flowers, small Chinese lanterns and multi-colored light garlands.
A lot of small dumplings are always prepared for the festive table and served a traditional dish"labadjou", which is similar to porridge and contains sacred lotus seeds. Dinner is prepared in advance, since the Chinese do not cut anything for several hours before the holiday - with a knife you can “cut off” prosperity and good luck. The table always includes chicken dishes, fish prepared in a variety of ways, and soybean curd.
The Chinese hang 5 on the door frame paper strips, each of which has a meaning: they attract good luck, honor, wealth, longevity and joy to the house. For the holiday, the Chinese thoroughly clean their homes and then hide household items associated with cleaning. This is done not only to keep the house clean, but also to attract good gods. In addition, at the end of the feast, children receive red paper envelopes with money as a gift.
Tangerines symbolize wealth during Chinese New Year The tradition of giving coins goes back to the past, when a hundred coins tied together were presented for good luck, wishing to live to see the centenary. If guests come to the house, they always bring with them two fruits of the tangerine tree, and the owners present them with two other tangerines in return. This custom is explained by the sound of the phrase “two tangerines” - the word “gold” or “wealth” sounds exactly the same. Paired gifts are generally traditional for China, as they are identified with harmony in the family.
Annually on the last Saturday of March environmental action is being carried out all over the world" Earth Hour", organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
The meaning of the action is in voluntary cessation of consumption electrical energy for one hour. Thus, society realizes the importance of taking measures to reduce the negative impact of human activity on the environment.
This great idea was first implemented in Sydney, Australia in 2007. Then about two million residents of the metropolis took part in the action, and energy savings amounted to about 10%.
Inspired by the example, more and more cities began to join the Earth Hour campaign every year. It is expected that in 2020, residents of more than 7 thousand settlements on our planet (more than 2 billion people) will take part in a voluntary power outage for 1 hour. Of course, among the countries participating in the action is Russia.
What date and time does the Earth Hour 2020 campaign take place:
As we wrote above, the event is held annually on the last Saturday of March, with the exception of those years when the last Saturday in March precedes Easter.This year's Earth Hour is scheduled for Saturday. March 28, 2020. The promotion will begin at 20:30 local time and will last for an hour, until 21:30.
That is, the Earth Hour 2020 campaign - what date is it held and at what time:
* Date: March 28, 2020
* from 20:30 to 21:30 local time.
A beautiful, bright one is approaching, joyful holiday spring in China, which has the name "Chun Jie". This is the day when the Chinese New Year begins, winter meets spring and a new life cycle begins.
He will tell you how the Chinese New Year 2016 is celebrated, what date it will begin and when it will end. tochka.net .
Chinese New Year is one of the most important and longest eastern holidays, which is celebrated not only in China and other Asian countries, but throughout the world.
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Chinese New Year: when it begins and ends
This date is not constant because it depends on lunar calendar: Chinese New Year falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, December 21st. Every year this holiday may fall on one of the days between January 21 and February 21.
Chinese New Year 2016 will begin on February 8th. More precisely, 2016 will be according to the Gregorian calendar, but according to the Chinese calendar we will meet the year 4714, which will come under the sign and will last until January 27, 2017.
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This is one of the longest holidays in the East, lasting as long as 15 days. Chinese New Year ends on February 22.
New Year according to the Chinese calendar: the legend of a terrible monster
The Chinese also call New Year "Nian", which means "year". According to an ancient legend that has survived to this day, Nian is a terrible monster who lived in the depths of the sea throughout the year and only on New Year’s Eve came out onto land in search of a victim. The terrible Nian burst into villages and devoured everything in his path - livestock, crops, things and even people. Therefore, the Chinese were very afraid of him and every year on New Year’s Eve they donated their food supplies to him, while they themselves hid so that Nian would not find them.
But one day a miracle happened: a poor old man saved an entire village from a monster. He painted the doors to the house red, dressed up in red clothes, lit a lantern, took bamboo crackers and began to make noise, stomp and laugh, which scared Nanny.
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Celebrating Chinese New Year: Symbols, Traditions and Rituals
People realized that the Nian monster was afraid of fire, noise and the color red, and since then these attributes have become symbols of the Chinese New Year. Since then, the beginning of the Chinese New Year is marked by fireworks, lights, dances, songs, general noise and fun.
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This holiday is also called “meeting after separation”, because according to the tradition of the Chinese New Year, all family members, no matter where they are, come home and gather for a richly covered meal. festive table. There should be as many dishes as possible, and the New Year's menu is not complete without chicken and fish delicacies, rice, dumplings, beans, and tofu soy cheese.
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There should be red candles and incense on the table, with the help of which on this night you can communicate with the gods and spirits of your ancestors. It is believed that on New Year's Eve the spirits of deceased ancestors are present at the table, who are also participants in the holiday.
The Chinese have a beautiful and cheerful ritual in New Year's Eve to attract wealth and prosperity to the home. Through the open front door to cheerful laughter, holiday greetings And nice wishes the owners roll 108 oranges into the house in all corners of the living rooms. It is believed to symbolize sunlight, joy, happiness and bring positive energy into the house. They can then be given to friends and used in all sorts of recipes.
2020 is not just a beautiful combination of numbers, but also the beginning of a new 12-year cycle according to the Eastern calendar. It will be opened by the Metal Rat, taking over the baton from the Yellow Pig. Chinese New Year 2020 will be celebrated in a special way, because for residents of Asian countries this is a very symbolic period. How is this holiday celebrated in China? How different are their traditions from ours?
Chinese New Year will come according to the usual calendar for Russians January 25, 2020!
Features of the eastern calendar
We are already accustomed to asking people not only their Zodiac sign, but also the year in which they were born. Although not everyone is willing to answer the second question, because it is so easy to determine age. After all, the Chinese calendar has 12 characters that are repeated cyclically, gradually replacing each other:
- Rat.
- Tiger.
- Rabbit.
- The Dragon.
- Snake.
- Horse.
- Goat.
- Monkey.
- Rooster.
- Dog.
- Pig.
The sequence is due to the legend according to which all these animals came to the dying Buddha to say goodbye. And then the spiritual master allowed everyone to rule for a year.
In addition to animals, each year according to the Chinese calendar corresponds to a certain element (metal, water, wood, fire, earth) and color (white, black, blue, red, yellow). Thus, the full cycle is 60 years.
The previous time the White Metal Rat reigned supreme was in 1960.
In between, the Rat was a symbol four more times:
- 1972 - patron: Black Water Rat;
- 1984 - patron: Blue Wood Rat;
- 1996 - patron: Red Fire Rat;
- 2008 - patron: Yellow Earth Rat.
Color is considered important parameter, so the Chinese prefer to celebrate the New Year in clothes of the appropriate shade and decorate the house in such colors. This tradition has been partially transferred to Russia. Many of us also adhere to this rule.
When is Chinese New Year celebrated in 2020?
In Russia, the New Year is associated with the Gregorian calendar and is marked by the arrival of January 1st. In China, the date is tied to the Moon, so the holiday is dedicated to winter solstice and is celebrated on the second new moon. Depending on the lunar cycle, this day may occur between January 21 and February 21. And in 2020, Chinese New Year will begin on January 25th. From this moment on, the Pig's rights will end, and the Rat will begin to rule.
Curious! The year 2020 according to the Gregorian calendar corresponds to the year 4718 according to the Eastern calendar.
Officially, people are given 7 days (plus or minus a couple of days off) to celebrate Chinese New Year. But the Chinese love this holiday so much that they rest for 2-3 weeks. This is problematic for China’s partner countries, which are forced to suspend work or trade and economic relations in January-February, waiting for the Chinese to have their fill of fun.
Chinese New Year traditions
This is an eastern culture, but there are moments in it that are reminiscent of the New Year in Russia. And in general, it’s interesting what the Chinese do on the eve of this holiday and during its onset.
Hide from the monster
If we call Grandfather Frost, who will light Christmas tree and distributes gifts, the Chinese are trying to appease a monster named Nen (translated from Chinese as “year”). It arrives on the first day of the year (January 21) and begins to destroy food supplies, and sometimes kidnaps children (if it does not receive a tasty treat).
In order not to anger the monster, the Chinese try to prepare a rich New Year's table with big amount a wide variety of food. It is believed that in this case Nen will be content with what he has and will not touch the reserves. Residents also dress up in red and hang lanterns of the same color. And there is an explanation for this too: according to legend, Nen once saw a boy in red clothes and ran away. Therefore, this color is considered protective.
Get together with the whole family
Chinese New Year is family celebration, so those who work or study in a big city are sure to go to their home to celebrate. Husbands and wives in new year holidays spend a lot of time together, achieving an idyll.
Clean up the house
On the eve of Chinese New Year 2020 and any other year, people thoroughly clean their homes, throwing out everything unnecessary. This way they make room for happiness.
Exchange gifts
This is a traditional gesture for any holiday in every country, and China is no exception. But if in Russia they like to give beautiful New Year cards, equipment and original souvenir sets, then practical Chinese prefer to give each other red envelopes with money. And each person must definitely spend the donated amount in the near future. Recently, it has become popular to give gift certificates.
Set the table
What would New Year be without goodies? By Chinese traditions on New Year's table There should be a meat dish (pork, duck or chicken), as well as sweets. It is especially popular to make cookies from rice flour.
And, of course, tangerines! Fruits, whose homeland is China, are an attribute of the New Year celebration in this country. True, they are not so much eaten as they are displayed on the streets in large tubs. And giving someone 2 tangerines means wishing them well-being.
Have fun
New Year's Eve in China, as in Russia, is marked by a grandiose fireworks display, which is organized by the city administration or the local residents themselves. People with great mood they go out to the squares, where they happily communicate and take photographs. Chinese New Year also features street performances, colorful performances and performances with a huge traditional Dragon and Lion dance. The festivities end on the 15th day, when grand holiday Lanterns. They are lit in honor of Wendi, the emperor of the Han dynasty, who ascended the throne on this very day many centuries ago.
By the way! You should not cry or be sad on Chinese New Year. If a sad person is met on the street, they immediately cheer him up so that he can quickly join in the celebration.
How to celebrate New Year 2020
There is no need to adopt all the traditions of China, because we have our own wonderful holiday with Olivier, Christmas tree and Grandfather Frost. But people will still turn to the Chinese calendar to celebrate 2020 according to all the rules.
The rat (symbol of the year) is a smart, flexible and adaptable animal. Therefore, it is considered that people born in 2008, 1996, 1984, 1972, etc. also have these qualities. And the babies born in 2020 will grow up creative personalities with natural charm.
What to wear
The color of 2020 according to the Chinese calendar is white. Therefore, you can safely dress up in all snow-white. The element of the year is metal, so silver shades are also suitable. It is not advisable to dress in outfits with leopard and tiger prints, because the Rat does not like felines.
What to put on the table
Although rats are considered unpretentious eaters, the mistress of 2020 must be respected. Dishes made from rice, buckwheat, and lentils would be appropriate on the table. Cheese and vegetables are required (can be pickled or canned). Berries and nuts, as well as cottage cheese, are added to baked goods.
On New Year's Eve you always believe in something unusual and magical. Therefore, traditions and symbols are perceived very sincerely and warmly. And if you think that the Metal Rat will bring good luck in 2020, it will definitely happen, despite the fact that these are Chinese norms and values.
