Chinese New Year is a majestic event and full of good wishes for the coming year. Our interest in this event comes from the many trips we make to China to visit the production factories and to discover in advance products and gadgets that will invade the European market in the following months.
During our discovery missions we not only stay up to date on tech industry trends, but we also learn something new every time about the fascinating traditions of this country.
Our trips have become more and more an opportunity for meeting up and sharing with the people we know over there and who we catch up with every time we return. These friends and colleagues have told us a great deal about their country and the sacredness of their national holidays, first and foremost the Lunar New Year, also called the Spring Festival.
When is the Spring Festival celebrated?
Chinese New Year doesn’t coincide with that of our Gregorian calendar: it doesn’t have a fixed date, but always falls in the period between January 21st and February 19th, coinciding with the second new moon after the winter solstice.In actual fact, according to the lunar calendar, the months begin with the new moons, and New Year corresponds to the first new moon of the year.
The first new moon in 2020 will fall on January 25th: that day will see the start of the Spring Festival celebrations, which will end 15 days later, on February 9th, with the Lantern Festival.
The Chinese zodiac for 2020
The Chinese zodiac has a twelve-year cycle in which each year corresponds to a zodiac sign and an element of either wood, fire, earth, metal, or water.The combination of the sign and element leads to typical personality traits and fortune of those born in that year.
2020 will be the year of the Rat, the first zodiac sign of the horoscope, combined with the element of metal.
It is said that those born under this combination will be especially talented and intelligent, but also jealous and impetuous.
Traditions linked to fortune are extremely important. If you were born in one of the years of the Rat (2008, 1996, 1984, 1972, 1960, 1948, and so on), you should be aware that – according to beliefs – the year of your sign is generally the least fortunate. But don’t worry! The solution is to wear something red all year round.
What is the origin of the Lunar New Year?
The Spring Festival has very ancient origins: it dates back to over 3,500 years ago, when it was customary to celebrate new year with songs, fireworks and red decorations to scare the Nian monster and thus avoid having to offer your blood. A spin-off of this tradition can be seen in the most popular wish for this holiday:”Guo Nian Hao”, which mentions the fearsome dragon and corresponds to our “Happy New Year”.
How to celebrate New Year and get good luck
New Year has its own ritual of celebrations and traditions that must be respected to get good luck for the new year.Preparation begins a week before, by carrying out the tasks that cannot be performed during the holidays themselves, such as housework and buying gifts.
New Year’s Eve is dedicated to hanging traditional red decorations.On this day offerings are brought to one’s ancestors, benevolent spirits who protect the family and give prosperity.People have dinner at home with the family and, while they are waiting for midnight, they exchange”red envelopes”, small gifts typical of this holiday.Traditionally these envelopes contain coins, which must be of an even number, but never 4 or multiples of 4, numbers that represent bad omens except 8, considered a lucky number.
New Year is welcomed with fireworks, which drive away evil spirits with their noise and colours, along with the sound of the bell that calls for luck.The following morning, in many parts of China, temple fairs are held, where it is possible to admire the dance of the dragon and that of the lion.
In the days that follow, from the 2nd to the 7th day, it is customary to dress up smartly and visit relatives and friends, to offer best wishes.
Some return to work on the 8th day, the luckiest of all: the sound of this number in Chinese is equivalent to that of the “wealth” ideogram.But no one misses the celebration on the 15th day of the Lantern Festival, which brings New Year to an end.This night is the first full moon of the new year, a symbol of family reunion.Lanterns of all shapes, colours and types, lit during the holidays and hung for decoration, are taken down, carried around the streets and thrown into the sky, or left to float in the sea or along the rivers.
Maikii and Chinese New Year
This period of celebration, although taking place on the other side of the world, influences Western working rhythms, because for about 15 days work stops, and with it exports.
At Maikii we respect this very important period for Chinese tradition but our business doesn’t stop: during the holidays we guarantee a constant supply of customised gadgets thanks to our warehouse in Italy, from which we ship within 24 or 48 hours.
For all your promotional orders in the period from January 25th to mid-February, look for the right gadget for you in the catalogue section dedicated to products ready for delivery, or the CellularLine and PopSockets® lines!
