{"id":599519,"date":"2024-02-08T09:48:58","date_gmt":"2024-02-08T09:48:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/?p=599519"},"modified":"2024-02-13T19:56:00","modified_gmt":"2024-02-13T19:56:00","slug":"%e9%be%8d%e5%b9%b4%e5%bf%ab%e6%a8%82-celebrating-chinese-new-year-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/news\/salt-news\/%e9%be%8d%e5%b9%b4%e5%bf%ab%e6%a8%82-celebrating-chinese-new-year-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"\u9f8d\u5e74\u5feb\u6a02 Celebrating Chinese New Year 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 class=\"has-salt-blue-color has-text-color\">Chinese New Year 2024<\/h2>\n<h2 class=\"has-salt-blue-color has-text-color\"><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">\u9f8d\u5e74\u5feb\u6a02<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Chinese New Year (also known as Lunar New Year or Spring festival) 2024 officially begins on February 10th. However, the Chinese New Year date changes yearly as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chinahighlights.com\/travelguide\/guidebook\/chinese-calendar.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Chinese lunar calendar<\/a>\u00a0determines it. Still, it always falls from January 21st to February 20th. The day of the Chinese New Year is always a new moon day, usually the second after the winter solstice.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"has-salt-blue-color has-text-color\">What is Chinese New Year, and why is it celebrated?<\/h2>\n<p>The Chinese New Year is the time to worship ancestors and celebrate with your loved ones. Over time, it has also become a time to feast and visit family members.<\/p>\n<p>The celebrations, which are held to usher out the old year and bring forth the luck and prosperity of the new one, last for 16 days. However, these are the most notable dates of the 2024 Lunar New Year:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>February 2nd \u2013 the Little Year (\u5c0f\u5e74 \u2013 Xi\u01ceoni\u00e1n) \u2013 when the preparations for the new year begin.<\/li>\n<li>February 9th \u2013 Chinese New Year\u2019s Eve (\u9664\u5915 \u2013 Ch\u00fax\u00ec).<\/li>\n<li>February 10th \u2013 Chinese New Year\u2019s Day (\u521d \u2013 Ch\u016by\u012b).<\/li>\n<li>And finally, on February 24th, the Lantern Festival (\u5143\u5bb5\u8282 \u2013 Yu\u00e1nxi\u0101oji\u00e9).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Chinese New Year is the most important festival in China. However, it is also significant in other East Asian countries, such as Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. <span style=\"color: initial\">Our offices in these locations are closed for business during this holiday. Our Hong Kong office will be closed from the 12th to the 14th of February, our Singapore office will be closed on the 12th and 13th of February, and our Malaysia office will be closed on the 12th of February. We wish our team members, clients, candidates, and community in these offices happy and memorable celebrations with their family and friends!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-599536 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/2-300x300.png\" alt=\"What is chinese new year \" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/2-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/2-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/2-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/2.png 810w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"has-salt-blue-color has-text-color\">What is the 2024 Chinese Zodiac Animal?<\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">According to the <a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.chinahighlights.com\/travelguide\/chinese-zodiac\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chinese zodiac cycle<\/a>, each year corresponds to one of 12 animal signs and one of five basic elements; combining the 12 animal signs and five elements creates a 60-year cycle.\u00a0The Chinese lunisolar calendar determines the specific animal and element associated with a particular year. The Year of the Dragon in 2024 is related to the element of Wood. The combination of the animal sign (Dragon) and the element (Wood) designates the year as the Year of the Wood Dragon.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The years of the Dragon include 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000 and 2012. Individuals born in the Year of the Dragon are believed to possess specific characteristics and traits associated with the Dragon. They tend to be ambitious, courageous, confident and charismatic. They are naturally lucky and gifted, often accomplishing their endeavours with a high degree of excellence. Emperors are said to have descended from Dragons, which is why, out of the 12 zodiac signs, the Dragon is the most popular!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In Chinese astrology, zodiac signs and elements are associated with a lucky colour that can impact an individual\u2019s prosperity and fortune. For those born in the Year of the Dragon in 2024, the auspicious colour is gold, signifying success, wealth and honour. Yellow is an auspicious colour for Earth, representing wealth, solidity and stability. Wearing yellow clothes or accessories and using yellow decorations in the home can help increase luck in 2024, particularly for those starting a business or developing their careers.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-599537 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/3-300x300.png\" alt=\"What is the chinese zodiac animal 2024 \" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/3-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/3-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/3-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/3.png 810w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"has-salt-blue-color has-text-color\">How is Chinese New Year traditionally celebrated, and why?<\/h2>\n<p>One of the most famous legends is about the mythical beast Nian \u5e74. He would terrorise villages, eating everything from mosquitos to humans. As time passed, the villagers realised that the monster returned every 365 days, on the eve of a new year, to cause havoc before heading back into the forest. This was when the villagers decided to take action!<\/p>\n<p>To prevent Nian from attacking people and causing general destruction, people put food at their doors to distract him. It&#8217;s said that a wise older man figured out that Nian feared loud noises and the colour red.<\/p>\n<p>In the hope of getting rid of him once and for all, people put red lanterns and red scrolls on their windows and doors. Even crackling bamboo was lit to scare him away, which later turned into firecrackers.<\/p>\n<p>Customs and traditions vary widely, but they all carry the same theme.\u00a0<span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">Many things to do with Chinese New Year are bright, loud and red. <\/span><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">Decorations are put up, including lanterns \u706f\u7b3c, family and friends <\/span><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">gather for a reunion dinner and <\/span><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">drink wine, they exchange <\/span><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">gifts, watch Dragon <\/span><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">dances and <\/span><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">fireworks!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-599538 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/4-300x300.png\" alt=\"Who celebrates chinese new year? \" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/4-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/4-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/4-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/4.png 810w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>These are the main activities you may see happening over the holidays:<\/p>\n<p>While Nian may fear the colour red, in Chinese culture it represents happiness and good fortune. Lots of\u00a0<strong>decorations<\/strong>\u00a0are put up for the Chinese New Year. You will see paper Cutting Arts \u7a97\u82b1 (chu\u0101ng hu\u0101), Door Gods \u9580\u795e (m\u00e9n sh\u00e9n), Fortune words hung up \u798f (f\u00fa), Spring Festival Couplets \u6625\u806f (ch\u016bn li\u00e1n), Paintings \u5e74\u756b (ni\u00e1n hu\u00e0), Kumquats \u91d1\u6854 (j\u012bn j\u00fa) and Lanterns \u71c8\u7c60 (d\u0113ng l\u00f3ng).<\/p>\n<p>As part of Chinese New Year traditions, to pay respects to passed family members and ancestors, families\u00a0<strong>offer sacrifices<\/strong>. It is believed that the spirits of our ancestors are always with us, protecting us and helping us become prosperous.<\/p>\n<p>Before their reunion dinners, families worship their ancestors, allowing them to eat first. Families visit their loved ones&#8217; graves or shrines, first sweeping and cleaning the area before offering joss paper, joss sticks, meat, and wine. Offering sacrifices on New Year&#8217;s Eve and throughout the festivities is a way of paying them back for their lasting protection.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Food<\/strong>\u00a0is one of the things the Chinese take the most pride in. Like the activity and decorations, the dishes are created to give blessings.<\/p>\n<p>Family and friends gather for a reunion dinner on Chinese New Year&#8217;s Eve. Though every household will have different customs, some familiar dishes are on every table. Hot Pot \u706b\u934b (hu\u01d2 gu\u014d) is, for many, the centrepiece of the dinner.\u00a0It may sit alongside Spring Rolls \u6625\u5377 (ch\u016bn ju\u01cen), Dumplings \u9903\u5b50 (ji\u01ceo zi), Noodles \u9577\u9eb5 (ch\u00e1ng mi\u00e0n), Steamed Fish \u84b8\u9c7c (zh\u0113ng y\u00fa), Steamed Chicken \u84b8\u96de (zh\u0113ng j\u012b), Nian Gao \u5e74\u7cd5 (ni\u00e1n g\u0101o) and Vegetarian stir-fry\u7530\u5712\u7d20\u5c0f\u7092 (ti\u00e1n yu\u00e1n s\u00f9 xi\u01ceo ch\u01ceo).<\/p>\n<p>Many meats and vegetables have\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/chinesenewyear.net\/food\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">symbolic meanings<\/a>, as well as being tasty!<\/p>\n<p>In traditional Chinese medicine, <strong>wine<\/strong> was often used. It&#8217;s also known as \u767e\u836f\u4e4b\u9577 (b\u01cei y\u00e0o zh\u012b zh\u01ceng), meaning alcohol is the leader of all medicine. It isn&#8217;t widely known that the wine culture in China is just as long and important as tea.<\/p>\n<p>Alcohol (\u9152 \/ ji\u01d4) represents longevity (\u9577\u58fd \/ ch\u00e1ngsh\u00f2u). People will drink to everlasting friendships, happiness, and other wishes during this holiday.<\/p>\n<p>The most common alcohol drunk for Chinese New Year is Chinese white wine, or baijiu \u767d\u9152 (b\u00e1iji\u01d4).<\/p>\n<p>As New Year is the year&#8217;s biggest celebration,\u00a0<strong>gifts\u00a0<\/strong>are exchanged amongst family and friends. Traditionally, children and retired people within a family are given money in colourful\u00a0<strong>red envelopes<\/strong>. When handing someone a red envelope as a gift, it is believed that you wish them luck and prosperity. The money inside is a way to guide you to that in the New Year for the future.<\/p>\n<p>Due to superstitions, it is\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.chinahighlights.com\/festivals\/things-not-give-chinese-new-year.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bad luck to gift<\/a>\u00a0people certain things, like clocks, scissors and pears. This holiday&#8217;s traditional gifts may include fruits, candles, alcohol, plants\/flowers and tea.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/insiderguides.com.au\/lunar-new-year-gift-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read more<\/a>\u00a0on what not to give at Chinese New Year.<\/p>\n<p>One of the most famous Chinese New Year traditions is letting off\u00a0<strong>firecrackers<\/strong>. Also,\u00a0<strong>fireworks<\/strong>\u00a0are set off at midnight and for the first few minutes of the New year, much like other New Year celebrations worldwide! But firecrackers are a uniquely Chinese New Year custom.<\/p>\n<p>Some families celebrate on the doorsteps of their homes, and some people celebrate in large numbers at a big show. Either way, you can expect a lot of noise when New Year arrives! Due to security reasons, since the 1960s, firecrackers have been illegal in Hong Kong, and fireworks have been banned in many cities around China. Still, you can expect to see them in many other cities.<\/p>\n<p>You&#8217;ll likely have seen the traditional Chinese dragon dance at some point. It is a spectacular show with dancers, performers, puppets, magical dragons, and lions dancing alongside them! This performance is part of a procession through the streets and is widely seen throughout Chinese New Year celebrations. It is a beautifully colourful and lively part of celebrations meant to bring prosperity and good luck for the coming year.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"has-salt-blue-color has-text-color\">What are the superstitions around Chinese New Year?<\/h2>\n<p>As Chinese New Year is the start of a new year, Chinese people believe that what you do during this time will affect your luck in the coming year.<\/p>\n<p>With this in mind, this holiday period has some dos and don&#8217;ts &#8211; there are some taboos on the first day of the New Year, and some\u00a0superstitions\u00a0that remain for the whole New Year season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"cvGsUA direction-ltr align-start para-style-body\"><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">Chinese people believe that what you do during this time will affect your luck in the coming year.\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">The cry of a child is believed to <\/span><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">bring bad luck to the family. <\/span><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">So, for this holiday, everyone <\/span><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">does everything they can <\/span><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">to keep children <\/span><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">from crying!<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"cvGsUA direction-ltr align-start para-style-body\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-599541 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/5-300x300.png\" alt=\"Chinese new year supistitions\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/5-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/5-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/5-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/5.png 810w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"has-salt-blue-color has-text-color\">Find a job in\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/welovesalt.com\/hk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hong Kong<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/welovesalt.com\/my\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Malaysia<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/welovesalt.com\/sg\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Singapore<\/a><\/h2>\n<p>Are you thinking about working in any of the above countries? There are many job vacancies in various cities across these countries. We have a range of exciting opportunities, from remote work to part-time jobs to full-time jobs across Consulting, Creative, HR, Marketing, Sales, and Technology sectors.<\/p>\n<p>Our award-winning digital recruitment agency is perfectly positioned to help you find your dream role &#8211; find <strong>your<\/strong> dream job with Salt.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-599542 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/7-300x300.png\" alt=\"Happy Lunar new year from Salt Recruitment\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/7-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/7-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/7-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/7.png 810w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u5154\u5e74\u5feb\u6a02! Chinese New Year 2023 officially begins on January 22nd. The Chinese New Year is the time to worship ancestors and celebrate with your loved ones.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":599546,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8003],"tags":[8696,8692,2053,5736,7851,3265,8693,8694,3255,3611,7850,8695],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599519"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=599519"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599519\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":600957,"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599519\/revisions\/600957"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/599546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=599519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=599519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/welovesalt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=599519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}