Do you know that for some people, the new year begins on February 10? All over the world millions of people will celebrate Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year is also called Lunar New Year. This is because China bases its years on the cycles of the moon instead of the sun.
People celebrate Chinese New Year in a few ways. You may notice that the color red is associated with Chinese New Year. Red is a symbol of happiness and fortune in China. There are also lion and dragon dances where people in a lion or a dragon costume dance through the streets. The dances bring good fortune and scare away evil spirits. People also eat different foods meant to provide certain things for the new year. For example, eating oranges brings luck. Eating noodles brings a long life. Eating dumplings brings wealth.
Each year in the Chinese calendar is named after an animal. There are twelve different animals. This year is the Year of the Dragon. These twelve animals took part in a race in an old Chinese story. The dragon finished the race in 5th place because it stopped to help a village that was on fire. The dragon also helped the rabbit cross a river so that it could be in 4th place. The dragon is a noble creature in Chinese mythology. It symbolizes wisdom, confidence, kindness, and power. Dragons are a symbol of good luck, so maybe you will have good luck this year!
What Do You Think? What do you hope for this year?
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