Today, I like to share the Origin, Mythology and the 15 days of the Lunar Chinese New Year.
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Origin:Chinese New Year is the first day of the lunar calendar, so it is also called the Lunar New Year. And it is also referred to as the Spring Festival since it is the beginning of the Spring term.
It was recorded that Chinese started to celebrate Chinese New Year from about 2000 BC, though the celebrations were held on different times under different emperors.
Mythology:
According to legend, in ancient China, the Nián (年) was a man-eating beast from the mountains (in other versions from under the sea), which came out every 12 months somewhere close to winter to prey on humans. The people later believed that the Nian was sensitive to loud noises and the colour red, so they scared it away with explosions, fireworks and the liberal use of the colour red. These customs led to the first New Year celebrations. And people often use the term "Guo Nian"(过年), which may originally mean "passed or survived the Nian". Now everyone loves Guo Nian.
The 15 Days of the Chinese New Year
First day of New Year:* The first day is for the welcoming of the deities of the heavens and earth and is a time when families visit the oldest and most senior members of their extended family.
Second day of New Year:
* The second day of the Chinese New Year is for married daughters to visit their birth parents.
* Some Chinese pray to their ancestors as well as to all the gods. They are extra kind to dogs and feed them well as it is believed that the second day is the birthday of all dogs.
Fifth day of New Year:
* In northern China, people eat dumplings (饺子) on Fifth day of CNY morning . This is also the birthday of the Chinese god of wealth. * In Taiwan, businesses traditionally re-open on this day, accompanied by firecrackers.
Seventh day of New Year:
* The seventh day, traditionally known as renri (人日), the common man's birthday, the day when everyone grows one year older.
Ninth day of New Year:
* The ninth day of the New Year is a day for Chinese to offer prayers to the Jade Emperor of Heaven (天公) in the Taoist Pantheon. The ninth day is traditionally the birthday of the Jade Emperor.
Fifteen day of New Year:
* The fifteenth day of the new year is celebrated as Yuánxiāo jié (元宵节). Rice dumplings Tangyuan (汤圆), a sweet glutinous rice ball brewed in a soup, is eaten this day.
* Candles are lit outside houses as a way to guide wayward spirits home.
* This day often marks the end of the Chinese New Year festivities.
(extracted from Wikipedia)
2 comments:
Hi Adrain, happy new year to you.
I heard your application to become sales manager was rejected but another colleague was accepted.
I believe it has to do with what you doing and has nothing to do with your ability. You have the best qualifications and not even the foreign recruits can compare.
First your record shows you have been outspoken, in the forum and your blog. The management wants people carry out their orders and they don't want poeple who are too smart , who can object, to criticise their plans, who can see the faults and flaws etc.
All they want is someone hard working and to carry out orders without questioning. They cannot see and trust you that you will not.
Adtrain, study hard your CFA and get out of this place before you become part of this unethical sales force that lacks conscience and has a heart for the customers.
Very informative! Happy CNY!
David
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