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With the Chinese New Year celebrations during most of February every year, Escooter-store wants to remind our customers that orders and delivery delays from China are bound to happen again this year. Although our suppliers and manufacturers have skeleton staff on duty, we have experienced hick-ups in the past and expect some snags again this year.
At Escooter-store however, we will always be available to respond to your queries and assist the absolute best we can…and looking forward to our own celebration of summer in America soon.
But did you know how huge Chinese New Year celebrations are around the world?
Chinese New Year 2021
Celebrating the Chinese New Year is just as popular as the Western one with beautiful rituals and traditions.
This year it falls on Friday February 12th. The legal holiday period called the Spring Festival is seven days long but can last for 16 days as many companies allow longer time-off for workers to travel to their families all over the country.
In China alone over 400 million people will be traveling countrywide to make this event the biggest human migration in the world.
Stores and businesses usually reopen on the fifth day of the first lunar month.
The Chinese calendar is represented by the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac and cycles through five inanimate elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water.
2021 is the Year of the Metal Ox.
Traditions of the Chinese New Year
Similar to other cultures, Chinese’s new year’s resolutions are also celebrated and start with a huge spring-cleaning of their houses from February 4th – “out with the old and in with the new”.
Literally sweeping away bad luck, painting window frames and doors red and buying presents, food and decorations, all mark the exciting build up to New Year’s Eve.
Chinese New Year’s Eve
The moment has finally come and everybody is wearing something red. The house is clean with lots of red decorations. Presents are ready and a culinary feast of at least 10 courses with a whole fish entrée is to be enjoyed.
After dinner, families play board games, cards or watch the Spring Festival Gala on CCTV which is the most-watched national network TV broadcast in the world with more than 1.1 billion viewers.
At midnight, fireworks light up the sky. More rockets are set off on that night than any other night of the year…it is a big thing in China and borne from ancient folklore about a monster called Nian that was scared off by firecrackers.
However, over 500 cities have now banned or restricted fireworks due to pollution and safety.
The common New Year’s greeting in Chinese is “xin nian kuai le” that means Happy New Year. In Hong Kong and other Cantonese-speaking parts of the world they say “gong hei fat choy” that can be translated to “congratulations on your good fortune”.
Chinese New Year’s Day
On New Year’s Day the ancient custom of Hong Bao or Red Packet, takes place. Red Packets usually contain money and couples can give red packets to their children and parents.
Since 2017, this ancient custom embraced digital technology and 14.2 billion e-hongbaos or digital red packets were sent through social platforms like WeChat.
Then the families go from door to door and wishing other family and neighbours a wonderful New Year.
The end of the New Year is celebrated on the next full moon with the Festival of Lanterns with dancing, singing and lantern shows.
Around the world, Chinese New Year celebrations with parades and dragon dances are also enthusiastically enjoyed like in London, Vancouver, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sydney. Tokyo Tower and the London Eye will turn red to welcome the new year.
For more interesting fun-facts on the Chinese New Year celebrations, click below.
Wishing all our suppliers and manufacturers, a precious and prosperous 2021.
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