Chinese New Year 2021
“恭喜發財 - Happy Chinese New Year for all colleagues in Welsh Water, may the year of the Ox bring you good health, happiness and prosperity during these troubling times!”
Tung Chung, Digital technical Architect in Retail Services
Year of the Ox
Starting from today, February 12, 2021 and lasting until January 31, 2022. An Ox year occurs every 12 years. There is a film here you can learn more.
How long is Chinese New Year?
Celebrations last up to 16 days, but only the first 7 days are considered a public holiday (February 11th–17th, 2021).
Five Friday Fun Facts
1. Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival - In China, you’ll hear it being called chunjie (春节), or the Spring Festival. It’s still very wintry, but the holiday marks the end of the coldest days. People welcome spring and what it brings along: planting and harvests, new beginnings and fresh starts.
2. It is a day for praying to gods - The Spring Festival was originally a ceremonial day to pray to gods for a good planting and harvest season. As an agrarian society, the harvest was everything. People also prayed to their ancestors, as they were treated as gods (see Mulan for reference).
3. The most fireworks are set off in the world that night - As in the myth about Nian, firecrackers are supposed to scare off monsters and bad luck. So people stay up on Chinese New Year’s Eve and set off firecrackers at midnight. In the morning, firecrackers are used again to welcome the new year and good luck. That same night, families also burn fake paper money and printed gold bars in honour of their deceased loved ones. Similar to the Korean Chuseok holiday or the Mexican Day of the Dead traditions, they believe the offerings will bring fortune and good luck to their ancestors in the afterlife.
4. Chinese New Year is celebrated all around the world - One out of every 5 people in the world is Chinese. But that stat doesn’t include the millions of overseas Chinese and people of Chinese descent. London, England; San Francisco, USA; Sydney, Australia; all claim to have the biggest Spring Festival celebrations outside of Asia.
5. Children receive lucky money in red envelopes - In other cultures, children receive gifts for holidays. Gifts are also exchanged during the Spring Festival. But Chinese children receive something else too—red envelopes. Also called red packets or pockets, they include money. This money is supposed to help transfer fortune from the elders to the kids. They can also be given between bosses and employees, co-workers, and friends. With the development of technology, digital red pockets are the trend now. People like to send one into group chats and watch the others fight for the money. This is called qiang hongbao (抢红包), or literally “snatching red pockets.”