ENGLISH PRESENTATION:

FESTIVALS: •CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS

ATYAB TAHIR FATEH HAIDER FRASAT IQBAL FAHAD ALI HASSHAM HUSSAIN BASIM ALI

GROUP MEMBERS:

A festival is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centres on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival.

Among many religions, a feast is a set of celebrations in honour of God or gods. A feast and a festival are historically interchangeable. However, the term "feast" has also entered common secular parlance as a synonym for any large or elaborate meal. When used as in the meaning of a festival, most often refers to a religious festival rather than a film or art festival.

FESTIVAL:

The Chinese Lunar Calendar names each of the twelve years after an animal.

Legend has it that the Lord Buddha summoned all the animals to come to him before he departed from earth. Only twelve came to bid him farewell and as a reward he named a year after each one in the order they arrived.

The Chinese believe the animal ruling the year in which a person is born has a profound influence on personality, saying: "This is the animal that hides in your heart."

Chinese Lunar Calendar:

RAT OX TIGER HARE DRAGON SNAKE HORSE GOAT MONKEY CHICKEN DOG TORTOISE

NAMES:

The Origin of the lunar New Year Festival can be traced back thousands years, involving a series of colorful legends and traditions. One of the famous legend is Nian, an extremely cruel and ferocious beast that the ancients believed would devour people on New Year’s Eve.

The Origin Of Chinese New Year:

To keep Nian away, red-paper couplets are pasted on doors, torches are lit and firecrackers are set off through the night, because Nain is said to fear the color red, the light of fire ,and loud noises.

Early the next morning, as feelings of triumph and renewal fill the air at successfully keeping Nain away for another year, the most popular greeting heard is gong si, or “congratulations”.

Fish are considered lucky creatures. This is because the word “fish” in Chinese also sounds like the word meaning “surplus” or “something left over.”

The owners believe it will help to bring in a surplus of money.

People hope these practices will bring extra wealth in the coming year.

Big dinner on New Year’s Eve-- fish

After the dinner, the children keep awake to welcome the new year. Some people think that the parents live longer if their children keep awake to greet the new year. The lights switched on the new year’s eve remain on for three to four days as good omen.

Monetary gifts are usually presented in red envelopes during festive occasions, like weddings, birthdays, and the New Year. While their main task is to bear gifts, their second duty is to shower the recipient with luck, joy, and prosperity

Chinese red envelopes

Spring couplets are paper scrolls and squares inscribed with blessings and auspicious words , such as “good fortune” and “springtime.

The paper squares are usually pasted upside down, because the Mandarin word for “upside down”, dao, is a homonym of the word “arrival”.

Thus, the paper squares represent the “arrival” of spring and the “coming” of prosperous times.

couplets

It’s unlucky to sweep the floor during the first five days of the Lunar New Year ,

because one might accidentally sweep one’s good luck and wealth out of the house.

Bad language and talk of death are severely frowned upon.

If a dish is broken , it’s vital to say “suei suei ping an” ,means every year will be safe and secure.

Taboos

Offering ritual homage to one’s ancestors. Reverence is then paid to the gods.

New clothes are worn , and visits are made to friend , neighbor , and relatives to exchange good wishes of “gong si fa cai”, which means “congratulations and prosperity”.

On the first day of the Lunar New year

All of Taiwan’s temples are usually very busy during this time of year as large numbers of people crowd into them with elevated incense sticks to pray for good luck.

The first day of the Lunar New Year is also "the welcoming of the gods of the heavens and earth.” Many people abstain from meat on the first day of the new year because it is believed that this will ensure long and happy lives for them.

One of the most spectacular sights during the Lunar New Year Festival is the dragon and lion dance. The heads of these fearsome beasts are supposed to ward off evil, and the nimble movements of the dancers provide a grand spectacle enjoyable to everyone. 

The Dragon And The Lion Dance

Finally, on the ninth day, numerous offerings are set out in the forecourt or central courtyard of temples to celebrate the birthday of the Jade Emperor, who was believed to have been born immediately after midnight on the ninth day.

what do we do on the ninth day of the Lunar New year?

On the fifteenth or full moon day fire crackers are lit to frighten away evil spirits.

In the evening young girls throw oranges into the sea or river. As they do this they say a silent prayer that will help them to find a good husband.

The young men throw dried carrots into the river and pray that they find a good wife.

Full moon day

The chinese new year celebrations last for fifteen days, from the new monn night till the midnight of the fifteenth or full moon day.

During these fifteen days there was big family and society gathering which makes people come close to each other and help to forget all the quarrels and other things which make them kept away for several days from each other.

The main purpose of these festivals is to create a passion of brother hood among each other and keep their selves united.

At last chinese year celebration ends with the prayers and hope that their future year will bring a lot of joy and happiness for themselves and their whole nation

The end