Today is the last day of the Year of Rabbit, or Chinese New Year’s Eve, known as Chú Xī or “Eve of the Passing Year.”  In Chinese/Asian tradition, Chú Xī is the day where Chinese families gather for their annual reunion dinner, chatting, playing and waiting for the first day of the Chinese new year to come. 

As one of the most important traditional Chinese holidays, Chinese New Year is aslo known as “Spring Festival,” the literal translation of the Chinese name Chūn Jié, since the spring season in Chinese calendar starts with lichun, the first solar term in a Chinese calendar year.

The festival begins on the first day of the first month, known as Zhēng Yuè in the traditional Chinese calendar and ends with Lantern Festival which is on the 15th day. The origin of Chinese New Year is itself centuries old and gains significance because of several myths and traditions (see The legend of Chinese Lunar New Year).

Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the Chinese new year vary widely. People will pour out their money to buy presents, decoration, material, food, and clothing. It is also the tradition that every family thoroughly cleans the house to sweep away any ill-fortune in hopes to make way for good incoming luck. Windows and doors will be decorated with red colour paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of “good fortune” or “happiness”, “wealth”, and “longevity”.

On the Eve of Chinese New Year, supper is a feast with families. Food will include such items as pigs, ducks, chicken and sweet delicacies. The family will end the night with firecrackers. Early the next morning, children will greet their parents by wishing them a healthy and happy new year, and receive money in red paper envelopes. The Chinese New Year tradition is to reconcile, forget all grudges and sincerely wish peace and happiness for everyone.

Here is Chinese version of Jingle Bells. Watch the video to listen to the Chinese children’s song. You can replay the song by clicking the “play” button. Click here to download the song with English translation and Pinyin in PDF file.

Due to the size of the program, content in the frame below may display blank. Simply refresh the current webpage or press F5 on your keyboard for the refresh function. (Please enable your computer audio and increase the speaker volume. You can hear the song and follow the sound track):

Related posts:
Chinese children’s song: If you’re Happy Clap Your Hands
Chinese children’s story: Kitty Goes Fishing
Chinese children’s song: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Chinese children’s song: Jingle Bells

Tags: Bringing up Baby Bilingual, chinese for children, chinese language for young children, Chinese learning for babies, teaching young children chinese | Bilingual Baby, Fourth Year, From Lina | Lina | January 21, 2012 4:41 pm | Comments (0)

According to Chinese zodiac*, 2012 is the year of dragon. In Asian/Chinese culture, the Dragon is the sign of the Emperor of China or the male element Yang. The Dragon is the symbol of power and wealth.

The Chinese dragon or Oriental dragon is a mythical creature in East Asian culture with a Chinese origin. It is visualized as a long, scaled, snake-like creature with four legs and five claws on each. The dragon is sometimes used in the West as a national emblem of China. Its female counterpart is the Fenghuang (phoenix).

In contrast to the European dragon which stands on four legs and which is usually portrayed as evil, the Chinese dragon has long been a potent symbol of auspicious power in Chinese folklore and art. Dragons have been worshiped by the Chinese for thousands of years. They can be found in pottery, paintings, and are often featured in jade ornaments.

From its origins as totems or the stylized depiction of natural creatures, the Chinese dragon evolved to become a mythical animal. They are strongly associated with water as the bringer of rain and water in an agriculturally water-driven nation. They are believed to be the rulers of moving bodies of water, such as waterfalls, rivers, or seas. They can show themselves as water spouts (tornado or twister over water).

Because of this association, they are seen as “in charge” of water-related weather phenomenon. In premodern times, many Chinese villages (especially those close to rivers and seas) had temples dedicated to their local “dragon king”.

In times of drought or flooding, it was customary for the local gentry and government officials to lead the community in offering sacrifices and conducting other religious rites to appease the dragon, either to ask for rain or a cessation thereof.

The first Chinese legendary Emperor Huang Di was said to have been immortalized into a dragon that resembled his emblem, and ascended to Heaven at the end of his reign. Since the Chinese consider Huang Di as their ancestor, many Chinese people often refer themselves as “the descendants of the Dragon” as a sign of ethnic identity. This legend also contributed towards the use of the Chinese dragon as a symbol of imperial power.

The dragon, especially yellow or golden dragons with five claws on each foot, was a symbol for the emperor in many Chinese dynasties. The imperial throne was called the Dragon Throne.

During the late Qing Dynasty, the dragon was even adopted as the national flag. The dragon is featured in the carvings on the steps of imperial palaces and tombs, such as the Forbidden City in Beijing.

In Chinese culture today, the Chinese Dragon, or “Long”, symbolizes power and excellence, valiancy and boldness, heroism and perseverance, nobility and divinity. It is mostly used for decorative purposes. Many pictures of oriental dragons show a flaming pearl under their chin. The pearl is associated with wealth, good luck, and prosperity.

A number of Chinese proverbs and idioms also feature references to the dragon, for example: wang zi cheng long, “Hoping one’s son will become a dragon” (be as successful and powerful as a dragon).

* Chinese Zodiac is based on cyclic concept of time: a cycle of 12 years, repeated again and again.

The 12 Years are associated with 12 Celestial Animals: Rat (or Mouse on Mongoose), Ox (or Buffalo or Bull or Cow), Tiger, Rabbit (or Hare or Cat), Dragon, Snake (or Serpent), Horse, Goat (or Sheep or Ram), Monkey, Rooster (or Hen or Cock or Chicken or Phoenix), Dog and Pig (or Boar or Hog).

The animal names occasionally differ depending on the Oriental Country origin. The Chinese Yearly Horoscopes are basically built around these 12 Animal Signs.

Related posts:
The legend of Chinese Lunar New Year
My thoughts after watching the movie 2012
My babies are rabbits
My baby is a rat

Tags: Bringing up Baby Bilingual, chinese for children, chinese language for young children, Chinese learning for babies, teaching young children chinese | Bilingual Baby, Fourth Year, From Lina | Lina | January 15, 2012 3:44 pm | Comments (0)