Chinese New Year

1.
chinese New Year is celebrated by more than 20% of the world. It’s the most important holiday in China and to Chinese people all over China

2.
You can also call it the Lunar New Year, because countries such as North and South Korea and Vietnam celebrate it as well. The holiday is also could the spring holiday 

3.
The lunar calendar is still really important in China, even though it has officially moved to the Gregorian calendar like the rest of the world. All traditional holidays and days such as the Winter Solstice are celebrated. Some people still calculate their birthdays and ages according to the lunar calendar too

4.
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).

5.
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.

6.
China is considered to be the oldest civilization with some historians marking 6000 BC as the beginning of the Chinese civilization.