Chinese New Year 2018 Explained: What’s In Store For The Year Of The Dog?
Chinese New Year, which is commonly known as the Spring Festival in modern China, starts from February 16 in 2018. Chinese New Year is undoubtedly one of the most important Chinese festivals celebrated all around the world. The New Year celebration falls on the new moon, and this year, the Lunar New Year is on Friday, February 16, which initiates the year of the Dog. The celebration is hundreds of years old and many believe that the traditions of Chinese New Year are filled with myths and different superstitions.
The Legend:
According to legend, the beginning of the Chinese New Year started with a fictional beast, Nian, who would come down from the mountains every beginning of a new year to eat villagers, especially children. On one night, everyone from one village decided to hide from Nian except an old man, who stated that he will be awake the whole night and keep everyone safe.
The next morning, when all the villagers came out from their hiding, they found out that nothing was destroyed and the old man was still alive. The old man then revealed to them that he brought red papers with him and set off firecrackers. The villagers then understood that the mythical beast is afraid of the color red and loud noises. Since then, every time a new year comes, all the villagers would wear red clothes, hang a red lantern, and use firecrackers to scare Nian.
You can read more about Nian and his amazing capture by a Taoist monk, Hongjun Laozu, by checking the origin of Lunar New Year.
The Food:
Fish is counted as one of the auspicious foods to have during the Chinese New Year in China. Fish are considered a symbol of luck, wealth, and everything in abundance. However, while eating the fish, one should not flip it over as it reportedly symbolizes a boat being flipped, which is not considered good. At the same time, the plate should never be empty as a little leftover food gives hope for the future and the good fortune it will bring.
Apart from fishes, long and uncut noodles bring good fortune as they symbolize long and healthy life.
Superstitions:
Not a single tradition from around the world is complete with some superstitions. Many people from China ensure good fortune for the next 12 months by following a few superstitions.
- Clean the house during the evening, as many believe that if you clean during daylight, you swipe away all the good luck.
- Boil pomelo leaves as they cast away evil from the house.
- Washing hair is not good as it washes away all the good fortune; chopping them brings shorter life.
Zodiac:
Similar to Western astrology, Chinese traditions have its own zodiac traits. Each year of the lunar calendar is associated with one of 12 symbolic animals: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. The Chinese Zodiac sign is derived from one’s birth year.
“The best day to return to work is [Friday] February 23 (the eighth day of the Lunar New Year),” shares feng shui expert Thierry Chow. “Get together with friends and family. Avoid anything that [can] bring negative energy. There shouldn’t be any arguments. Learn to relax and forgive is also the best thing you can do for the Lunar New Year!”
As per the Chinese Horoscope 2018, the 2018 year is the year of Dog and it comes after the Year of the Fire Rooster (2017) and it is followed by the Year of the Earth Pig (2019). According to the Chinese zodiac, if you are born in 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, then you are Chinese zodiac animal is Dog.
According to the predictions, the Brown Earth Dog is going to be a good year but will be extremely tiresome.
