Talk:Chinese New Year
From Academic Kids
we should really change round the order of the redirects - this page should be called Lunar New Year because that is more general (Korean and Vietnamese communities in the SF bay area are on record as being upset because everyone calls it Chinese New Year, squeezing out their festivities). Anyone see any reason why I shouldn't switch them round? seglea 22:21, 22 Jan 2004 (UTC)
- Do the Korean New Year and Vietnamese New Year always fall on precisely the same date as the Chinese New Year?
- Please keep in mind that the Chinese calendar is lunisolar, not purely lunar. (Please see lunisolar calendar and lunar calendar.) Also, what about the Jewish and Islamic calendars? (The Jewish is lunisolare; the Islamic is lunar.)
The chinese calendar uses the location of Beijing as a reference point (or more correctly, it used Beijing until 1928 and since then 128° East. The traditional japanese calendar used the location of Tokio (but was otherwise identical with the chinese one), and AFAIK the vietnamese one is also the same with only another different reference longitude. I have no idea if it has a different one for the Koreans. But it will have a difference of one day if the new moon occurs around midnight local time at the reference latitudes of the calendars.
And yes, the chinese calendar is lunisolar, but it isn't the only lunisolar calendar, there are more additionally to the above variants of the chinese one. Thus a title Lunisolar New Year would be wrong as well. andy 23:21, 22 Jan 2004 (UTC)
- Although a late response, the modern meridian of the Chinese calendar is 120°, not 128° (probably just a typo). The meridian for the traditional Japanese calendar, at least before 1873, was that of Kyoto. I suspect that the 'modern' traditional Japanese calendar uses 135°, the meridian of Japanese Standard Time (UTC+9h), not the meridian of Tokyo. I suspect the same for Vietnam (UTC+8h), but don't know. Because Korea was a vassal state of China before it was invaded by Japan in 1905, it accepted the Chinese calendar without making any changes. Indeed, the Korean court accepted the Chinese calendar from the Chinese delegate with elaborate ceremony. I have no idea what its modern incarnation may be. — Joe Kress 18:31, Dec 24, 2004 (UTC)
"the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar"
Only on the first day? Chinese New Year isn't like New Year's Day, where it lasts for only a day. As far as I know it lasts up to 15 days?
"The New Year's Eve dinner is very large and traditionally includes chicken. However, the New Year's Day dinner is typically vegetarian." Is this true too? Mandel 07:48, Dec 24, 2004 (UTC)
- Although Chinese New Year is technically only the first day of the first month, it is indeed celebrated for at least 15 days, if not longer, considering the earlier preparation activities. Thus the article should be reworded. — Joe Kress 18:31, Dec 24, 2004 (UTC)
Dragon - Chen 2000 February 5 2012 January 23 Snake - Si 2001 January 24 2013 February 10 Horse - Wu 2002 February 12 2014 January 31 Goat - Wei 2003 February 1 2015 February 19
Are these the Cantonese names? They don't seem to be putonghua, Long, She, Ma, Shan Ya etc though I'll freely admit my putonghua is dodgy. Could someone explain? -- Conflatuman 15:06, Dec 24, 2004 (UTC)
- These are pinyin romanizations of the putonghua earthly branches assigned to the years beginning on the stated dates — they are not direct translations of the animals. The article should be reworded to make that clear. — Joe Kress 18:31, Dec 24, 2004 (UTC)
Things to do
1) Add the ten heavenly characters which are conjugated with the 12 animal zodiacs.
2) Add entry for 8th day of new year...birthday of the jade emperor
Question for anyone that can help please
We are a family in New England that truly doesn't impart any "traditions" in our house and we are not Asian, but I thought it would be truly wonderful to teach my children to a great extent the cultures of others
well, long story short, the first country we are working extremely hard on is China and I have several questions in regards to Chinese Cultural traditions
when serving the chicken = do I really have to keep all the parts of the bird on it? living in the USA does anyone know where I would get such a chicken?
what is the tradition when children are involved
what do I put into the red envelopes -- do I place real money it them and whom do I dispense them to and when
- These are known in Mandarin as hong baos or red packets. Generally it's like the equivalent of a Christmas gifts for kids. Usually they give it to children and the unmarried, and technically speaking only the married are priviledged to hand them out. And yes, they do put real cash inside, almost always paper notes, and the receiver accepts it with some auspicious greetings. Anyone who isn't married can accept them (although sometimes one gives them to the elderly as well). Technically these can be given out on any of the fifteen days of the New Year, and kids almost always receive them with glee (as to be expected). Usually given to visiting relatives and children -- New Year is a time for gathering and visiting, and there are some friends and relatives who isn't seen per year until Chinese New Year's Days.
- Hope this helps. Mandel 21:56, Dec 31, 2004 (UTC)
and if at anytime anyone finds this offensive I humbly appologize -- this is not meant to offend anyone
- Not sure who the original poster was but hope you get this. (If you do kindly add it into the article to help others - my edit skills are lacking)
Of serving chicken. A whole chicken is served. Usually in traditional poor China this was the only time of the year a family would see an entire chicken. These days...anyway besides the family celebration there would also be a "corporate" one in traditional Chinese practice. Most typical chinese businesses are family businesses and employees signed on for life (this was in the past) as such this was an extended family dinner known as "sau kong chau" (cantonese) - meaning complete work drinking session (literally). Bosses would give out bonuses in the form of "red packets" to staff. A strange tradition is that the head of the chicken would be positioned to point at the staff member who was on his "to be fired" list. It was a very polite way to give notice to a worker. As such we do not serve the head in our house. The choicest part (the drumstick) would be given to the oldest by the person sitting next to them (yes, you pile food on other peoples plates during chinese dinners - live with it).
As with all Chinese dinners younger people would have to ask their elders to eat (elders are allowed to eat without being asked). Saying Bob or Alice is not allowed. You used the official titles like "wife of the third aunts second son". --Malbear 07:57, 31 Jan 2005 (UTC)
- Of giving money. Money is given in red packets. Yes its real money. It used to be required that it was given in multiples. $2 or $1.10 etc. It used to be a token but as families got more affluent the amount given is also grown larger. Such gifts should be declared (discreetly) to your elders when received from family friends to avoid situations where you are seen to be "taking". I am not sure what the exact formula is but there is a complex formula for giving gifts and red packets and receiving gifts in return. As such, I have personally received red packets with amounts higher than the per capita GDP of this country.
Red packets are given to anyone who is unmarried. This includes old aunties. Old unmarried women are a traditional tragic literary device so be sensitive when giving them a gift. --Malbear 07:57, 31 Jan 2005 (UTC)
"Idolatry" is both patently offensive and a very partisan POV
Re: Food section, nián gao topic, offending sentence: Chinese families who practice idolatry also offer "nian gao" to the kitchen god.
Never forget that one person's "god" is somebody else's "idol".
I do not presume to rush in and edit this article without discussing it first here on the Talk Page. Nevertheless, idolatry—Wikipedia entry or not—is an inexcusably partisan, value-judgement-laden term and, as such, flagrantly violates the Wikipedia directive for Neutrality in Point of View. Certainly we can do greater justice to the the subject of the Lunar New Year, and the traditional offerings made, than this.
Proposed rewording: Families who practice traditional Chinese religion also offer.... with links to either the article on Chinese religion or Chinese mythology. Furthermore, the name of the Kitchen God, Zao Jun (灶君) with a link to His Wikipedia entry should be given for a more informative as well as respectful and Neutral Point of View treatment.
The remaining two sentences of the nián gao paragraph commenting on Chinese Folk Religion is likewise trivializing and should be rewritten.
- Ogambear, please sign your comments. I have done so for you above.
