1. CHINESE NEW YEAR
By Carrie Aldrich

2. Summary
There are several myths and traditions
about how Chinese New Year started. It is
used to honor ancestors. One of the myths
is that a beast called the Nian came the first
day of the New Year and ate all the crops,
livestock, and even villagers. They noticed
that Nian was sacred away by the color red,
and that is why today people hang red
lanterns and scrolls outside their house.

3. The Decorations
Decorations are put up on the New Year but left up
all year long for luck, health, and prosperity. Most
decorations are red. Red symbolizes joy, truth,
virtue, and sincerity. A lot of decorations are also
gold because it symbolizes wealth. Just before the
New Year people take down the decorations from
last year and put up the new ones for this year.
People also decorate with wood block prints.

4. The Decorations

5. The Decorations

6. The Entertainment
There are variety of ways people celebrate
Chinese New Year, but all focus on family and
prosperity. Many people celebrate with dinners and
parties. Many people also have family reunions.
There are a lot of fireworks and there is a Lantern
Festival which is when they carry lanterns in an
evening parade.

7. The Entertainment

8. Entertainment
Chinese New Year Celebration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Xtp9M5eU1s

9. Food
There is a lot of food served on Chinese
New Year. A whole chicken is served to
symbolize family togetherness. Noodles
represent long life, and spring rolls represent
wealth. There is a lot of fish served on the
New Year, as well as sticky rice cakes.

10. Food

11. Food

12. Traditions
There are many traditions on Chinese New Year. One of
them is a big dinner, which is an important family reunion
dinner, especially for those away from home. Fish is
normally served. There are also fireworks, which are used
to drive evil away from the home. There are red packages
which are filled with Chinese money ranging from one to
thousands of yuan. There is the New Years Markets which
are set up so people can go and buy the New Years goods.
Finally people completely clean all of their house to get rid
of the old and welcome the new.

13. Traditions

14. Traditions

15. Past v. Present
Past Present
• Dinner at parents house • Dinner at resturaunt
• Markets sell food • Markets sell cheap toys
• Envelopes had small • Envelopes have large
amounts of money amounts of money

16. Celebrated all over the world
New York

17. Celebrated all over the world
China

18. Celebrated all over the world
Sydney

19. Celebrated all over the world
Europe

20. Citations
• http://www.chinesenewyears.info/chinese-new-year-
traditions.php
• http://chinesefood.about.com/od/chinesenewyear/a/symb
olicnewyear.htm
• http://www.infoplease.com/spot/chinesenewyear1.html
• http://events.gigmasters.com/planning/chinese-new-year-
party/
• http://www.sydneychinesenewyear.com/entertainment/
• http://chineseculture.about.com/od/chinesefestivals/a/Chi
nese-New-Year-Chinese-New-Years-Decorations.htm