2022 is a Year of the Tiger according to the Chinese zodiac, starting from February 1st, 2022, and lasting until January 21st, 2023. People born in a year of the Tiger are predicted to be brave, competitive, unpredictable, and confident.
Every winter, a sixth of the world’s population, including more than 1 billion Chinese citizens, celebrate the Chinese new year.
The rich tradition of the Lunar New year began in China has been passed down from generation to generation to celebrate another year of good fortune.
Some people believe that the Chinese New Year originated in the Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 BC) when people held sacrificial ceremonies in honor of gods and ancestors at the beginning of the end of each year.
Firecrackers and fireworks are set off at the stroke of midnight to scare away evil spirits and celebrate the new year’s coming.
The dragon dance is one of the traditional Han folk cultural activities in China. Dragon dance originated from the worship of dragons by the ancients. Every festival, people will perform the dragon dance, starting from the Spring Festival and then in the Dragon Boat Festival. When dancing the dragon, the dragon follows the hydrangea to do various movements, interspersed. Performers are constantly showing multiple moves such as twisting, swinging, leaning, kneeling, jumping, and shaking. The dragon dance has been interlinked with praying for peace and a good harvest.
Looking at the history of the Lunar New Year, it was not always like this.
The Legend of Xi
A long time ago, there was a monster called “Xi”. It would come out every year to hurt people. Even the Kitchen God, who was protecting the common people, couldn’t do anything about it, so the Kitchen God invited a prodigy named “Nian” to heaven.
The child prodigy, with his powerful mana, used red silk and a bamboo pole that crackled in the fire to exterminate the beast. This day happens to be the last day of the twelfth lunar month.
Every family has red silk and firecrackers in their hands during the New Year. The red silk and bamboo poles that are burned in the fire gradually evolve into red couplets and red firecrackers.