It’s that time of the year again when we Chinese prepare for the Chinese New Year. If you’re not that familiar with the festival, it’s the beginning of the new year for us based on the lunar calendar, and involves a lot of eating, visiting and cleaning!

It is the biggest event of the year and there are a number of traditions, superstitions and activities that make it one of the most celebrated events in the world. To help you understand some of these traditions please read on...

Chinese New Year is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar.  The new year begins on the first day of the Chinese calendar, which usually takes place between January 21 and February 20, and the festivities continue for 15 days.

The exact date of the Chinese New Year is fixed by the lunar calendar, in which a new moon marks the beginning of each new month. In 2008, the Chinese year 4706 begins on February 7.

Did you know? The Year of the Rat is the first of the 12 animal signs. So it also represents the beginning of a new 12 years cycle, and that signifies a new beginning of prosperity and goodness.

There are different versions of the story behind the development of the Chinese zodiac, but all the versions are based around a race called by an Emperor to determine the animals to be represented.

"The cunning Rat hitched a ride on the back of the Ox and crossed the winning line first. The Rat was followed (in order) by Ox (Cow), Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Ram (Goat, Sheep), Monkey, Rooster (Chicken), Dog and Pig (Boar)."

According to the Chinese zodiac, you take on the characteristics of the animal associated with the year of your birth, but those characteristics are also influenced by what time of day you're born, what fixed element you belong to (water, metal, wood, fire, earth), as well as the influence of Yin and Yang. Complicated, isn't it?

A Ratty Year.

RAT People are both charming and aggressive. They appear calm and well balanced on the surface, but underneath, they are restless and a little nervous. RAT People are compatible, hard working, and they know how to hang on to a penny. They are never without admirers. They are very appealing. They have a bright and happy personality, and this keeps them busy socially. They love parties and other large gatherings. They like belonging to exclusive clubs and will often have a close circle of fellow conspirators. They like involvement and are very outgoing.  RAT People cherish friends and loved ones. For this reason, they often get entangled with others' problems and lives. 

Traditions.

The processions with dragons, lions and the ear-splitting fireworks are an integral part of the celebrations. In fact, the more noise the better. Do you know why?

According to folk legends, in ancient China, there was a monster called Nian that preyed on humans every winter. This went on each year until one day a grey haired man appeared in the village. He asked permission to stay for the night and assured everyone that he would chase away the beast. No one believed him. When the beast arrived at the village to wreck havoc as usual, it was met with a sudden burst of exploding firecrackers. Startled by the noise, the flashes of light, and red banners flying about, it hastily turned and fled!

Since then, people have kept the tradition by beating drums and gongs, and lighting fireworks to drive the imagined monsters away and to celebrate the victory over it. Today, Nian refers to the New Year's day or the Spring Festival. People often say Guo Nian, which means 'live the festival.' Furthermore, Nian also means the year. For an example, the Chinese often greet each other by saying Xin Nian Hao, which means Happy New Year! Xin means new and Hao means good.

Chinese New Year traditionally ends 14 days after if began, with the lantern festival, where people hang decorated lanterns in temples and carry lanterns to an evening parade under the light of the full moon. The highlight of the lantern festival is often the dragon dance. The dragon can stretch over 30 metres long and is typically made of silk, paper and bamboo.

So, the next time you're out Celebrating the Chinese New Year and there's Chinese New Year Lanterns, a Dragon, and a lot of noise, movement and colour... you'll know why, it's all designed to drive away the evil spirits and help bring luck, health, happiness, and wealth till the following year.

Do’s & Don'ts on NEW YEAR’s DAY

Greet others with "Gung Hay Fat Choy" which means "Wishing You Prosperity and Wealth".

Give two red packets to each child. Because happiness comes in two’s, do not just give one. This is your way of passing good luck to the next generation.

Wear brand new clothes - preferably in red. Children should wear new clothes and new shoes.

Come and Celebrate.

With more than a billion people celebrating it's time to join one of the world's biggest celebrations. The Chinese-Australian community holds a variety of events to celebrate the arrival of the New Year. Sydney's celebrations are one of the largest outside of Asia. For more information visit City of Sydney web page, click here.

Oh, and since we are a Dragon Boat Club it'd be silly of me to not mention the following... 

The annual Australian Chinese Dragon Boat Festival is usually held during Chinese New Year at Darling Harbour. Competitive racing on Saturday and corporate racing on Sunday attract tens of thousands of enthusiastic spectators to this thrilling weekend of competition but did you know that the Dragon Boat Festival, or Tuen Ng, is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, and is the second most popular Chinese cultural event after Chinese New Year? That's right, the Chinese New Year and the Dragon Boat Festival are two separate cultural events.

So why do we have them together then? Because it's a cultural thing and because the Dragon Boat Festival occurs in our Winter (southern hemisphere vs. northern) and that's not such a great time for us to be in the water racing. 

So... visitors, family and friends are all encouraged to come down and watch the Dragon Boat Races. We'll be on the water at Darling Harbour, Saturday Feb. 16.

Hope to see you there! "Gung Hay Fat Choy! Happy Chinese New Year!"

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