Chinese New Year: celebrating the Year of the Pig -

For many people it may seem a couple of months too late to talk about the new year. But this is not the case for China and several eastern countries, as they follow their own calendar. New Year festivities in China can last up to 15 days, and the party is about to get started!

Click on the gallery and learn all about it!

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Calendar - Several countries in the Far East follow the Chinese calendar.

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Sun and moon - It's called a lunisolar calendar because it takes into account both the phases of the moon and the position of the sun.

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New Year - 2019 is equivalent to year 4717 in the Chinese calendar.

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Long party - Chinese New Year festivities can last up to 15 days.

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Tradition - New Year's Eve is celebrated with a family dinner. The event is called Tuan Nian Fan.

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Celebration - After midnight there are fireworks, and people make wishes for relatives and neighbors to be happy.

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Respect - One of the local rituals includes paying tribute to their ancestors.

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Colors - The predominant colors are red and gold.

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Symbols - According to tradition, red represents fortune and success.

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Beliefs - In addition, the color drives away bad luck and evil spirits.

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White - The Chinese avoid wearing white at this time of the year.

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White - This is because this color is culturally associated with death.

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Sacred - The dragon is one of the main symbols of the festivities.

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Dragon - In Chinese culture, dragons are a mystical animal, full of wisdom, power, and wealth.

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Gifts - To celebrate the arrival of the new year, the elders give young people money in a red envelope.

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Cleaning - On the last day of the year, there is also the tradition of cleaning the house thoroughly.

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Purification - According to tradition, cleaning the house on this day means scaring away evil spirits.

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Fresh start - The new year represents the end of a cycle, so the Chinese usually pay their debts so they don't start the new year in debt.

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Smile - It is also not recommended to cry on the first day of the year, to avoid attracting sadness into the new cycle.

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Number - The Chinese do not pronounce the number four during this time of the year, as it is considered unlucky.

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Number - This is because the pronunciation of the number four resembles the pronunciation of the word "death" in Mandarin.

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Mysticism - In the Chinese calendar, each new year is associated with an animal.

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Horoscope - The origin of this tradition comes from the Chinese horoscope.

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Horoscope - According to the belief, 2019 is the year of the pig.

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Horoscope: Year of the Pig - The pig is the twelfth animal of the Chinese horoscope, and serves as a sign of wealth.

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Tradition - Besides China itself, other countries celebrate the Chinese New Year, either because they adopted the calendar or due to the high concentration of Chinese people in the country.

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When is the Chinese New Year? - As it is based on the moon and the sun, there is no set date for the beginning of the new year. In 2019, it will be celebrated on February 5.

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Closing ceremony - The Lantern Festival traditionally marks the end of the New Year festivities.

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Happy New Year - We wish you all a happy New Year!

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