The Chinese New Year has a great history. In our past, people lived in an agricultural society and worked all year long. They only took a eak after the harvest and before the planting of seeds. This happens to coincide with the beginning of the lunar New Year.

The Chinese New Year is very similar to the Western one, rich in traditions, folklores and rituals. It has been said that it is a combination of the Western Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year. This is hardly an exaggeration!

The origin of the Chinese New Year itself is centuries old - in fact, too old to actually be traced. It is popularly recognized as the Spring Festival and celeations last 15 days.

Preparations tend to begin a month before the date of the Chinese New Year (similar to a Western Christmas). During this time people start buying presents, decoration materials, food and clothing. A huge clean-up gets underway days before the New Year, when Chinese houses are cleaned from top to bottom. This ritual is supposed to sweep away all traces of bad luck. Doors and windowpanes are often given a new coat of paint, usually red, then decorated with paper cuts and couplets with themes such as happiness, wealth and longevity printed on them.

The end of the New Year is marked by the Festival of Lanterns, which is a celeation with singing, dancing and lantern shows.

At the Festival, all traditions are honored. The predominant colors are red and gold. "Good Wish" banners are hung from the ceilings and walls. The "God of Fortune" is there to give Hong Baos. Lion dancers perform on stage continuously. Visitors take home plants and flowers symbolizing good luck. An array of New Years specialty food is available in the Food Market. Visitors purchase new clothing, shoes and pottery at the Market Fair. Bargaining for the best deal is commonplace!

中国新年有一个伟大的历史。在过去，人们生活在农业社会和工作的所有一年之久。他们只休息了一段时间后收获的种子播种前。这恰好是农历新年的开始。

中国的新年是西方非常相似，在丰富的传统，民间传说和仪式。有人说，这是一个结合了西方的感恩节，圣诞节和新年。这是很难夸大!

中国新年的起源本身是旧的-事实上世纪，太旧，实际上被追踪。人们普遍公认的春节庆祝活动持续15天。

准备工作通常中国新年的日期一个月前开始(类似于西方的圣诞节)。此时人们开始购买礼物，在装饰材料，食品和衣物。一个巨大的清理开杆前几天的新年，中国的房子时，是从上到下清洗。这个仪式是应该扫除所有的坏运气的痕迹。门和窗子上往往被赋予一个新漆，通常是红色的，然后用剪纸和对联装饰主题，如幸福，财富和长寿上印。

新的一年的结束被称为灯笼节，这是一个庆祝活动，唱歌，舞蹈和表演。

在节日里，所有的传统感到非常荣幸。主要颜色是红色和金色。”良好的祝愿”的横幅挂从天花板和墙壁。“财神”给红包。舞狮不断登台献艺。游客带回家的植物和花朵象征着好运。一个新的多年专业食品阵列是在食品市场。游客购买新衣服，在公平的市场，鞋和陶器。寻找最好的交易谈判是家常便饭!