Chinese New Year is the New Year celebration for the Chinese. While the exact dates change each year, it typically starts at the end of January and lasts for 15 days. There is a big parade at the beginning of Chinese New Year. These photos were taken in Paris this year; Paris has two parades to celebrate Chinese New Year, one in China Town, and the other near the City Hall.
Chinese legend says that long ago in China a beast, called the Nian, came to a village at the beginning of spring each year and scared everyone, especially the children. The villagers were fed up of the beast and decided that the following year they would scare the beast away. In order to do this, they decorated their houses red, wore red clothing, and made a lot of noise with drums and firecrackers. They also had parades with dancing dragons and lions, made by the people, to scare the beast away. Inside the dragons mouth is a bell that makes noise when you move his head. There is also a red, yellow, white, and blue ball on the front of the dragon that controls the dragon and makes a nice show for the people watching the parade when the dragon dances.
Adults wear traditional clothing for the Chinese New Year parade like those shown in the picture below.
Children wear masks with doll faces to celebrate Chinese New Year.
The Chinese Zodiac
Legend says that long ago in China an Emperor wanted to find a way to measure time. He called all the animals to the river bank and told them that the first 12 to cross the river the fastest would have a permanent place in the Chinese Zodiac. And so the race was on.....
When the race began, the ox carried the rat across the river so the rat came first.
The tired tiger arrived after the ox and just before the rabbit.
The clever rabbit hopped across the river and came fourth.
Even though she could fly, the helpful dragon only came fifth.
The snake slithered in after the dragon, and then came the horse.
The goat, the monkey and the rooster worked together and finished eighth, ninth and tenth.
The dog took a bath and so didn't arrive until after the rooster.
Last of all came the pig who had stopped on the way to eat and sleep.
Depending on the year you were born, you are represented by one of these animals, and are believed to have certain characteristics of these animals.
For example, Mathilda was born in 1996 and is a rat. Rats are happy, sociable, and intelligent. These characteristics suit Mathilda well.
Tabatha was born in 2000 and is a dragon. Dragons are generous, moody, lucky, and artistic. This is true for Tabatha because she loves art, and is lucky when playing board games.
Ariel was born in 1998 and is a tiger, like his teacher Jennifer. Tigers are brave, confident, and bossy. Ariel feels that these characteristics correspond with him.
2009 is the Year of the Ox. The ox is the sign of prosperity shown through fortitude and hard work. It is noted for its means to alleviate chaos and perpetuate stability. You must gain respect through your actions if you want to fare well in the Year of the Ox.
A special thanks to our friends in Taiwan who sent us much of this information, and gave me the idea to teach Chinese New Year to my students.
19 commentaires:
It's was a good idea to tell the students about celebrating Chinese New year including the information received from our friends.We also spoke about it when we organized our exhibition in December.
The pictures are really nice and the parade is fantastic!
Thanks for telling the legend so the students can read it.
Hello France friends,
I so loved the parade especially the traditional clothing that adults wore in the parade, the design must have been so complicated and the masks that children wore just like doll face. My family and I have different Chinese signs, my Chinese sign is a dog because I was born in 1994. Is the beast, Nian, a dragon that you symbol in the first picture?
Hello Friends,
Your chinese new year celebration looks like alot of fun. The parade looks amazing and it looks like you guys had a blast. I also think it's very great that you guys celebrate for 15 days. I wonder if carrying the Nian is hard that you showed in the picture?
Hi friends.
I think that itsd fun scaring tha dragon. Also itsfun dancing the dragon dance. Is the dragon head heavy? We also have a different Zodiac. In Chinese Zodiac Iam a Roster,and in America Iam a Leo.
Hello my frineds thanks for
sharing your Chinese New Year with
us.I think the is so cool the you guys celebtation star at the end of January and lasts for 15 days.It remember me about Mexico
since they have diferences celebration some are for a days and some are longer like aleast 3 days.I wounder how long do it takes to make a dragon?Is a lot of work?By the way thanks for leting us know about the Chinese zodiac since we learn a lot like I learn that im a Rooster.I like how it describe it since it my descrition is romatic,love to entertaining friends and adore meeting new people.Thanks for sharing your celebration hope to heard from you guys soon.
Hey France friends,
I like how you guies learned about Chinese New Year I think that Chinese New Year is a great way to start the begining of a new start. I love the clothing alot because it has alot of designs and the colors are beautiful. The story behind the Chinese New Year is really cool and interesting I like how you guies found out what the Zodiac sign means.I am a Rooster for the Chinese Zodiac I think it really represents me alot. I was wondering how long does it takes for them to make the dragons looks so beautiful
Hey friends,
I like and think that it’s nice how the tradition of the Chinese celebrate their New Year. I also like how the legend of China a beast, and that it scared everyone but more the little kids. Also, I like how the dragons and lions have to dance so it could scare the beast away. I like that the little kids wear doll faces to celebrate. It is also cool how every year has their animal name. Which I didn’t know they were animals name by your year. By that I learn that am a [[rooster]] in the Chinese Zodiac born on 1993. I wonder what’s the dragon made of? How long does it take to make one? By the way thank you for sharing with us the Chinese tradition of New Year. Also, wanted to say that I love the pictures, and how they celebrate it. Well hope we can hear from you guys soon.
=)
Well hellow Friends that is awsome that you guys celebrate Chinese New Year the Chinese should be happy about that other people their new year in their own countr. If we would celebrate other country's celebrations it would be so awsome. I did not know you guys have signs of birth well as it says am a dog and it is true because I am straight forward. Do you guys get excited when the Chinese New Year is coming up?
Hello friends,
I think that it's pretty awesome having a celebration that last for 15 days. It looks like fun. Are the dragons hard to carry? How long did it take you guys to do the Dargons and the masks? Or did you guys have them since a long time ago? Thank you for sharing your New Year with us.
Hello friends
I like how you guys celebrate new years at paris.Here me and my family celebrate different we wait till twelve at night and we ate 12 grapes and drink wine.I wondere if you only celebrate like that?
I think that having a holiday were you celebrate by caring a dragon that is really nice has alot of colors and is really big is preety cool and it looks like alot of fun. Here in the U.S we do not have a holiday like that but we do have parades were we have marching bands and floats, floats are big statue that move and are carried by a big truck or some kind of veichael.
Do you people get tired by carring the dragon?
Is the clothes that the adults wear really fancy?
Hello everybody
Wow the Chinese New year sounds intersting especially the way the Chinese celebrate for fithteen days strait.I also like how the Chinese dress in their bright and colorful clothing and also the way the children wear doll faces as masks.My chinese sign is the year of the rooster 1993 .What are the the costumes made out of?
hey!! friends it looks like you have alot of fun carrying the dragon on the parade. Also when you guys make the bad thing go away. oh and I saw my zodiac sing and it is a dog and the things that go with me about the zodiac is that I am intelligent. why do you make the bad things go away?
The celebration of Chinese New Year sounds and looks like a fun thing to do because there's dancing and fireworks. On January the 1st, we celebrate New Years, in some places, it is celebrated by lighting fireworks. I don't really celebrate New Years, I just let the day go by like nothing. Do you celebrate Chinese New Year by going to the big parade or do you celebrated it another way?
Hey friend, well I think that celebrating the Chinese New Years was fun. I like the part were little kids had to wear masks during the celebration. That reminds me of us on Halloween. I also think its fun because you have 15 days to celebrate. What time do you start the celebration and what time does it finish?
This holiday is amazing. The legend is interesting, it's pretty cool how the tradition reflects on the legend of the dragon. The pictures were fantastic, they really showed what happens at city. Is there a certin type of costume to wear for the tradition? I would love to visit Paris someday for this event.
That was Interesting to hear that you have 15 days to celebrate the chinesse new year. I also whent to a chinese new year parade because im in tall flags so I got to be part of a parade like that . It was in a place called China Town in Los Angeles a place in southern california .Did they also have fireworks and confetti?
What was the best part of celebrating a different tradition. You guys looked happy the whole time
Hi friends from france, Omg i love how you celebrate chinese new year day well i mostly liked the masks the kids had to wear. I think clothing is something that expreses how u feel and all the clothing looks asom and looks happy, did you guys have fun? well i have never selebrated chines new year day, and just by reading it got my atraction and so now im telling you guys how asom it was. Grate work.
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