Kung Hei Fat Choi

Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is one of the most important day of Chinese holidays. It is calle the Lunar Ney Year, especially by people outside China. The tradition begins on the first day of the lunar month (Chinese正月; pinyin: zhēng yuè) in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th; this day is called Lantern Festival. Chinese New year's eve is known as Chúxī means Year-pass Eve.

The Celebration is considered a major holiday among the Chinese and has influence on the new year celebrations of its geographic neighbors.  It is the most important oe the traditional Chinese holidays. It is the time of the largest human migration, when migrant workers in China, as well as overseas Chinese around the world travel home to have reunion dinners with their families on New Year's eve. The aboriginal Taiwanese people, Koreans, Mongolians, Nepalese, Bhutanese, Vietnamese, and formerly Japanese before 1873. In Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and other countries with significant Han Chinese populations.
Although the Chinese calendar traditionally does not use continuously numbered years, its years are often numbered from the reign of Huangdi outside China. But at least three different years numbered 1 are now used by various scholars, making the year 2008 "Chinese Year 4706, 4705, or 4645.

The 2009 date for Chinese New Year is January 26.

In the Gregorian calendar, Chinese New Year falls on different dates each year, a date between January 21 and February 20. This means that the holiday usually falls on the second (very rare third) new moon after the winter soltice. In traditional Chinese Culture, lichun is a solar term marking the start of spring, which occurs about February 4.

Today, our Chinese brothers and Sisters around the world is welcoming the year of the Earth Ox, which symbolizes strength gathers through unity, harmony, obedience, courage and hard slog.

Each Year is named for one of the twelve animals in turn: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.
Alongside the 12-year cycle of the animal zodiac there is a ten-year cycle of heavenly stems. Eachof the ten heavenly stems is associated with one of the five elements of the Chinese astrology, namely: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. The elements are rotated every two years while a yin and yang association alternates every year. The elements are thus distinguished: Yang Wood, Yin Wood, Yang Fire, Yin Fire, etc. These produce a combined cycle that repeats every 60 years. For example, the year of the Yang Fire Rat occured in 1936 and in 1996, 60 years apart.

It is a time when families visit the oldest and most senior members of their extended family, usually their parents, grand parents, or greatgrandparents. Members of the family who are married give red packets (ang pao) containing cash to junior members of the family, mostly children and teenagers. Red is the favorite color for Chinese New Year clothing and decorations, as it is said to bring good luck. Since it symbolizes fire, it is believed to ward away evil.

The houses doors are decorated with gold and red scroll that are inscribed with wishes with good charms, and windows are opened at midnight to out the evil of the past year and let in the luck and prosperity of the new year. The most colorful of the celebration is the dragon and lion dance. An enormous dragon and lion dance head, with a long body of colotful fabric, performs and energetic dance manipulated by skilled operators.
The food are serve during the Chinese New Year are mostly symbolic since Chinese believe food can directly affect one's fortune in the coming year. Dining tables are filled with food to ensure prosperity and abundance in the new year. Dishes or ingredients are chosen that will bring good luck, and long life, and hapinnes. It also signifies the end of winter and is a celebration to welcome spring in the company of family and friends, with Chinese music and dance, lanterns and feasts, and the thundering beat of drums, and fireworks ro dispel the bad and bring in good luck.