DATES

credits

Spring begins (立春, lìchūn) each year around Feb 4th (in the Western calendar).The first day of Chinese New Year starts on the New Moon closest to spring.(That’s why Chinese New Year is called the Spring Festival.)And ends on the Full Moon 15 days later with the Lantern Festival.The first day of Chinese New Year is always between Jan 21st and Feb 21st.But why are Chinese New Year dates so “unpredictable”?To answer this question, one has to look at how a month in the Chinese calendar or lunar calendar is calculated.A Chinese month yue4 月 which means “moon” is a REAL moon.Each lunar month starts on the day of the new moon.This is the day the moon is closest to the sun and not visible at all.Does it mean that one has to look at the sky each time to tell the new moon?Fortunately, the answer is “no”.Otherwise there'll be a lot of stiff necks!Because the new moon occurs with enough regularity to devise a calendar based on its phases.(Full moon in the middle of the month. Moon wanes at the end of the month).On average, each lunar month is 29.5 days.(Sometimes the months are 29 days and other times they are 30 days.)But multiplying 29.5 days by 12 months gives 354 days.Which is 11 days short of 365 1/4 days, the cycle of the four seasons.Or 11 days "faster" if you like.So, how does the Chinese calendar “wait” for the natural world to catch up?By adding an extra month to make a “thirteen-month year”.Well, not every year but every few years.How often? It turns out seven times every nineteen years.In this way, the Chinese calendar year keeps in step with the real world.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Does-Chinese-New-Year-Fall-on-a-Different-Date-Each-Year?&id=125575

cny dates

鼠rat
子 Zǐ
February 19, 1996
February 7, 2008


牛 Ox
丑 Chǒu
February 7, 1997
January 26, 2009

虎 Tiger
寅 Yín
January 28, 1998
February 14, 2010


兔 Rabbit
卯 Mǎo
February 16, 1999
February 3, 2011


龍Dragon
辰 Chén
February 5, 2000
January 23, 2012


蛇 Snake
巳 Sì
January 24, 2001
February 10, 2013


馬horse
午 Wǔ
February 12, 2002
January 31, 2014


羊goat
未 Wèi
February 1, 2003
February 19, 2015


猴 monkey
申 Shēn
January 22, 2004
February 8, 2016


雞rooster
酉 Yǒu
February 9, 2005
January 28, 2017


狗dog
戌 Xū
January 29, 2006
February 16, 2018


豬pig
亥 Hài
February 18, 2007
February 5, 2019

CNY-malaysia PICS

The eve of CNY is probably the high point of the celebration as it is on this day that family members from far and near will return home for the reunion dinner, to rekindle family ties and enjoy the sumptuously prepared meals. Dinner is usually made up of seafood and dumplings; delicacies include waxed duck, prawns, braised dried oysters, scallops and “prosperity vegetables”.
After the reunion feast, entire families will try to stay up all night in adherence to shou sui, a practice which is believed to bring one's parents longevity. To while away the hours, it is common for many to gamble; the sound of mahjong chips clattering against each other throughout the night is not uncommon.
At the stroke of midnight, the New Year is ushered in. Firecrackers and fireworks are prohibited, so the requisite din to herald the New Year falls upon human voices and song, and modern “improvisations” such as the recorded sounds of exploding firecrackers.

The Story of CHINESE NEW YEAR

In the old days, there was a monster lived near a village. This monster was called 'Year Monster'. It doesn't like red and it doesn't like noise. So villagers would stick red paper on their doors and red fire crackers were lit to make loud noises so as to scare the monster. When the villagers knew that the monster had gone, they would greet and bless each other. That's why Chinese people lit fire crackers and stick red blessing note on our door.
In the first week and up to the first month, people visit their own families, relatives and friends to greet each other. Everybody dress up in new clothes. Edible things like biscuits, chocolate or fruits will be given to the host as presents and the host has to return a small red packet with money to return the luck. When people meet, they wish each other good luck and married couples have to give 'lai see' (red packet with money) to children and not married adults (not too old though, maybe under mid 20). 'Lai see' means luck so when one gives out 'lai see', that means he has plenty of luck to share with others. Therefore, when a couple sees a child, they have to give out 2 'lai see'. The 'market price' for 'lai see' is about $20 per packet for ordinary friend's kids, more for closer friends, relatives and families. $10 for people who you don't know, like, if you meet someone in your friends' home. Unlucky words and curses are completely forbidden during Chinese New Year.
* * * * * *
A new tradition now is to send Chinese New Year greeting cards, in the past this was not done but now that families are so spread out around the world people send cards with the good wishes for the New Year. And now that we live in the internet world you can even send Chinese New Year Greeting Cards. Send one to a Chinese friend of yours!
Another site that is dedicated to Chinese New Year, and also has greeting cards, is www.101chinesenewyear.com; you'll find Chinese New Year Ecards and Year of the Rooster cards.
Celebration of Chinese New Year nowadays is very different from the old days

Food that are special during CNY

Floral Decor Meaning
Plum Blossom symbolizes luck
Kumquat symbolizes prosperity
Narcissus symbolizes prosperity
Chrysanthemum symbolizes longevity
Bamboo a plant used for any time of year
Sunflower means to have a good year
Eggplant a plant to heal all of your sickness
Chom Mon Plant a plant which gives you tranquility

Fish The Koi fish is usually seen in paintings. Decorated food depicting the fish can also be found. It symbolizes surplus or success.
Ducks represent fidelity in Chinese culture.
Chicken forms part of the symbolism of the dragon and phoenix.
Cakes such as Sticky Rice Cake's sweetness symbolizes a rich, sweet life, while the layers symbolize rising abundance for the coming year. Finally, the round shape signifies family reunion.

Plants and Fruits

As individual plants, the rugged pine is a symbol of
nobility and venerability. As a longevity symbol, the
pine is often shown with the crane. The bamboo
with its straight exterior and hollow culm symbolizes
humility and fidelity. It has integrity for it bends
in the storm but does not break. The plant is closely
associated with the everyday life of the Chinese
because so many household objects are made of
bamboo. Su Dongpo, the famous poet of the Song
dynasty, remarked that he would rather go without
meat than to live without the bamboo. Foremost
among the flowers, the plum is emblematic of perseverance
and purity. The five petals of its flower
make it an auspicious
plant
because five is
a sacred number
in China. In
this instance the
five petals represent
the Five
Blessings: old
age, wealth,
health, love of
virtue, and a
natural death.

The Chinese
believe it is important
to have at least one
pomelo in the house
for decoration, or better
still, to have a pair,
since good things
always come in pairs. In Cantonese, you is similar
in sound to the phrase “to have.” To use a pomelo
to decorate one’s home during the new year implies
a wish that the home will have everything it needs
the coming year.

FIRECRACKERS

A firecracker (also known as a cracker, noise maker, banger or bunger) is a small explosive device primarily designed to produce a large amount of noise, especially in the form of a loud bang; any visual effect is incidental to this goal. They have fuses, and are wrapped in a heavy paper casing, to contain the explosive compound. Firecrackers, along with fireworks originated in China.

Taiwan:banned in urban, but allowed in rural.
Mainland china+Hong Kong+Singapore+Malaysia+Australia(unless used by licensed pyrotechnician)are all BANNED!!!

Phillippines-ALLOWED

U.S.A-ALLOWED/BANNED