Days
The period of time Chinese New Year lasts.
15 days
People eat these on Chinese New Year for good luck.
dumplings
An elder puts money in this to give to younger kids during New Year's week.
red envelope
It means "year" in China.
nian
Nian is afraid of this color so Chinese citizens flaunt it everywhere on New Year.
red
Young participants in Chinese New Year receive many of these each day of the Chinese New Year.
red pocket money
A common dessert made of rice that people usually eat around Chinese New Year.
rice cake
You cannot do this because fa sounds like fa, meaning "fortune" and if you do this you'll get rid of your fortune.
washing hair
The Chinese wear this on New Year's Day.
new clothes
Nian is afraid of this sound.
firecrackers
The day when all Chinese citizens go back to attending work.
the eighth day of Chinese New Year
Dumplings symbolize these two traits.
good luck and reunion
The Chinese do this to get bad luck our of their households.
clean
These are used for decorations
paper cuttings and couplets
The number of people it took to scare away Nian.
The traditional answer is one.
The legend of the monster Nian says it took one wise old man to figure out and teach the villagers that Nian was afraid of three things: the color red, loud noises, and bright lights.
Using this knowledge, the villagers were then able to scare the monster away themselves.
The day when everyone tries to find a romantic relationship partner.
the 14th day of Chinese New Year
On the first day of the New Year, there is a strict taboo against consuming two specific types of food for many traditional families. One is meat (for some Buddhist traditions), but what is the other, and why?
Porridge (congee)
eating porridge (seen as a poor man's food) on the first day supposedly means you will be poor and have a "thin" life for the rest of the year.
What is the reason for not reading during Chinese New Year?
Shu sounds like shu meaning, "to lose".
What did the citizens give to their house guests in the past?
two mandarin oranges
This exchange of oranges symbolizes the sharing of good fortune and wealth between the host and the guest, as the word for mandarin orange sounds like "gold" in Chinese
What is a New Year's monster?
Nian
Who's birthday at the end of Chinese New Year?
Jade Emperor
This type of food is considered bad luck
white food
Something you cannot do on New Year's day because if you do you will be doing it for the rest of the year.
crying
Why would bringing a pair of clocks or even a book about time be considered one of the worst possible insults, potentially getting you thrown out?
Giving a clock ("song zhong" - 送钟) is taboo because the phrase sounds exactly like the words for "attending a funeral" or "paying last respects" (送终).
It is well known that you cannot sweep during the first few days of the New Year. However, if an absolute mess occurs and you must sweep, what specific direction must you sweep from, and why does it differ from normal cleaning?
You must sweep from the walls toward the center of the room.
Usually, you sweep dirt out the door. During New Year, if you sweep, you must sweep the dust and dirt inward toward the center of the house, piling it up. The idea is that you are gathering the "luck" (dust) into the house. Only after the 5th day can you sweep the pile out. If you sweep toward the door during the holiday, you are "throwing your luck out."