01-22-2004, 08:32 AM
YEAR OF THE MONKEY!
Happy Chinese New Year!
For hundreds of years, China has been closely linked with agriculture. Therefore, the cyclical pattern of agricultural production determines largely the events and festivals celebrated in China. The vast and highly populated country has majority of its population living in the rural areas with agriculture as their main occupation. Hence, most of life?s activities are related to the agricultural routine or schedule. Ploughing the fields, sowing seed, nurturing the crops and gathering the harvest are some of them.
Just like other ethnic communities of the world, in China too the New Year is the most important day of the year. This is the time when the family members strive to be with their near and dear ones; they regard this as a time to usher out the old year and welcome the new, with great festivities and merrymaking.
The celebration of the Chinese New Year is so old that its origins are lost in the mists of time. It is said that in ancient times, the feudal rulers placed great importance on this joyful event and organised grand ceremonies to mark this occasion. The festival has always been celebrated based on the Chinese lunar calendar, also referred to as the Xia calendar. This calendar is believed to date from the time of the Xia dynasty (21st-16th centuries BC).
Chinese peasants eagerly wait for this day because it is on this day that the kitchen God is supposed to depart away to the lord of heaven (known as the to the Jade Emperor) to report about the family. During his absence-that is, the period in which He leaves the kitchen only to return in the New Year-the family members clean up the house and make a fresh start to welcome the God as well as the new promising year.
Historically speaking, the Chinese New Year Day has practically been regarded as the only day of the year when China's hard-working peasants allowed themselves to rest.
http://www.123chinesenewyear.com
Happy Chinese New Year!
For hundreds of years, China has been closely linked with agriculture. Therefore, the cyclical pattern of agricultural production determines largely the events and festivals celebrated in China. The vast and highly populated country has majority of its population living in the rural areas with agriculture as their main occupation. Hence, most of life?s activities are related to the agricultural routine or schedule. Ploughing the fields, sowing seed, nurturing the crops and gathering the harvest are some of them.
Just like other ethnic communities of the world, in China too the New Year is the most important day of the year. This is the time when the family members strive to be with their near and dear ones; they regard this as a time to usher out the old year and welcome the new, with great festivities and merrymaking.
The celebration of the Chinese New Year is so old that its origins are lost in the mists of time. It is said that in ancient times, the feudal rulers placed great importance on this joyful event and organised grand ceremonies to mark this occasion. The festival has always been celebrated based on the Chinese lunar calendar, also referred to as the Xia calendar. This calendar is believed to date from the time of the Xia dynasty (21st-16th centuries BC).
Chinese peasants eagerly wait for this day because it is on this day that the kitchen God is supposed to depart away to the lord of heaven (known as the to the Jade Emperor) to report about the family. During his absence-that is, the period in which He leaves the kitchen only to return in the New Year-the family members clean up the house and make a fresh start to welcome the God as well as the new promising year.
Historically speaking, the Chinese New Year Day has practically been regarded as the only day of the year when China's hard-working peasants allowed themselves to rest.
http://www.123chinesenewyear.com
