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The Year of the Dragon begins on February 10 and will last until January 28, 2025.
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The Chinese New Year unleashes such travel that authorities were forced in 2020 to cancel holidays, fearing that the movement of so many millions heading home might cause a global upheaval amid the then-unknown coronavirus, first dubbed the “Chinese” , and then more peacefully – COVID-19.
It was the first case of cancellation of the New Year holidays in China’s recent history – a traditional time for family and communing with loved ones and nature.
2024 is the year of the Dragon, more precisely the Wood Dragon. It starts on February 10 and runs until January 28, 2025.
Each year, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date, which is determined by the Chinese lunar calendar, based on the cycles of the Moon and the Sun. The day the Chinese New Year begins is always the day of the new moon, usually the second following the winter solstice.
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Passengers wait for their trains at Shanghai Railway Station to take them home for the New Year holidays
Why Dragon
The dragon is one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, and many even consider it one of the most favorable for a person’s destiny.
According to popular belief, children born in dragon years possess remarkable qualities throughout their lives. They are intelligent, charming, eloquent and even rich.
The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post writes that years of the Dragon see increased birth rates as parents try to ensure luck and prosperity for their children by placing them under the protection of the almighty dragon.
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The dragon is considered one of the most auspicious signs in the Chinese calendar, as it is associated with ambition, strength and wisdom. In years of the dragon, birth rates rise as parents seek to give their children a strong sign of protection
To what extent this is the case is debatable, but for example the Russian president Vladimir Putin is a dragon in the Chinese zodiac calendar, as well as PeleDeng Xiaoping, Michelle Obama and John Lennon. Dragon is also one of the richest modern Chinese, the owner of “Alibaba” – Jack Mathough his fortunes have not been in favor of that belief lately.
In Chinese culture, the dragon has significant symbolism and is revered as a bearer of power, strength, luck and wisdom. The Chinese dragon is considered a celestial and divine creature, with the ability to control natural elements such as wind and water. This year he will have to fight the tree, since the zodiac sign is always combined with one of the five natural elements.
The wooden dragon
The combination of the tree and the dragon is not considered particularly auspicious, and people born in years with this combination are assessed as introverts who are not particularly enthusiastic and are not capable of building healthy relationships. You can check for yourself if this is the case if there are people around you born in 1988 and 2000, when the dragon was once more under the sign of the tree.
As a whole, people born under the sign of the dragon are ambitious, confident and charismatic. They have an abundance of energy and enthusiasm, while also displaying extreme intelligence and strength. Not all are like that, of course, dragons are often arrogant, fanatical, domineering, irritable and subjective. They have a hard time accepting defeat.
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Dragon and wood are not the happiest of possible combinations. According to beliefs, people born in this combination are more closed and less enthusiastic, but the dragon is considered one of the most favorable signs according to the Chinese calendar
How long is Chinese New Year celebrated?
The official celebrations are 8 days, with offices, banks, factories, shops and most services closing for a week. Hotels and large commercial establishments remain open and may even be busier, China Highlights reports.
School holidays last for four weeks and migrant workers return home.
Each of the holidays has its own traditions. Thus, on the first day, you stay up until midnight to welcome the New Year, and on the second day, the family must gather. The third day is for visiting the mother-in-law.
There is a day for rest and games at home, for throwing away old things, for breaking taboos, for visiting temples and fortune-tellers. The last day of the holiday cycle, which this year will be on February 16, considered the day of the creation of man, is set aside for encounters with nature.
New Year’s Day – February 10, is a time for visiting family and relatives, for gifts. Some Chinese visit the graves of their deceased ancestors.
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The Lantern Festival begins before the arrival of the Lunar New Year and ends well following the public holidays, stretching the celebrations to 16 days
Outside of the holidays, the celebrations are even longer, with the festive season kicking off with the Lantern Festival, which stretches the celebrations to 16 days. This year, its climax will be on February 24.
New Year’s superstitions
Like other cultures, the Chinese also subordinate their holiday rituals to various superstitions. For example, the sums that grandfathers and grandmothers donate to their grandchildren should not end in fours, one should not sweep so as not to chase away bad luck, but opening the windows is appropriate so that evil spirits can come out through them on the eve of the arrival on the New Year.
The house is decorated with a kumquat tree, symbolizing wealth and luck, it is desirable to wear clothes in lucky colors, mostly yellow and red, and to eat foods associated with happiness such as walnut crackers, fried peanuts, rice dumplings and fish.
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Chinese New Year homes are decorated with kumquat trees, which symbolize wealth and luck
The New Year’s meal varies according to the available foods in the respective climate zone in a country as large as China. It is generally believed that rice dumplings symbolize wealth, noodles – longevity, fish – abundance, and therefore they are often on the festive table. As well as fruits – especially oranges, tangelo and pomelo.
Dragons and other signs
Curiously, not all 11 zodiac signs according to the Chinese calendar are equally looking forward to February 10 and the beginning of the Year of the Dragon.
According to numerous horoscopes, those born in the year of the Rat, Ox, Dragon, Horse, Goat or Dog will face more problems than others and will find it more difficult to achieve their goals. Therefore, 2024 will be a good year for monkeys, roosters and pigs. Tigers, rabbits, snakes and roosters will not have special reasons to complain either.
Taboo in the year of the dragon
There is also special advice on naming Dragon children, with the media being full of hieroglyphs to avoid. The most common among them are characters that include 戌 (weapon) or 戈 (halberd, spear) and 狗 (dog).
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Gold is the color of dragons, with blue and yellow complementing lucky combinations in the wardrobes and homes of people born in the Year of the Dragon
In general, the dragon and the dog are incompatible according to Chinese understanding, and therefore wearing dog-shaped jewelry or getting a dog as a pet is not recommended. Marriages with those born in the year of the dog or the tiger are also undesirable under the sign of the dragon.
Yellow, blue and gold
The South China Morning Post strongly advises its readers to dress in yellow and blue to bring good luck to their side.
For those born in the year of the Dragon in 2024, the auspicious color is gold, which means success, wealth and honor. Gold is believed to have strong positive energy and symbolizes the sun and metal. It is considered a symbol of royalty, nobility and wealth, making it one of the most auspicious colors for the Dragon.
Yellow is also an auspicious color, symbolizing wealth, solidity and stability. Wearing yellow clothes or accessories and using yellow decorations in the home can help increase luck and even wealth, the paper advises.
Blue attracts youth, vitality and wisdom, so for dragons, blue clothing and accessories, as well as home decorations, attract luck and enhance personal aura.
#expect #avoid #taboos
