The 2024 Chinese New Year, known as the "Year of the Dragon" celebrated on 10th Feb marks the end of Winter and the beginning of Spring in Chinese culture. Here are some interesting facts about the festival.
Every Chinese New Year is associated with a zodiac sign (which are animals). The 12 Chinese zodiac signs are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.
Chinese New Year celebrations usually last for 16 days from New Year's Eve to the Lantern Festival, which falls on February 24 this year.
During the first 5 days of the festival, the custom is to not dispose of garbage at all, which in turn symbolises wealth. The 6th day is when the disposal ceremony happens.
According to Chinese mythology, a monster named Nian emerges to eat living beings. Fireworks are used to scare the monster away, thus protecting the community. It plays an important role during the festival.
Dumplings are given special preference at this time as it is a popular belief among the Chinese community that the more dumplings you eat, the more wealth and prosperity you would attract.