Lunar New Year for Kids | 2024 Year of the Dragon | Chinese New Year

Hi there, Leonard. Oh, hi Moon! Are you excited for the Lunar New Year? The Lunar New Year? I thought we just had a new year. Wasn't that on January 1st? That's the Solar New Year. But the Lunar New Year is based on the phases of the moon. In China, the first day of Chinese New Year begins on the new moon that appears between January 21st and February 20th. Whoa! So are you telling me that people in China celebrate a different new year? That's right. It's all about the moon. In China, each lunar cycle has 60 years, and 12 years is regarded as a small cycle. Each of the 12 years is defined by an animal sign. Rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. 2019 is the year of the pig. Whoa, sounds like animals are pretty important. They sure are! And we often call it Chinese New Year, but many places including Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Singapore, and many other Asian countries celebrate the Lunar New Year as national holidays. Holidays? Wait, is this celebration more than one day? Yep, the Lunar New Year lasts 15 days. Wow, that's a long celebration! It sure is. It's the longest national public holiday. People often take 7 to 12 days off work, and children get a whole month off school. A whole month off? I want to go to school in China. I also want to celebrate Lunar New Year. It sounds so fun! It sure is. There are many fun things people do to ring in the Chinese New Year. Like what? Everyone wears new clothes, decorates their home and town with red lanterns and signs, sets off fireworks, and eats yummy food like dumplings. Oh, the children also get red envelopes from their elders filled with money. Money? Yummy food? Fireworks? I want to live in China! Why do they do all these super fun things? Well, in Chinese folklore, there's a monster or evil spirit called yin. A monster called yin? Yikes. Every Lunar New Year, yin would come into town to eat humans and their livestock. Oh no, that's so scary! But yin is afraid of the color red and fireworks. Oh! So that's why everyone decorates their homes and town with red and shoots off fireworks. It's to keep mean yin away! That's right! Wow, I like that tradition. The color red in China is very special too. The color red symbolizes happiness, wealth, and prosperity. So while keeping the evil spirit yin away, it is also wishing a happy new year of good fortune. Double whammy! I like that. Yeah, it's why the kids get red envelopes with money inside. Ah, that's so cool. I wish someone would give me an envelope filled with money. Pretty neat, huh? Yeah! Hey Moon, 15 days is a long time for a holiday. Do people celebrate by doing the same thing every day? Actually, most days during the Chinese New Year represent something different. Really? Tell me, tell me! Okay, well let's start with before the Lunar New Year. There's a lot to do to prepare for such a big holiday. Oh, I bet. There's a lot of cleaning. People clean their homes, sweep, wash all their clothes, and take a nice bath. Cleaning? That doesn't sound fun. Well, it's very important. Cleaning is believed to wash away all filth and sickness. You don't want to start the new year dirty. Yeah, I guess not. And on the first day of the Lunar New Year, sweeping is not allowed. It's believed to be bad luck. To sweep on the first day of the Lunar New Year is like sweeping away potential good luck. Well, you won't see me sweeping. In fact, I'll never sweep to ensure good luck. Okay, Leonard. Anyways, I think you'll like Lunar New Year's Eve. I mean, if there's no cleaning, then yeah. Lunar New Year's Eve is an important day to be with family. No matter where people are in the world, they do their best to be with their family. It's like how people travel to be with their family on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Aw, that sounds nice. Yeah, and when they're all together, they have a big reunion dinner consisting of dumplings and a New Year's cake. After dinner, they all gather around the TV to watch CCTV New Year's Gala. It's the most watched TV program. It's a variety show with lots of different performances that all generations can enjoy. Wow. Then at midnight, families set off fireworks to ward off evil spirits and to celebrate the coming of the New Year. That's just like the Solar New Year. Yeah, the first New Year day is a lot like the Solar New Year day. Most people stay home or go shopping. Yep, that sounds like the Solar New Year. What happens on the second day? The second day is welcoming son-in-laws. That's when everyone visits their mom's side of the family. They will have dinner together and the children get red envelopes. I want a red envelope. Okay, Leonard. Day three is kind of like day one. People stay home and relax with family. That sounds nice. Day four is welcoming the gods. People light candles or incense to welcome good spirits. Neat. On the fifth day, people throw a big banquet to celebrate the god of fortune's birthday. Whoa, party! And on the sixth day, people drive away the ghost of poverty by throwing out ragged clothes and rubbish. No, that's more cleaning. It's tradition. And the seventh day is the Day of Mankind. It is the day believed that the mother goddess created humans. It is also the day everyone gets a year older. A year older? So like a birthday? Do people have two birthdays in China? Kind of. Day seven is a national birthday, but everyone also has their own special day of when they were actually born. Today, your real birthday is when you get a year older, and the national birthday is more symbolic. Oh, I see. I'll take a second birthday. Just like I would gladly accept a red envelope. Day eight is the birthday for millet. The crop millet has a birthday? That's right. Millet is a very important crop for China. So why not bring in the new year wishing for a bountiful year for crops? It's believed that if this day is bright and sunny, that means it'll be a good year for crops. Wow, that's like Groundhog Day. Yeah. This is so fun. Yep. And guess what day nine is? Another birthday? Yep. Day nine is the birthday celebration of Jade Emperor, the supreme deity of Taoism. Big ceremonies are held at temples. Wow, there's so many birthday parties to attend. You betcha. Now, days 10 through 14 is a little more relaxed. People still enjoy the holiday with food and time with family, but there's no specific events to attend or things to do. Except for prep for day 15, the Lantern Festival. The Lantern Festival? The Lantern Festival marks the end of the Lunar New Year. Families walk the town with lit red lanterns. Some lanterns are released with poems and riddles in them. If you catch a lantern with a riddle and solve it, the person who wrote the riddle may give you a prize. Whoa, neat. Yeah, so what do you think, Leonard? Isn't the Lunar New Year awesome? Yeah, I want to go to China for the Lunar New Year. I want to eat yummy dumplings and get lots and lots of red envelopes. Happy Chinese New Year. What do you think, kids? Do you celebrate Lunar New Year? What part sounds the most fun to you? Happy New Year, everyone. Now it's time to watch another video from Socratica Kids. We have more videos about me, the moon. Go ahead and pick one.