New Years Eve and New Years Day are celebrated as a time for reunion, renewal, and resolutions. This month, renewal will be celebrated by the Chinese culture on February 10th, when the New Moon will signify the start of the Chinese New Year. This centuries-old celebration lasts fifteen days, ending on a full moon. This festival is traditionally paired with a religious ceremony to honor the gods of the household and family ancestors.

The Chinese New Year is built on a foundation of traditions derived from myth and fear. Legend spoke of an evil beast, Nien, that appeared at the end of each year. Nien was said to attack and kill villagers. Loud noises and bright lights were used to scare this beast away, often coming from fireworks. Fireworks are set off mostly on the eve of the New Year in China, during the peak of the celebration.

This fun and festive holiday is not only extremely popular in China, but is also celebrated by many communities around the world. Here in Palos Verdes, many different groups are working to bring the Chinese New Year to us. For example, on January 27, 2012, the demo team from Scholar Warrior, a Torrance-based martial arts group, performed a traditional Chinese Lion Dance at St. Teresa’s Guild of St. Francis Episcopal Church. This dance is an important part of bringing good luck and fortune to the community for the New Year to come.

The end of one year always means the beginning of the next, and 2013 is the year of the black snake. The snake is the sixth of the twelve Chinese zodiac symbols and it is the refined, intuitive, and collected animal sign. The year of the snake is meant for steady progress and attention to detail. To achieve your goals you must be focused and disciplined.

The Chinese New Year can be extremely entertaining, even if you choose to celebrate in the comfort of your own home. You can decorate with red, often thought to be a lucky color, and paper cutouts on the windows and doors. One enjoyable tradition is to not clean for the first few days of the New Year. If you sweep you may risk sweeping away your good luck!

Another delicious tradition, as well as an important part of the Chinese New Years Eve, is to spend the afternoon preparing Chinese dumplings, also known as Jiaozi. So don’t make plans on February 10th, celebrate the Chinese New Year with your family and explore the wonders of a different culture!