Chinese New Year 2018, also known as the Spring Festival or simply the Lunar New Year, will be celebrated tomorrow.
The important Chinese festival which is celebrated at the turn of the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar will tomorrow mark the Year of the Dog.
Traditionally, celebrations run from the evening preceding the first day, to the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first calendar month.
The first day of the New Year falls on the new moon between January 21 and February 20 on the Gregorian calendar.
It is a major holiday in China and is one of the world’s most prominent and celebrated festivals. The New Year festival is centuries old and is associated with several myths and customs.
Within China customs and traditions vary widely, with the evening preceding the Lunar New Year’s Day, an occasion for Chinese families to gather for the annual reunion dinner.
It is also traditional for every family to thor
oughly clean the house and about one-third of the mainland population serve dumplings, especially those with vegetarian filling in their meals to celebrate the festival.
Another strong tradition is the passing of red envelopes or packets from married couples or the elderly to unmarried juniors.
It is also common for adults or young couples to give red packets to children.