CHUN JIE
�����ڣ�

        Commonly known as Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year, Chun Jie is the most important festival in the Chinese Calendar.  Chun Jie symbolises the beginning of the year, a signal to another fresh start in one's life.  It also heralds fresh hopes for happiness and prosperity among mankind.
        It is an important festival as it is a time to reaffirm family and kinship ties and grudges are set aside and resolved.  Reunion dinners, visitations among relatives and friends and exchange gifts -- these Chun Jie activities serve to remind the Chinese of the central position the family occupies in the society.  Traditionally, Chun Jie is celebrated over a period of 15 days starting from the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar.
 

ORIGIN

        There are 2 versions as to the origin of Chun Jie, but both involves the conquest of a legendary beast Nian.
 

Version 1:    The beast Nian (modern Chinese means "year") would come out from the mountains and prey on people on the eve of a new year.  People are terrified.  Then, an old man said that it feared loud noise and red colour.  Hence, before its arrival on the eve, people would put up red paper on their doors and windows and when it comes, all would start to hit drums, pots, light fire crackers to scare the beast away.  Indeed the plan worked and from then on, Nian did not appear anymore.  Hence the beginning of red paper decorations, lighting of fire crackers and lion dance.

Version 2:    Nian had a very big mouth and would swallow a great many people with just one bite.  One day, an old man came and offered to subdue Nian. To Nian he said, "I hear say that you are very capable, but can you swallow the other beasts of prey on earth instead of people who are by no means of your worthy opponents?" So, swallow it did many of the beasts of prey on earth that also harassed people and their domestic animals from time to time.  After that, the old man disappeared riding the beast Nian.  He turned out to be an immortal.  Now that Nian is gone and other beasts of prey are also scared into forests, people began to enjoy their peaceful life.  Before the old man left, he told the people to put up red paper decorations on their windows and doors at each year's end to scare away Nian in case it sneaked back again.

CELEBRATION

        The climax lasts only about 2 - 3 days, including the eve.  Days before Chun Jie, evey family would be busy cleaning the house, hoping to sweep away all ill-fortune in order to make way for incoming good luck.  Doors and windwos would be decorated with paper cuts and couplets with verses such as "Gong Xi Fa Cai / ��ϲ����",  "Wan Shi Ru Yi / ��������",  "Long Ma Jing Shen /
�������� ", etc..
        Various types of food, fruits and flowers are offered to the ancestors for those practicing ancestral worship.
        We usually will have "Fa Gao /���� ", a kind of sweet rice pound cake but bot as soft.  We have it just for the meaning of prosperity ("Fa") and rising high in position ("Gao").  Another kind of cake called "Nian Gao /��� " is also a must have during Chun Jie as it means "Nian Nian Bu Bu Gao Sheng / ���경������ " (rise in position yearly).
        Last time, up till the 70's, firecrackers are lit. However, due to the danger involved, the Singaporean Government banned firecrackers.  This no doubt dampened the celebrative atmosphere a bit.  But they did it because many fires broke you and numerous people got hurt or blinded by the firecrackers.
        On the eve, many Singaporean families would get together for a steamboat reunion dinner.  Some more traditional families might eat "jiao zi /���� " (dumplings boiled in broth).  After dinner, the whole family will sit up for the night watching TV programmes, play cards / majung / board games.  This practice is called "shou sui /���� ), meaning to delay the aging process for the more elderly family members.
        Early next morning, children will greet their parents and recieve red packets
(Hong Bao /��� )  During and several day following Neaw Year's day, people are visiting each other with a great deal of exchanging of gifts.

THINGS GENERALLY TO BE OBSERVED

1.    After dinner on the eve, you are not supposed to sweep anything out of the house.  If you have to sweep, sweep it in.  This is done so your luck will not be swept away.
2.    If you break anything such as a gladd or mug, you'dd have to say (Sui Sui Ping An /����ƽ�� ) or (Hua Kai Fu gui /�������� ) which means "peace every year" and prosperity after the arrival of flower blooms.
3.    Bad, vulagar or unpleasent topics are to be discouraged.
4.    Debts are to be settled before the arrival of the new year.