the New Year--Shirley xu

The new year always brings good wishes to the people. In addition to the old and welcome the day, people all around the world for its ingenious, unique way to greet the arrival of the New Year.


UK: the day before New Year's Day, every household must do wine bottle, cupboard meat. Britons think that if there is no remaining wine and meat, the coming year will be poverty. In addition, the UK is also popular New Year "playing well water," the customs, the first people to fetch water for that first kick artificial happiness of the people, calling water is water auspicious. Englishman in New Year's Eve night, often bring out the cake and wine to visit, they do not knock on the door, he went straight into someone's house. According to British custom, after thousands of New Year's Eve night, the first foot forward toward the house who herald the new year luck. If the first guest was a dark-haired man, or a happy, happy and wealthy man, the owner will be lucky good luck throughout the year. If the first guest is a light yellow-haired woman, or a sad, poor, unfortunate people, the owner will be in the new year was bad luck, will encounter difficulties and disasters. New Year's Eve came to visit friends and relatives who did not talk before, to go to fiddle with a fireplace fire, blessing the owner, "open the door down." In some parts of central England, go out New Year's morning, whether familiar or unfamiliar, will send each other coins, they believe doing so, not only the other side there is wealth a year, but also to bring their own luck.


India: India's New Year's Day was called "crying New Year's Day", "fasting New Year." Their New Year's Day, people who are not allowed to get angry, but not allowed to temper. In some places, not only to celebrate the New Year, but with hold tears. They believe that the New Year beginning, years Perishable - life is short, with a cry to express their exclamation. People in some areas places fasting day and night to greet the new year, from the early morning until midnight New Year's Day.

Mongolia: the arrival of the new year, Mongolia elderly will look like dressed as a shepherd, wearing a plush leather jacket, wearing a fur hat, holding a whip, he kept the whip in the air pits crackle, to show evil blessing.

Brazil: Brazilians in New Year's day, holding torches, rushed mountaineering. People are scrambling to find that golden birch fruit symbol of happiness. Only danger people can find this rare fruit. They call it "find blessing." Rural Brazil has a unique customs - is pulling each ear, when people meet in the New Year, we must mutually hard grabbed each other's ears, good wishes.

Pakistan: In the New Year's Day, all of them holding a Pink Pakistani people ran out, met with relatives and friends, has ever new joy, then another will Pink painted on the forehead, to celebrate New Year's good luck.

Lantern Festival - Pano(xin zheng)

Lantern Festival is a traditional Chinese festival-Pano

The Lantern Festival The Lantern Festival

As early as the qin dynasty had more than 2000 years ago. According to the data and folk legend, the fifteenth day of the already taken seriously in the western han dynasty, emperor sheen on the first night in oasis temple sacrifices "is a" activities, (too a: master of all the gods of the universe), be remembered as the fifteenth day of the sacrifice to the gods. 

Yuanxiao, meaning "the Lantern Festival evening", because of the fifteenth day of the first "the Lantern Festival" main activity is in the evening to eat dumplings and enjoy the festival name later evolved into "Lantern Festival". Yuanxiao nights, streets decorated, people watching lanterns, guess riddles, eating lantern, will continue starting the New Year's eve celebrations to another climax, become a custom of generation down. Yuanxiao festival at an early age forming process, the fifteenth day, only in the first month and a half or full moon, sui said yuan after evening or Lantern Festival. Early stage has been influenced by Taoism, also called has, tang was accidentally called yuanxiao. But since the song dynasty is also called light evening. In the qing dynasty, is called the Lantern Festival. Abroad, yuanxiao also with The The Lantern Festival and The unknown. 

Mid-Autumn Festival -- Nikki

Mid-autumn Festival is a popular and important lunar harvest festival celebrated by Chinese people.

The festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar. There are some traditions in this holiday. For example, people would have a big dinner with there families. After dinner, they often enjoy the full moon, which is round and bright. The other tradition of mid-autumn festival is eating moon cake. Moon cake is the essential of that day, which means reunion.

Every year lunar calendar in August 15 is Mid-autumn Festival, at this time the people always eat the moon cake, to enjoy looking at the moon, the family member reunite, because that day moon is roundest.

There are also many wonderful stories about mid-autumn festival. For instance, do you often watch the moon in the evening? What does it look like?

According to Chinese old myth, it looks like a beautiful goddess under a big tree in the moon. She was Chang e, the wife of Hou Yi. Hou Yi was a hero who saved people through shooting the extra eight Suns by arrows. Hence, the emperor in the sky rewarded him a magic medicine. If one took the medicine, he would fly up into the sky and turn into a fairy. But one day, one of Hou Yi's students suddenly shot him by an arrow. Then, he robbed into Hou Yi's home and wanted to grab the medicine. Urgently, Chang e had to take it. Later, she became the goddess of moon and lived in the moon palace.

That is the myth of Chang e represents that Mid-autumn Festival.

The Dragon Boat Festival - Nikki

The Dragon Boat Festival ,also called the Duanwu Festival ,is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month according to the Chinese calendar.People always eat rice dumplings and watch dragon boat races to celebrate it.

The festival is best known for its dragon-boat races,especially in the southern places where there are many rivers and lakes. It's very popular.

The rice dumpling is made of glutinous rice,meat and so on. You can eat different kinds of rice dumplings.They are very delicious.And Dragon Boat Festival is for Qu Yuan. He is an honest minister who is said to have committed suicide by drowning himself in a river.

Overall, the Dragon Boat Festival is very interesting!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve, in most of the Christian countries is one of the Christmas holidays.

Safe night tradition is display the day of Christmas tree, but with the Christmas celebrations start early, such as the United States the day after Thanksgiving, many Christmas trees early a few weeks before Christmas, has been displayed. Extends to the development of Christmas Eve is not only refers to the late December 24th, refers to the Christmas Eve, especially in December 24th, but due to the general holiday atmosphere in the evening easy to mobilize, large events are concentrated in the evening, is called Christmas Eve, more appropriate.

At that time, people rush home to be fatigued with the journey. Christmas Eve is essential for the celebration of the party. Most European and American family reunion at home, ate dinner, and then sitting beside a burning stove, singing and playing; or hold a spectacular masquerade party, to celebrate Christmas Eve is a happy, peaceful Christmas Eve.

 It is said that Christmas Eve, Santa Claus will be quietly preparing gifts to the children in the stockings.---------By Joyce

Halloween

In October 30th, it was Halloween.

Halloween is a celebration of the Catholic Church's absorption and re interpretation of other cultures.On the last day of October, they believe that this is the end of summer and the beginning of winter, the day is an important symbol of a year, is one of the most important festivals, known as the "day of the dead", or "Halloween". In order to frighten away evil spirits, people will put on a mask.

On this day, there will be a lot of activities. For example, people dressed as zombies, a child to someone's home door to get candy and saying "Trick or treat". It is said to have originated in ireland.

Black and orange is the color of the traditional halloween. Modern Halloween products also use a lot of purple, green and red. The fall of the elements such as pumpkin and the scarecrow, has become the symbol of halloween.-------By Joyce.