Friday, February 4, 2011

Don Wong's Chinese New Year Special on www.SiCTV.org

Year 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit by the Chinese calendar. Happy Chinese New Year. Fun, friends, frolic and food, that is what new year celebrations is all about. To catch on to the right spirit of the chinese new year Don Wong is again hosting his annual special on Community TV to educate and entertain all with his first hand insights of the Chinese culture.

Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. In order to "catch up" with the solar calendar the Chinese insert an extra month once every few years (seven years out of a 19-yearcycle). This is the same as adding an extra day on leap year. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year. New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated as a family affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving. The celebration was traditionally highlighted with a religious ceremony given in honor of Heaven and Earth, the gods of the household and the family ancestors. The sacrifice to the ancestors, the most vital of all the rituals, united the living members with those who had passed away. Departed relatives are remembered with great respect because they were responsible for laying the foundations for the fortune and glory of the family. The 15th day of the new year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.