9781422276600

introduction

Ringing in the Western & Chinese NewYear N o matter where a person lives on Earth, approximately every 365 days one year ends and a new one begins. People all over the world—regardless of race, ethnic background, or religious beliefs—celebrate these two events. In Japan, this time of celebration is called Shogatsu ; in Mexico, New Year’s Day is known as Año Nuevo ; and in Singapore, many people celebrate both the public New Year’s holiday as well as Chinese New Year. Around the globe, the traditions and celebrations for the last day of one year and the first day of the next have at least one thing in common. Regardless of what calendar is used, these holidays are an opportunity to acknowledge the passing of the old year and to look forward to the year to come. Typically, people reflect on the events of the previous year and set personal and family goals for the next year. Some year-end and new-year traditions are celebrated as public and legal holidays, some as religious holidays (the latter are discussed in the volume called Marking the Religious New Year ), and some as both. It is common for people to serve special good-luck foods and to participate in rituals that symbolize the passing away or ending of the old year and the beginning of a new one. In some countries, New Year is also an occasion for exchanging gifts.

Ringing in the Western & Chinese New Year

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