Animals of the Chinese New Year and Animals of the Chinese Zodiac

What do animals of the Chinese New Year and animals of the Chinese Zodiac have to do with the CSET? If you are studying for the CSET English or the CSET Multiple Subjects exams, then you need to know about the Chinese Zodiac. The Chinese Zodiac and New Year is a big deal in China, it is a central component of Chinese culture. The CSET requires you to have some knowledge of World Literature. The Chinese New Year is central to major Chinese literary works. Further, true respect of cultural differences, a requirement for the California classroom, comes from understanding and understanding is gained by knowledge.

The most important holiday in China is the New Year, also known as the Spring Festival. It falls in late January or early February, the actual date being determined by the Chinese lunar calendar. The celebrations last for 15 days, although in modern times most families celebrate for only five. Perhaps the most popular event of the festivities is a colorful parade through the city streets. It features a huge, undulating cloth dragon and prancing lions, which make their way through the flurry of excited spectators amid frequent bursts of firecrackers.

The Spring festival celebrates the earth coming back to life, and the start of ploughing and sowing. In the past, feudal rulers of dynasties placed great importance on this occasion, and ceremonies to usher in the season were performed.

Preparations for the New Year festival start during the last few days of the last moon. Houses are thoroughly cleaned, debts repaid, hair cut and new clothes bought. Doors are decorated with vertical scrolls of characters on red paper whose texts seek good luck and praise nature, this practice stemming from the hanging of peach-wood charms to keep away ghosts and evil spirits. In many homes incense is burned, and also in the temples as a mark of respect to ancestors.

On New Year’s Eve houses are brightly lit and a large family dinner is served. In the south of China sticky-sweet glutinous rice pudding called nian gao is served, while in the north the steamed dumpling jiaozi is popular. Most celebrating the festival stay up till midnight, when fireworks are lit, to drive away evil spirits. New Years day is often spent visiting neighbors, family and friends.

The origin of the Chinese New Year is too old to trace; but the tales about it are quite interesting. Legend has it that there was a beast called Nian (which means “year” in Chinese) that would come to China the night before the new year began (according to the Chinese Calendar) and prey upon the people. One of the legends has it that Nian had a very big mouth