NewYearseasonlastsforfifteendays.Thefirstweekisthemostimportantandmostoftencelebratedwithvisitstofriendsandfamilyaswellasgreetingsofgoodluck.ThecelebrationsendontheimportantandcolourfulLanternFestivalontheeveningofthe15thdayofthemonth.However,Chinesebelievethatonthethirdday(骞村垵涓?oftheChineseNewYearitisnotappropriatetovisitfamilyandfriends,andcalltheday"chechao"(璧ゅ彛),meaning"easytogetintoarguments".

　　ThedateoftheChineseNewYearisdeterminedbytheChinesecalendar,alunisolarcalendar.ThesamecalendarisusedincountriesthathaveadoptedtheConfucianandBuddhismtraditionandinmanyculturesinfluencedbytheChinese,notablytheKoreans,theJapanese,theTibetan,theVietnameseandthepaganBulgars.ChineseNewYearstartsonthefirstdayofthenewyearcontaininganewmoon(somesourcesevenincludeNewYear'sEve)andendsontheLanternFestivalfourteendayslater.Thisoccursaroundthetimeofthefullmoonaseachlunationisabout29.53daysinduration.IntheGregoriancalendar,theChineseNewYearfallsondifferentdateseachyear,onadatebetweenJanuary21andFebruary20.IntraditionalChineseCulture,Lichunisasolartermmarkingthestartofspring,whichusuallyfallsoneitherFebruary4or5.

　　Daysbeforethenewyear

　　OnthedaysbeforetheNewYearcelebration,Chinesefamiliesgivetheirhomeathoroughcleaning.Itisbelievedthecleaningsweepsawaybadluckandmakestheirhomesreadyforgoodlucktoarrive.AllbroomsanddustpansareputawayonNewYear'sEvesothatgoodluckcannotbesweptaway.Somepeoplegivetheirhomes,doorsandwindowpanesanewcoatofredpaint.HomesaredecoratedwithpapercutoutsofChineseauspiciousphrasesandcouplets(shortphrases)thatspeakof"happiness,""wealth,""longevity."

　　Reuniondinner

　　AreuniondinnerisheldonNewYear'sEvewheremembersofthefamily,nearandfar,gettogetherforcelebration.TheNewYear'sEvedinnerisverylargeandtraditionallyincludeschicken.Fish(楸?y煤)isincluded,butnoteatenupcompletely(andtheremainderisstoredovernight),astheChinesephrase骞村勾鏈変綑(ni谩nni谩ny菕uy煤),whichmeans"maytherebesurpluseseveryyear",soundsthesameas"maytherebefisheveryyear",since"y煤"isalsothepronunciationfor浣("leftover"or"surplus").Atypeofblackhair-likealgae,pronounced"fatchoy"inCantonese,isalsofeaturedinmanydishessinceitsnamesoundssimilarto"prosperity".Hakkawillservekiunyuk(鎵ｈ倝)andngiongtiufu.Becausecertainthingsand/orfoodsoundaliketocertainChinesewell-wishes,thebeliefisthathavingonewillleadtotheother.

　　AnillustrationofwhataChineseAncientGoldNuggetmightlooklike.MostNorthernersservedumplingsasthemaindishinthisfestiveseason,althoughmostChinesearoundtheworldwoulddothesamebecauseitisbelievedthatdumplings(楗哄瓙,ji菐ozi)arewrappedinthesemblanceofChinesegoldnuggets(illustrated)usedinancientChina.Thisgoldnuggetiscalled閲戝厓瀹(jinyu谩nb菐o).However,mandarinorangesarethemostpopularandmostabundantfruitduringChineseNewYearamongstChinesesimplybecauseof,interalia,howthenameofthefruitisphoneticallysimilartogold--jinju(閲戞?orkam(閲?inCantonese.

　　Clothing

　　RedclothingiswornthroughouttheChineseNewYear,asredwillscareawayevilspiritsandbadfortune.Also,peopletypicallywearne