Lesson 1

New Year's Eve dinner is most important event of the year. All family members should be present, so they can start the new year together. If anyone is absent, he or she is still set a place at the dinner table. The meal typically includes chicken and fish dishes. The fish, however, is never completely eaten; it must be saved for the next day. The Chinese say 年年有餘 (nián nián yǒu yú), which means "may there be surpluses every year." The last character sounds like fish - 魚 (yú). Therefore, it is tradition to save some of the fish to ensure success in the new year. Mandarin oranges are the most popular fruit. Dumplings, especially ones shaped like gold ingots, are served. 年糕 (nián gāo), a glutinous rice cake, is also considered lucky. Children cannot wait for New Year's Eve dinner to be over, so they can get red envelopes 紅包 (hóng bāo) with money from all their relatives by saying 恭喜發財 (gōng xǐ fā cái). Firecrackers go off at midnight, just as the new year begins. There are parades with lion dances and dragon dances to celebrate Chinese New Year. 

Lantern Festival 元宵節(yuán xiāo jié)

Fifteen days after the new year is the Lantern Festival. Why fifteen days? It is the first full moon of the new year.

元 (yuán) is the first month of the Chinese calendar. 宵 (xiāo) was the way to say "night" in ancient times. A lantern is a 燈籠 (dēng lóng), so the Lantern Festival is also called 燈節 (dēng jié).

The Lantern Festival is the last night of the Spring Festival. After the Lantern Festival, everyone will go back to work or school. So, people like to spend the last night of their holiday outdoors and admire the moon. In the past, without electricity, people would carry lanterns to see at night. Lanterns filled the sky! Lanterns are still lit during the Lantern Festival. Now, many lanterns have riddles written on them. People try to solve the riddles in all the lanterns they walk by as they admire the full moon and enjoy the beautiful night. Food served during the Lantern Festival resemble the full moon. Only round, white dumplings are eaten. Round balls in soup called 湯圓 (tāng yuán) are made exclusively for the Lantern Festival.