Chinese New Year: 2019 is Year of the Pig

Bengaluru, Feb 4: The Chinese New Year officially will begin on Tuesday with the Spring Festival officially and ending with the Lantern Festival on February 19th. According to the Chinese zodiac, 2019 is a Year of the Pig , and it's an Earth Pig year.

In Chinese astrology, each year belongs to a Chinese zodiac animal according to the 12-year cycle. The Pig occupies the last (12th) position in the Chinese Zodiac. You are a "Pig Chinese Zodiac native" if you are born in one of these years: 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019 .

How Chinese celebrate New Year

1. Chinese New Year Decorations - Lucky Red Items
Every street, building, and house where Spring Festival is celebrated is decorated with red. Red is the main color for the festival, as red is believed to be an auspicious color. Red Chinese lanterns hang in streets; red couplets are pasted on doors; banks and official buildings are decorated with red New Year pictures depicting images of prosperity

2. Chinese New Year's Eve - Family Time
Chinese New Year is a time for families to be together. Wherever they are, people are expected to be home to celebrate the festival with their families.The New Year's Eve dinner is called 'reunion dinner', and is believed to be the most important meal of the year.

3. Firecrackers and Fireworks at Chinese New Year
It has long been a Chinese tradition to set off firecrackers from the first minute of their new year. Fireworks have increasingly been added to the cacophony. From public displays in major cities to millions of private celebrations in China's rural areas, setting off firecrackers and fireworks is an indispensable festivity.

4. Chinese New Year Gifts and Red Envelopes
Like at Christmas in other countries, people exchange gifts during the Spring Festival. In rural areas and for older people the New Year gift giving tradition is still strong, but increasingly younger people prefer just to receive red envelopes (by hand or electronically).

The Spring Festival is long and has specific activities and traditions for each day. As usual, they vary between regions. Here is a short summary of what may be on the schedule.