The Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, begins on February 1st, 2022 and lasts until January 21st, 2023. The Chinese New Year has a history of over 3,000 years and many of those traditions have continued into present day.
The date of the Chinese New Year changes every year, but always falls between January 21st and February 20th. The date is decided by the Chinese Lunar Calendar, which is based on cycles of the moon, and the New Year is on a new moon day, usually the second after the winter solstice.
In Chinese culture, the new year is a time to begin again. The colors of the new year are red and gold - omens of luck and prosperity which also wards off evil spirits. In China, the Spring Festival is a 15-day festival that traditionally is a time to honor deities as well as ancestors and it is a time for feast and family. Although regionally customs and traditions vary, it is traditional for every family beforehand, to thoroughly clean their house in order to sweep away any misfortune and make way for incoming good luck.
The Spring Festival is a time of celebration, at the same time strict rules and restrictions apply. Just a few of Chinese New Year taboos include:
Do not say negative words - you do not want to bring that misfortune onto you and your loved ones.
Do not break glass or ceramic - if something is broken, immediately wrap it with red paper and ask for peace. After the new year throw the wrapped pieces into a lake or river.
Do not clean or sweep - right before there is a day of cleaning to sweep away the bad luck, but during the celebration you could be sweeping away good luck instead. Similarly, you shouldn't take a washing your hair on the Chinese New Year Day or wash your clothes the first two days of the new year so as to not offend the Water God.
Do not use scissors, knives or other sharp objects - sharp objects will cut your stream of wealth and success.
Avoid fighting and crying - all issues should be solved peacefully to ensure a smooth path in the new year.
2022 is the Year of the Tiger according to the Chinese Zodiac, and people born in a year of the Tiger are predicted to be charming, brave, competitive, careful, powerful, attractive, direct, and confident. Recent years of the Tiger are 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010 and 2022. The Chinese cosmology consists of three aspects: one of 12 Chinese animals, one of the five-elements, and either yin or yang. In this the Year of the Yang Water Tiger, which only occurs every 60 years, it is time to begin acting on seeds sewn over the last two years. The New Year of 2022 is a time for change - new adventures, moving, new businesses - so hang on to your hats. To learn more about what 2022 might have in store for you, see what CT Holman, MS, LAc has forecasted for the year.
Wu Wei Wellness will take the first few days of the Chinese New Year to avoid sharp objects, in the name of future wealth and success, but will officially open our doors on Tuesday, February 8th, 2022. The schedule is now open!