CHINESE NEW YEAR - 春节

春节的习俗多种多样。因为相传年兽怕红色，怕火光和怕响声，所以人们便有贴春联、放鞭炮、敲锣打鼓等习俗。
太古时期，有一种凶猛的怪兽，散居在深山密林中，人们管它们叫“年”。它的形貌狰狞，生性凶残，专食飞禽走兽、鳞介虫豸，一天换一种口味，从磕头虫一直吃到大活人，让人谈“年”色变。后来，人们慢慢掌握了“年”的活动规律，它是每隔三百六十五天窜到人群聚居的地方尝一次口鲜，而且出没的时间都是在天黑以后，等到鸡鸣破晓，它便返回山林中去了。
　　算准了“年”肆虐的日期，百姓们便把这可怕的一夜视为关口来煞，称作“年关”，并且想出了一整套过年关的办法：每到这一天晚上，每家每户都提前做好晚饭，熄火净灶，再把鸡圈牛栏全部拴牢，把宅院的前后门都封住，躲在屋里吃“年夜饭”，由于这顿晚餐具有凶吉未卜的意味，所以置办得很丰盛，除了要全家老小围在一起用餐表示和睦团圆外，还须在吃饭前先供祭祖先，祈求祖先的神灵保佑，平安地度过这一夜，吃过晚饭后，谁都不敢睡觉，挤坐在一起闲聊壮胆。就逐渐形成了除夕熬年守岁的习惯。
　过年要挂的红灯笼腊八：农历腊月初八，是汉族传统的节日腊八节，作为“新年”即将到来的信号。传统上，这一天要喝腊八粥，制作腊八蒜。

2011 is Year of the Rabbit but for Chinese this is not the year 2011 but 4078. The celebrations of the new year start today, February the 3rd, and will end in 15 days time with the Lantern Festival.
Chinese New Year's Eve is a day when Chinese families gather for their annual reunion dinner.
According to tales and legends, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the Nian. Nian comes on the first day of New Year to devour livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. To protect themselves, the villagers put food in front of their doors. Once the Nian eats the food they have prepared, it doesn´t attack any more people. One time, people saw that the Nian was scared away by a little child wearing red. The villagers then understood that the Nian was afraid of the colour red. Hence, every time when the New Year was about to come, the villagers would hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. People also used firecrackers to frighten away the Nian. From then on, Nian never came to the village again. The Nian was eventually captured by Hongjun Laozu, an ancient Taoist monk. The Nian became Hongjun Laozu's mount.
The fifteenth day of the new year is the Lantern Festival.Candles are lit outside houses as a way to guide wayward spirits home and families walk the street carrying lighted lanterns. This day marks the end of the Chinese New Year festivities.