Chinese New Year vs. Christmas - are they really so different?

Believe it or not, the Chinese New Year is celebrated in a fashion not unlike that magical time of year we call Christmas. Families travel great distances to be together, businesses and factories close down and it gets quiet in a lot of places.

The Chinese new Year celebration doesn't just last for one day (like our calendars show)...it runs for about half a month! Entire streets can close up and each shopkeeper closes down for two weeks or more.

Traveling during New Year is best described as cozy. Everyone and their chicken has to be somewhere else.

So what do people actually do for the Chinese New Year. How do they celebrate?

Usually a family invites all of their relatives and friends for a big banquet. It could be in their house or in a restaurant. During the meal, you drink a lot of Chinese liquor as each person toasts all the other people - one at a time. Then sometimes the entire group goes to a tea house, plays mahjongg, sings karaoke, or simply returns home and socializes.

As each family celebrates, you might find yourself invited to dozen different banquets on different days - maybe more or less depending on how many large your family and circle of friends are. And then one day you invite everyone to your place. So just like Christmastime - this holiday is not easy on the waistline!

Like Christmastime - this holiday is not easy on the waistline!

There are firecrackers going off in the streets all the time. And yes, as you might have guessed - at midnight, the New Year is "blasted" in with fireworks and firecrackers exploding from every house and window. Especially in the small towns.

What else do families do on the actual day? A lot of people have a tradition of watching an annual television special. Each and every Chinese New Year's Eve, a variety show is broadcast featuring many of the popular Chinese celebrities at the time. It reminds me of the “apple drop” and Dick Clark sometimes.

Here are a few more traditions explained. Ever imagined what it would be like to explain things like Mistletoe, Stockings or Santa Claus to someone who has never heard of Christmas before? Some of this might sound a bit strange, so brace yourself.

Eating dumplings.

Some families stay up on New Year's Eve making dumplings by hand and then pigging out on them at midnight! Sometimes you'll just eat dumplings the next day. Why dumplings? For good luck - apparently each dumpling symbolizes a bundle of “sealed-in” good luck.

Eat just one of these on the first day of the New Year, and you're guaranteed luck, happiness, security, peace and all kinds of other good fortune for the ENTIRE year. Plus they taste SO delicious - you always win by following this tradition!

New Clothes.

It's common to get a new wardrobe to celebrate the New Year. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt, but sometimes I wonder if this is a real tradition or my Chinese girlfriend made that one up.

Pay your debts.

It's considered good to pay off all your old debts before the New Year.

Red Underwear.

If the Chinese New Year celebration is your zodiac year - then you need to wear red underwear on the day of the new year. Maybe sometime I'll tell you about the Chinese family who demonstrated their devout following of tradition to me...by stripping down to reveal their red undergarments! (and no, in case you were about to ask... I don't have any photos)

If you're really in need of good luck - wear red every day of your year. Apparently, if it's your year, it supposed to be unlucky for you. But the color red is such a powerful representation of good fortune, that it neutralizes any potential ill effects in store for you.

Want to know what your Chinese zodiac animal is? Here's how to find out »