New Year Quiz

It is on the eve of Chinese New Year that families pay particular deference to Zao Jun so that he can relay a favorable report on the household's life to heaven for the last year - his lips are smeared with honey. Traditionally a portrait of him was hung in the kitchen which was ritually burned and replaced every New Year.

Although the dragon is the most auspicious astrological year the monkey (9th in the cycle) comes close. Monkeys are fun, talkative and friendly creatures.

Any mixture of 2s and 3s is considered lucky for the year of the Rat or people born in that year so 2233 is lucky and so is 322.

It is on the second day (the day after New Year's Day) that it is traditional to give the family pet a special treat.

The Chinese for fish is 鱼 yú which in standard Chinese sounds the same as 余 yú which means 'surplus, abundance'. So it is making the wish for abundance in the new year.

The character for good fortune 福 fú has an interesting derivation. It is widely seen on Chinese gifts. Just to add to confusion it is often shown ?upside down?

Spring Scrolls 对联 duì lián are big character posters that are pasted either side of the door, the inscription wishes good luck and joy.

Red is the luckiest color and is widely seen at festivals and marriages to bring good luck and keep evil at bay. Charms written on red paper are plastered all over houses at Chinese New Year because according to legend the Nian monster is frightened by anything red. 宏 hóng sounds the same and means ?great; magnificent? so a red color bestows idea of wish for greatness in decorations.

This the Cantonese pronunciation of the greeting which in standard Chinese is 恭喜发财 gōng xǐ fā cái which means ‘congratulations, become wealthy’ and is often a greeting between people in business.

The sequence of 12 astrological animals is rat; ox; tiger; rabbit; dragon; snake; horse; sheep; monkey; rooster; dog and finally pig.

The date of Chinese New Year moves because it is tied to the phase of the moon. It is timed to occur on the second new moon after the winter solstice on December 21st; this makes it fall in late January or February.

The dragon is considered the most auspicious astrological year with couples choosing to wait so their child can be born as 'dragons'. Dragon years include 2000, 2012 and 2024.

A guotie is literally a 'pot sticker' - a parcel of meat or vegetables wrapped in dough that has been fried.

The god of Fortune (财神 Cái shén) has his birthday and so traditionally windows and doors are left open to let him visit the house

The Lantern festival occurs on the full moon following the New Year and so is two weeks after it. Traditionally lanterns are lit and lion dances take place