Chinese New Year or "passage of the year" is the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar. 

This is the beginning of the "Spring Festival" which takes place over a fortnight and ends with the Lantern Festival. Since the Chinese calendar is a luni-solar calendar, the Chinese New Year date in our calendar varies from year to year, but always falls between January 21st and February 20th. 

Before entering the new year, the Chinese take care of cleaning their homes, paying their debts, buying new clothes, painting their doors and even having new haircuts to take on new clothes. departure. The Chinese New Year has several symbols, such as flowers, which occupy a prominent place in the decorations of the holiday. Very often, homes and businesses display written messages that bring luck; these messages are usually drawn with a brush on a piece of red folded paper in the shape of a diamond. You can also see in the homes and other places tangerines and oranges, considered as a sign of luck and fortune. 

The New Year is a time to share food and to participate in charitable activities. The celebrations last several days and are marked by various events such as shows where dancing, traditional drums and dresses are honored, fireworks, tastings of special dishes and activities of arts and crafts. The Chinese New Year parades in which the famous lion dancers take the limelight are undoubtedly the culmination of the holidays. Dancing one behind the other, several people in a suit carry the body of the lion above them, the first wearing a mask representing the head of the animal. The dance is vigorous; the lion roars, fidgets and moves while moving his head. On this occasion, the families get together and offer as a gift red envelopes containing money. These traditional gifts are usually offered to children. The red color of the envelope symbolizes happiness, luck, success and good fortune. 

Each year of the Chinese calendar is associated with one of 12 Chinese horoscope animals, all of which have special characteristics.