Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the New Year and ends after 15 days on the full moon. It is also called Spring Festival and is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is sometimes called the Lunar New Year.

Prior to New Year's Day, Chinese families clean and decorate their houses with vases of pretty blossoms, platters of oranges and tangerines, a candy tray with eight varieties of dried sweet fruit, flowers, emblems of nature.

The 15th day of the Chinese New Year is called the Lantern Festival This day is celebrated at night with marvelous lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.

All the 15 days of the Chinese New Year Celebrations have their own importance. The first day of the Lunar New Year is "the welcoming of the gods of the heavens and earth." On this day, many Chinese people abstain from meat for they believe that this will ensure long and happy lives for them.

On the second day, the Chinese pray to their ancestors and all gods. On this day, they too kind to dogs and feed them well as they believe this is the birthday of all dogs.

The third and fourth days are for the sons-in-laws to pay respect to their parents-in-law.

The fifth day is called Po Woo. On this day people stay home to welcome the God of Wealth. No one visits families and friends on the fifth day because they believe it will bring both parties bad luck.

From the sixth to the tenth day, the Chinese visit their relatives and friends freely. They also visit the temples to pray for good fortune and health.

The seventh day of the New Year is the day for farmers to display their produce. These farmers make a drink from seven types of vegetables to celebrate the occasion. The seventh day is also considered the birthday of human beings. Noodles are eaten to promote longevity and raw fish for success.

On the eighth day the Fujian people have another family reunion dinner, and at midnight they pray to the God of Heaven, Tian Gong.

The ninth day is to make offerings to the Jade Emperor who is considered to be the Supreme God of Chinese Folk Religion..

The 10th to the 12th are days when friends and relatives are invited for dinner. Variety of traditional food is prepared for family and friends. The food mainly includes - A vegetarian dish called jai, whole fish, chicken, noodles, sweet steamed glutinous rice pudding and zong zi (glutinous rice wrapped up in reed leaves),

Steamed-wheat bread (man tou) and small meat dumplings.

On the 13th day, the Chinese have simple rice congee and mustard greens.

The 14th day is used for preparations to celebrate the Lantern Festival (also known as Shang Yuan Festival) which is to be held on the 15th night.

The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar (Moon) and solar (Sun) movements. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. In order to "catch up" with the solar calendar the Chinese insert an extra month once every few years. This is the same as adding an extra day on leap year. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year.

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated as a family affair. The most vital of all rituals is the sacrifice to the ancestors that unites the living members with those who had passed away. Departed relatives are remembered with great respect for laying the foundations for the fortune and glory of the family.