Chinese New Year Lesson

Chinese New Year's is also called Spring Festival. It is the most important holiday in China. It starts on the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar and lasts for fifteen days. It is a time of new beginnings. Before the holiday starts, people clean their houses, prepare food, get a haircut, buy new clothes, and pay off debts. It is a tradition to visit family members and friends at the start of the holiday. (3 pages)

When is Chinese New Year? It starts on the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar. It lasts for 15 days. In 2009, it starts on January 26 and ends on February 10.

What is this? It is a Chinese zodiac wheel. The Chinese name their years after twelve animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar (Pig).

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