Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, is a major celebration in many parts of Asia where people with Chinese ancestry live. But its celebration is also spreading in the US, where a sizable Chinese and Asian population now exists. The date of Chinese New Year is generally in late January or early February.
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Chinese New Year is not a public holiday in the US, but more and more people are taking part in annual Chinese New Year events that focus on Chinese food, decorations and parades.
In the US, parades for Chinese New Year take place in “China towns” like the one in San Francisco. People parade and dance with “dragons”, and at some point in the festivities, fireworks typically light up the sky. Martial Arts Clubs, Chinese restaurants, and other businesses with a Chinese connection often take part.
Families of Chinese descent may hold a traditional New Year’s reunion dinner, clean the whole house spic and span, sweep away bad luck, and put up red decorations on their windows and doors.
Paper cut art is also a major part of the decor and the fun, and the shape of the paper cutouts is supposed to help guarantee prosperity and happiness in the year ahead. Many will also give gifts of money in envelopes.