Quiz all about Chinese New Year. You'll find many of the answers on our Spring Festival page
1. Which Chinese god is given an offering a week prior to Chinese New Year?
Zao Jun - the Kitchen god
Mi Le Fo - the Laugjhing buddha
Sun Wukong - the Monkey King
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.
2. What is the phase of the moon at Chinese New Year?
new
half
first quarter
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.
Moon gate in Qinghui garden, Foshan city, Guangdong
3. What is a 'guotie'?
door guardian
rice cake
fried dumpling (jiaozi)
A guotie is literally a 'pot sticker' - a parcel of meat or vegetables wrapped in dough that has been fried.
4. Which event marks the traditional end of the Chinese New Year (Spring) festival?
Lantern Festival
Confucius' Birthday
Easter
The Lantern festival occurs on the full moon following Chinese New Year and so is two weeks after it. Traditionally lanterns are lit and lion dances take place.
Traditional lion dance near a temple
5. Why are fish widely eaten at Chinese New Year?
Fish in Chinese sounds like abundance
Fish carry a wish for a long life
Fish were the first creatures created
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.
Window detail of Zushih Temple, Sansia, Taipei County, Taiwan. Aug. 2008. Image by Benjiho available under a Creative Commons License ➚
6. Which day of the New Year festival should you give the family dog a treat?
2nd
8th
5th
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.
Gilded bronze, guardian xiezhi statue at Forbidden City, Beijing
7. Which color envelope is traditionally used for gifts of money?
yellow
green
red
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.
8. Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) usually takes place in which month(s)?
April or May
January or February
December or January
The Spring Festival starts on the second New Moon after the Winter solstice, the date falls between January 20th to February 21st depending on the position of the moon each year and lasts for two weeks.
Red lanterns are hung from the trees during the Chinese New Year celebrations in Ditan Park (Temple of Earth) in Beijing. Image by Paul Louis ➚ available under a Creative Commons License ➚
9. Why are oranges, tangerines and similar fruits are often seen at Chinese New Year?
Wishes good luck
Lucky color
Adds Vitamin C to diet
The character 桔 jú is made up of the radical 木 mù ‘wood’ and 吉 jí ‘lucky’. Also ju sounds close to 祝 zhù ‘to wish’ so it symbolizes a wish for good fortune.
10. What are the lucky numbers in a year of the Ox?
five
four and one
nine
Any mixture of 1s and 4s is considered lucky in the year of the Ox or people born in that year so 4141 is lucky and so is 144.
Japanese lucky cat
11. Which astrological year follows the year of the snake?
tiger
sheep
horse
The sequence of 12 astrological animals is rat; ox; tiger; rabbit; dragon; snake; horse; sheep; monkey; rooster; dog and finally pig.
The Garden of the Chinese Zodiac features twelve carved animals in the gardens of Kowloon Walled City Park, Hong Kong
12. The New Year greeting 'Gong hei fat choy' is in which language?
Cantonese
Mongolian
Japanese
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.
Early on New Year's Day is the time to have ears blasted with numerous firecrackers 爆竹 bào zhú but firecrackers are now regarded as such a noise and pollution nuisance that they are banned from the center of large cities.
14. When is the next dragon astrological year?
2050
2031
2036
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.
15. Which character for good fortune is widely seen at Chinese New Year?
夫fū
去qù
福fú
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’
Quiz all about Chinese New Year. You'll find many of the answers on our Spring Festival page
