Happy Chinese New Year!

This weekend is the Chinese New Year celebration! On February 11 2012, a large parade will roam the streets of downtown San Francisco where loads of people will crowd the side walks, getting in on the Chinese New Year action!

This event has been taking place since 1958 where lots of action has been happening. Lanterns, fire crackers, and lots more are a must to see, including a Chinese dragon! One Chinese tradition that I know is that the Chinese set off fire crackers to scare the enemies away so they don't have any bad luck.

Come to the festival this saturday for lots of excitement and truck loads of fun!

By Kennedy and Claire

Join the Celebration for Chinese New Year!

In 1847 San Francisco was a village called Yerba Buena the population was 459. In 1849 gold was discovered and over 50,000 people came to San Francisco a good amount of them were Chinese. In 1860's the Chinese wanted to share their culture with people who were not familiar with it. The Chinese started putting on little shows. Since 1958 Chinese Chamber Of Commerce has been in charge of Chinese New Year.

Today San Francisco Chinese New Year in one of the biggest celebrations in the world. Chinese New Year starts January 14th thru February 11th. Here is a picture of the directions of the route.

How To Celebrate Chinese New Year in SF

In San Francisco, you can put tangerines all around the house for good luck. You shouldn't say any bad words around the time of Chinese New Year or you might get bad luck.

You might even get red envelopes around Chinese New Year. Put the envelope in your wallet for good luck throughout the year.

In Chinatown, there is a big parade with food and good luck charms. In the parade there is always a special event called the lion dance. In this event, there will be a bunch of people dressing inside a big lion costume. They do this every month because the lions scares the evil spirits. You can also eat cakes called moon cakes. If you are the year of an animals you get to be celebrated -- this year it is the year of the tiger. You also if you want to give food to the for the full moon.

Read Zach's story about what to do in San Francisco for Chinese New Year. Also, below is the parade route for the holiday parade.

By Brandon

!Gung Hay Fat Choy!

New Year is a really big holiday in San Francisco because there is a big Chinese population in the city. The parade runs from Market St., up Geary St., to Kearny St. (for map click on tiny URL at bottom). There is lots to see at the parade like the dragon and many others.

Chinese New Year starts on the first full moon of the new year and ends fifteen days later. It has been a holiday for over 5,000 years. The last day is called "Lantern Day" because children carry lanterns in the parade. The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. A lunar cycle is about 29.5 days.

The first day of the new year is known as "The welcoming of the gods of the heavens and earth." Many people fast because they think it will ensure long and happy lives. On the second day, people pray to their ancestors and treat dogs very good because it is believed that that was the birthday of all dogs. The third and fourth day is for the son-in-laws to pray to their parents-in-law. The fifth day is known as "Po woo," people stay home and welcome the God of Wealth. From the sixth to the tenth day, people visit their relatives and pray in temples. On the seventh day farmers show off their produce and people celebrate the birthday of human-beings. On the eighth day the Fijian people have a reunion, and pray at midnight. On the ninth night people make offerings to the jade emperor. On the tenth to the twelfth nights, People invite relatives and eat a lot, for the thirteenth night they eat very little. The fourteenth night is spent preparing for the Lantern Festival.