Although Cambodians have their own New Year's Day, they also celebrate the Chinese New Year. The Chinese New Year is the second biggest New Year celebration after the Khmer Lunar New Year. The Spring Festival is above all a time for family reunions.

Festival
Chinese New Year is a festival that celebrates the start of a new year in the traditional Chinese calendar. It is also known as the ‘Spring Festival’ in modern China. The celebrations usually take place on the evening before the first day of the Chinese year until the Lantern Festival, held on the fifteenth day. This year, the Chinese New Year celebrations begin on Wednesday 9 January, marking the start of the Year of the Snake.
Unlike the Gregorian-Solar calendar, which was first used by the Catholic states in 1582, the Chinese have based their twelve-month cycle on that of the moon and the sun.
They decided to set the start of the new year two moons after the winter solstice, i.e. between 21 January and 20 February. In this way, the sun can enter the sign of Aquarius (symbolising the renewal of life) and be favourable to the next harvest.
A major traditional event
Chinese New Year is one of the biggest and most celebrated festivals in the world. It is a major traditional festival that has strongly influenced the Lunar New Year celebrations of China's neighbouring cultures, including the Korean New Year, Vietnam's Tet and Tibet's Losar.

Traditions
Chinese New Year is associated with many myths and customs. The festival is traditionally an opportunity to honour deities and ancestors. In China, regional customs and traditions relating to the celebration of the New Year vary considerably.
And the evening before Chinese New Year is often seen as an opportunity for Chinese families to get together for dinner. This annual reunion meal is considered to be the most important of all celebrations. It is comparable to Thanksgiving dinner in the United States or Christmas dinner in Europe.

After dinner, some families go to temples a few hours before the start of the new year to pray for a prosperous year by lighting the first incense of the year.
Nowadays, however, many households organise parties and even a countdown. Traditionally, firecrackers are lit to scare away evil spirits.
Tradition
It is also traditional for every family to thoroughly clean their home to eliminate any bad luck and make way for good fortune.
Another custom is to decorate windows and doors with red paper cups. Popular themes among these paper cups are good fortune, happiness, wealth and longevity.
Origin and legend
For many, Chinese New Year is linked to the harvest, but it is also associated with certain legends. According to one legend, Chinese New Year began with the story of a mythical creature called Nian.
It ate the villagers, especially children. One day, the villagers decided to go into hiding to escape the beast. An old man appeared before the villagers went into hiding. He told them that he would wait for the beast to take his revenge.
The villagers thought he was crazy. Then the old man put down some red papers and lit some firecrackers.

The next day, the villagers returned to find that nothing had been destroyed. They then realised that the creature was afraid of the colour red and of fireworks.
As the New Year approached, the villagers wore red clothes and hung red lanterns from their windows and doors. From then on, Nian never ventured into the village again.
Cambodia
Although Cambodians have their own New Year's Day, they also celebrate the Chinese New Year. The Chinese New Year is the second biggest New Year celebration after the Khmer Lunar New Year.
The Spring Festival is mainly an opportunity to get the family together and have dinner. Many houses are decorated with yellow flowers, believed to bring good luck, while lion and dragon dancers perform in the streets.
It is thought that the longer the creature dances, the more luck it brings to the audience. So spectators usually make small donations to keep them dancing for as long as possible.

Great bargains
In general, as Chinese New Year approaches in the capital, shops close later in the evening to accommodate the many shoppers who will turn out this evening in search of the plethora of items and victuals they need to celebrate the New Year.
All over the city, red lanterns hang from residential buildings, restaurants and small shops in Phnom Penh. They are ready to usher in the New Year.
Lanterns, incense, flowers, decorations and food are quickly running out in the markets as the date of the celebration draws nearer.

Chinese New Year also means good business for shop owners, large and small, selling fruit, vegetables, flowers and even roast pigs. For many, it's the best day of the year.
Photographs: C.Gargiulo & F.Chung
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