The Western calendar is based on the movement of the earth around the sun while the Chinese calendar is based on the movement of the moon around the sun. The Chinese calendar only has 354 days in the year, but still has 12 months. Chinese New Year usually lies between January 21 to February 19 on the Western calendar. The customs for Chinese New Year are to get new clothes, buy new shoes, pay off all debts, clean the house, enjoy a traditional feast with family and friends, worship the gods, and give out red envelopes to unmarried individuals. Chinese New Year is the longest and most worthwhile celebrated holiday for the Chinese.
Most Chinese people celebrate Chinese New Year's Eve at home.
This is the day when family and friends gather to say goodbye to the old year. Once everybody is in the house, the host will lock all doors and seals them with a piece of red paper. This will keep the good luck inside the house and keep the evil outside. Everybody then enjoys the reunion dinner with traditional dishes such as duck, pork, fish and chicken. The next morning, before dawn, on New Year's Day, the host will take the red paper seals off the doors to welcome the new year.