For example, one day you eat a kind of special rice with your family. On Chinese New Year s Eve, families come together to enjoy a special dinner. This year they lasted about 45 minutes. Kids also get chocolate coins and other small gifts. The earlier you are, the luckier you will be in the coming year.
Some towns also have dragon dances during the holiday.
The Chinese calendar goes back over 4000 years, but we are not sure how far back the celebrations go. A lot of stories tell how the animals got picked for the zodiac. There was a race to see which 12 animals would represent the cycle of the years. The first 12 animals to finish the race were chosen. The reason there is not a cat in the zodiac is because the rat tricked the cat.