Greeting Season:

    春節 The Spring Festival

    農歷 lunar calendar

    正月 lunar January; the first month by lunar calendar

    除夕 New Year's Eve; eve of lunar New Year
    
    初一 the beginning of New Year

    元宵節 The Lantern Festival

    Customs:

    過年 Guo-nian; have the Spring Festival

    對聯 poetic couplet: two successive rhyming lines in poetry

    春聯 Spring Festival couplets

    剪紙 paper-cuts

    年畫 New Year paintings

    買年貨 special purchases for the Spring Festival ; do Spring Festival shopping

    敬酒 propose a toast

    燈籠 lantern: a portable light

    煙花 fireworks

    爆竹 firecrackers (People scare off evil spirits and ghosts with the loud pop.)

    紅包 red packets (cash wrapped up in red paper, symbolize fortune and wealth in the coming year.)

    舞獅 lion dance (The lion is believed to be able to dispel evil and bring good luck.)

    舞龍 dragon dance (to expect good weather and good harvests)

    戲曲 traditional opera

    雜耍 variety show; vaudeville

    燈謎 riddles written on lanterns

    燈會 exhibit of lanterns

    守歲 staying-up

    拜年 pay New Year's call; give New Year's greetings; New Year's visit

    禁忌 taboo

    去晦氣 get rid of the ill- fortune

    祭祖宗 offer sacrifices to one's ancestors

    壓歲錢 gift money; money given to children as a lunar New Year gift

    Culture Note: In the old days, New Year's money was given in the form of one hundred copper coins strung together on a red string and symbolized the hope that one would live to be a hundred years old. Today, money is placed inside red envelopes in denominations considered auspicious and given to represent luck and wealth

    辭舊歲 bid farewell to the old year

    掃房 spring cleaning; general house-cleaning

    Food names:

    年糕 Nian-gao; rise cake; New Year cake

    團圓飯 family reunion dinner

    年夜飯 the dinner on New Year's Eve

    餃子 Jiao-zi; Chinese meat ravioli

    湯圓 Tang-yuan; dumplings made of sweet rice, rolled into balls and stuffed with either sweet or spicy fillings

    八寶飯 eight treasures rice pudding

    糖果盤 candy tray:

    什錦糖 assorted candies - sweet and fortune

    蜜冬瓜 candied winter melon - growth and good health

    西瓜子 red melon seed - joy, happiness, truth and sincerity

    金桔 cumquat - prosperity

    糖蓮子 candied lotus seed - many descendents to come

    糖藕 candied lotus root - fulfilling love relationship

    紅棗 red dates - prosperity

    花生糖 peanut candy - sweet