Reading What are some special rules for Chinese New Year?

Reading

What are some special rules for Chinese New Year?

Chinese New Year is a special holiday. It starts on the first new moon of the Chinese calendar between January 21 and Febrary 19. The New Year celebration ends fifteen days later on the day of the full moon. Chnese New Year is a very old celebration. The Chinese do something different on each day. People believe many old superstitions about this holiday. There are special rules about how people clean and what people look like. There are also rules about how people act.

The Chinese believe that it is very important to have a clean house on New Year’s Day. They clean the house before New Year’s Day. Then they put away everything they use to clean. The Chinese don’t sweep the floor on New Year’s Day. They think they will sweep away good luck. After New Year’s Day, they sweep again. First they sweep the dirt from the door to the corners of the room. They leave the dirt there for five days. On the fifth day, they sweep the dirt to the back door. The Chinese believe that it is bad luck to sweep the dirt to the front door.

The way people look on New Year’s Day is also important. The Chinese do not wash their hair on New Year’s Day. They believe they will  wash good luck. People also like to wear red clothes on New Year’s Day. Red is a bright, happy color. It will bring good lick for the future.

The Chinese also have superstitions about how people act on New Year’s Day. Older people give children and unmarried friends little red envelopes with money inside. The money is for good luck. People do not say bad or unlucky words. They do not say the word four because it sounds like the word for death. The Chinese never talk about death on New Year’s Day. They also do not talk about the past year. They talk about the new year and new beginnings.

Today, some Chinese believe in these rules and some do not. But many people practice the rules. They are special traditions. The rules are Chinese culture and history.

1. Write the correct words in the blanks.

calendar          superstitions        act              sweep         practice    

celebration         bright               culture        traditions

1. The Chinese New Year is a ______________. It is a happy time that everyone enjoys.
2. The Chinese have some old _____________. They believe that some things are good luck and some things are bad luck.
3. Do you know about Chinese _____________? Their beliefs and way of life are interesting.
4. Before New Year’s Day, the Chinese clean the floor. They use a broom to ____________ it.
5. The Chinese believe in special rules for the New Year. They ____________ the rules every year.
6. Red is a ___________ color. It is strong and easy to see.
7. The Chinese _____________ shows the days, months, and holidays in the year.
8. The Chinese do these things every year for many years. These things are ____________ for them.
9. How do people _____________ for Chinese New Year? What do they do and say?

2. Write the correct words in the blanks.

good luck                   look like               put away

1. Is he wearing special clothes for New Year’s Day? What does he _________________?
2. The Chinese want ______________. They want happy things to happen.
3. They took out the broom to clean. Now they are finished. So they _____________ the broom.

3. Circle the letter of the correct answer.

1. The Chinese New Year ______________.

A.starts on the full mood      B.starts on the new moon      C.ends on the new moon

2. The Chinese clean their houses _______________.  

A.on New Year ’s Day      B.before New Year’s Day     C.every day during the New Year celebration

3. The Chinese ____________ for good luck on New Year’s Day.

A.wear new clothes       B.give money to young people         C.talk about the past year

4. Reread the passage and answer the questions.

1. How many days is the Chinese New Year celebration?
2. Why don’t the Chinese sweep on New Year’s Day?
3. Why don’t the Chinese wash their hair on New Year’s Day?
4. What color do the Chinese wear on New Year’s Day?
5. What do older people give children?
6. What word sounds like the word for death?

5. Match the words in column A and column B to make sentences.

A 

___1.The Chinese New Year is

___2.The Chinese clean

___3.The Chinese don’t say

___4.The Chinese New Year ends

___5.The Chinese don’t wash

___6.The Chinese wear

B

1. their houses before New Year’s Day
2. red clothes on New Year’s Day
3. a very old celebration
4. bad words on New Year’s Day
5. after fifteen days
6. their hair on New Year’s Day