The Chinese New Year is celebrated for about fifteen days starting around February 3rd.  It is determined by the Chinese New Year calendar, and it is sometimes called Lunar New Year.   To celebrate, people attend parades, festivals, fireworks, and have feasts with their families.  Fireworks are usually held on the stroke of midnight.  Many people decorate their houses with colorful flowers and fruits.  Another tradition is the lion dance.  People dress up in lion costumes and mimic a lion's movements.  Dragon dances are also very popular.


Each day of the New Year is celebrated different ways.  On the second day, people pray to there ancestors and feed there dogs well.  On the fifth day, people eat dumplings and celebrate the birthday of the Chinese god of wealth.  On the seventh day, there is a customary salad eating ritual.  On the ninth day, they pray to the Jade God of Heaven and drink tea.  The fifteenth day is the lantern festival.  People usually eat rice dumplings to conclude the holiday.