Chinese New Year - 2024 in the Year of the Long (龙, Chinese dragon)
Our “Culture Breakfast” is an invitation for all employees to engage in an intercultural exchange, with interesting insights into the home countries and cultures of our team. The firm invites you to breakfast and serves typical dishes from the countries presented.
At the beginning of the new year, our patent attorney Maggie Huang shared exciting and profound stories about how the most important festival in China—the Chinese New Year—is traditionally celebrated. 2024 is the Year of the Dragon.
15 days of celebrations: Fireworks (invented in China!), feasts, family visits, ending with a lantern festival
- In 2023, the Chinese Ministry of Transport counted around 226 million journeys during the holidays (“the world’s largest annual human migration”).
- Food: A variety of dishes; lots of fish (Chinese word for “fish” sounds like the word for “abundance”), and dumplings (small dumplings), which are reminiscent of ancient coins and are said to bring wealth..
12 Chinese Zodiac Signs (Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep/Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig, Rat, Ox, Tiger and Rabbit)
- Important question to ask when dating
- People born in the Year of the Dragon are considered to be confident, ambitious, passionate, strong-willed, and strong-minded.
Dragon stands for luck, kindness, intelligence, and wealth
- Many companies are founded in the Year of the Dragon, as it promises financial success!
Calculated according to the “lunar calendar” (from the times of the Chinese Empire)
- The lunar year begins on the second new moon after the winter solstice (always between January 21 and February 20)
- Month = lunar cycle; year is up to 13 days shorter than our solar year (compensated by a leap month)
Traditional preparations
- cleaning the house
- decorating with lamps and paper ribbons
- special meaning of the color red
- represents happiness, joy, and prosperity
- drives away the annual demons “Nian”
- red jewelry and clothing
