Happy Chinese New Year

By Marni Elyse Katz
February 2, 2011

A vendor selling Chinese New Year paraphernalia awaits customers in Beijing (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images); The Annual Chinese New Year Parade in New York (Photo by Julian Ungano/Getty Images)

The most important holiday for the Chinese, the New Year is traditionally celebrated by sweeping the house to banish ill fortune and to make way for good luck; adorning doorways with Chinese New Year decorations of red scrolls and lanterns; feasting with family and participating in a raucous parade with dragon puppets and costumes, loud music, and firecrackers, all of which are said to scare away evil spirits. In the United States, where the Chinese population amounts to almost three million, there will be Chinese New Year parades in San Francisco, New York and Washington, DC, among other cities. This year, the Year of the Rabbit, the Chinese New Year starts on Thursday, February 3rd, and the festivities last for 15 days.

As folks across the country gear up for the fun, sales for "Chinese New Year" items on eBay are up 58 percent in a recent week (1/22-1/28) vs. the week prior.

Get in on the Chinese New Year Spirit with these picks from eBay.

Chinese New Year Foo Dog Lion Puppet

(buy it now price, $25)

Lion puppets commemorate the great lion dancers of Asian culture and are said to chase bad spirits. This lion is decorated with sparkly sequins and is controlled on strings by a paddle.
Chinese New Year Lantern Decorations

(buy it now price, $9.99)

At the end of the festival people carry traditional Chinese red paper lanterns in the parade. They’re also hung in doorways and streets. The color red is said to frighten mythical beasts.
Chinese New Year Kids Toy Hand Drum Tambourine

(buy it now price, $7.99)

This is a fun music maker for the kids decorated with Chinese imagery. It is believed that loud drumming and clanging cymbals will banish evil spirits.
Lanterns and Firecrackers: A Chinese New Year Story book

(buy it now price, $4.99)

This story, about a Chinese family preparing for their Chinese New Year celebration with traditional customs, is perfect for preschoolers.
Chinese New Year Parade Dragon Balloon

(buy it now price, $5.99)

A colorful 33-inch Mylar Chinese dragon balloon fits right in with New Year’s themes.
Boys Chinese New Year Silk Dragon Outfit

(buy it now price, $14.99)

Adorable silk traditional pajamas with embroidered gold dragon and toggle closures are perfect for a preschooler.
12-Foot Chinese New Year Dragon Party Decoration

(buy it now price, $15.83)

This Chinese ceiling decoration is 12-feet long, mimicking the dragon costumes worn in New Year parades to frighten away evil spirits.
Traditional Chinese New Year Red Packet

(buy it now price, $2.75)

Children are gifted with red envelopes containing a little bit of money.
1963 Chinese New Year Dragon Rabbit Parade Vintage Photograph

(buy it now price, $19.97)

This is an authentic vintage photo of a Chinese New Year parade in Chicago back in 1963.