Chinese New Year

14 February 2021

When we think about Chinese New Year traditions the first thoughts that come to mind are probably the giving or receiving red envelopes 红包, eating dumplings, watching traditional dance or fireworks show and praying in a temple. All of those traditions and a lot more are the great traditions of a Chinese New Year. So let's find out more about them!

Chinese New Year, as it is also called Spring Festival, has a list of preparations and rituals that should be done before and during the celebration.

Decorations and Lucky Red Items

Every street, building, and house where the Chinese New Year is celebrated is decorated with the main color of the festival - red. Red is considered as auspicious and lucky colour, that attracts prosperity to the house or business. Red Chinese lanterns, red couplets, paper cuttings, paintings with a symbol of a year, upside-down Fu characters (for better luck), kumquat trees and blooming flowers are 7 of the most popular decorations.

Celebrating New Year’s Eve with family

Lunar New Year is a time for families to gather. Whenever they are, people are expected to be home to celebrate the festival with their families. This meal is also called ‘reunion dinner’, and is believed to be the most important meal of the year. Because of that Spring Festival causes the largest human migration in the world, since everyone should be at home for dinner.

Fireworks

During many years, it has been a tradition to set off firecrackers from the first minute of Chinese New year. Loud noise of fireworks have been added to the bright cacophony. But due to safety reasons and air pollution issues in many cities firecrackers are now restricted, nevertheless many people don’t care and do it anyway.

Traditional Dance

Traditional lion dances are performed on Lunar New Year festivals - one of the most globally recognised traditions because of its prominence in diaspora celebrations. This flamboyant dance is performed outdoors to the accompaniment of drums and cymbals, and on some street parades it becomes flying lion dance.

Chinese New Year Gifts and Red Envelopes

The most common New Year gifts are red envelopes. It has money inside, and is considered to bring good luck because it is red. Such envelopes are usually given to children and retirees. To working adults red envelopes give only their employers.

Pray at the temple

The Lunar New Year is always a busy time for temples. Typically day for visiting the temple is on the third day of LNY to pray for blessing and good luck in the year ahead. Many major temples also put on festive dragon and lion dances in the courtyard.

What about the New Year’s Eve menu? What food has lucky meanings?

The same foods are eaten during the 16-day festive season, and especially for the New Year’s Eve family dinner.

The luckiest Chinese New Year foods are:

Fish (an increase in prosperity)
Chinese dumplings (great wealth)
Nian gao - glutinous rice cake (a higher income or position)

Chinese New Year Superstitions

Although chinese people become less and less superstitious, many people still believe that the year’s start affects the whole year, so the Chinese Spring Festival is a season of superstitions.

The Luckiest Things to Do at Chinese New Year

Giving money and gifts in lucky numbers packed in red decorations with auspicious greetings.
Eating lucky food like fish on New Year’s Eve, particularly carp or catfish with some left over for New Year’s Day.
Lightning lots of red fireworks and firecrackers to scare away evil and bring good luck.

The Unlucky Things to Do at Chinese New Year

Having an accident, such as hospital visits, crying, and breakages.
Giving gifts with unlucky meanings, colors, words or numbers, or even saying something unlucky.
Sweeping up on New Year’s Day: don’t “sweep all your luck away”.

These are the main principles of Spring Festival celebration. Chinese New Year is celebrated all over the world, so you may take your family and try to celebrate this day together following the traditions!

Resources:

Chinese New Year Traditions Chinese New Year

Authors:

Infographic: Wlada Morgun

Text: Wlada Morgun