research about chinese new year

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Chinese New Year Traditions

By: History.com Editors

Updated: March 19, 2021 | Original: October 23, 2009

Chinese New Year celebrations were born out of fear and myth. Legend spoke of the wild beast Nian (which also is the word for “year”) that appeared at the end of each year, attacking and killing villagers. Loud noises and bright lights were used to scare the beast away, and the Chinese New Year celebrations were born. Today, the 15-day New Year festivities are celebrated with a week of vacation in metropolitan areas of China. Much like the Western New Year (January 1st), the biggest celebration is on the eve of the holiday. At the turn of the new year, firework displays are put on throughout the city.

Aside from New Year’s Eve, there are other important days of the 15-day Chinese New Year Festival, including:

JIE CAI CENG: Welcoming the Gods of Wealth and Prosperity On the fifth day of New Year’s, it is believed that the gods of prosperity come down from the heavens. Businesses will often participate in setting off firecrackers as they believe it will bring them prosperity and good fortune for their business.

YUAN XIAO JIE: Festival of Lanterns The 15th day of the New Year is known as the Festival of Lanterns and marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations. All types of lanterns are lit throughout the streets and often poems and riddles are often written for entertainment.

There are also paper lanterns on wheels created in the form of either a rabbit or the animal of the year (Dog for 2018). The rabbit lantern stems from a Chinese myth or fairytale about a female goddess named Chang E who jumped onto the moon.

So she wouldn’t travel alone, she brought a rabbit with her to keep her company. It is said that if your heart is pure enough, you can see the goddess Chang E and her rabbit on the moon on this day.

Red envelopes Called “hong bao” in Mandarin, the red envelopes filled with money are typically only given to children or unmarried adults with no job. If you’re single and working and making money, you still have to give the younger ones the hong bao money.

The color red denotes good luck/fortune and happiness/abundance in the Chinese Culture and is often worn or used for decoration in other celebrations.

Dragon The dragon is present in many Chinese cultural celebrations as the Chinese people often think of themselves as descendants of the mythical creature. On the fifth day of the New Year when many people have to start going back to work, they will also have dancing dragons perform in the front of the office building.

On the 15th day of the New Year (Yuan Xiao Jie), they may also have a lot of dancing dragon performances. The dragon represents prosperity, good luck and good fortune.

Traditional Foods

The Chinese New Year’s Eve meal is the most important dinner of the year. Typically, families gather at a designated relative’s house for dinner, but these days, many families often celebrate New Year’s Eve dinner at a restaurant. Many restaurants require reservations months in advance.

There are also some families that hire a professional chef to come cook at their house. Chefs are often busy running from one home to another cooking dinners for different families on New Year’s Eve.

Chinese New Year is a 15-day celebration and each day, many families rotate celebrations between homes of their relatives. The festivities are day-long and sometimes, a family ends up cooking two meals for their relatives, once at lunch and once at dinner.

These dishes used to be all made from scratch, but now people can easily buy them prepackaged at the supermarkets.

• Eight Treasures Rice, which contains rice, walnuts, different colored dry fruit, raisins, sweet red bean paste, jujube dates, and almonds
• “Tang Yuan” – black sesame rice ball soup; or a won ton soup
• Chicken, duck, fish and pork dishes
• “Song Gao,” literally translates to “loose cake,” which is made of rice which has been coarsely ground and then formed into a small, sweet round cake
• “Jiu Niang Tang” – sweet wine-rice soup which contains small rice balls

READ MORE: Chinese New Year History

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Lunar New Year

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• Al Jazeera - What is the Lunar New Year? Traditions and celebrations explained
• China Internet Information Center - The Spring Festival
• CNN - Enter the Year of the Dragon: A 2024 guide to Lunar New Year
• Lunar New Year - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
• Lunar New Year - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Lunar New Year , festival typically celebrated in China and other Asian countries that begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ends on the first full moon of the lunar calendar, 15 days later. The lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon, so the dates of the holiday vary slightly from year to year, beginning some time between January 21 and February 20 according to Western calendars. Approximately 10 days before the beginning of the new lunar year, houses are thoroughly cleaned to remove any bad luck that might be lingering inside, a custom called “sweeping of the grounds.” Traditionally, New Year’s eve and New Year’s day are reserved for family celebrations, including religious ceremonies honouring ancestors. Also on New Year’s day, family members receive red envelopes ( lai see ) containing small amounts of money. Dances and fireworks are prevalent throughout the holidays, culminating in the Lantern Festival , which is celebrated on the last day of the New Year’s celebrations. On this night colourful lanterns light up the houses, and traditional foods such as yuanxiao (sticky rice balls that symbolize family unity), fagao (prosperity cake), and yusheng (raw fish and vegetable salad) are served.

The origins of the Lunar New Year festival are thousands of years old and are steeped in legends . One legend is that of Nian , a hideous beast believed to feast on human flesh on New Year’s day. Because Nian feared the colour red, loud noises, and fire, red paper decorations were pasted to doors, lanterns were burned all night, and firecrackers were lit to frighten the beast away.

Lunar New Year

Learn a little about the festivities, food, calendars, and colors of the Lunar New Year.

Social Studies, World History

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Lunar New Year, often called the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year, is the most important holiday in China and Chinese communities around the world. It is not only celebrate in China. Vietnam, Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore also practice the Lunar New Year holiday. The two-week celebration includes family and friends, feasting and fireworks, parties and parades.

For more than 3,000 years, Lunar New Year was just what it sounds like—the beginning of a new year in the Chinese calendar. The historic Chinese calendar is a  lunisolar  calendar, meaning dates are determined by both the moon (lunar) and the sun (solar). Months begin with every  new moon , when the moon is not visible in the night sky. The new year starts on the new moon nearest the midpoint between the  winter solstice  and the spring  equinox , sometime between January 21 and February 20.

China officially adopted the  Gregorian calendar , used by the West, in 1912. In the late 20th century, however, the holiday was re-introduced as the “Spring Festival .”

Although there is rarely a set “program” for Lunar New Year celebrations, some days are associated with specific  rituals or festivities. Read through some highlights below. Use the questions in the Questions tab to understand the  significance  of some of the  sumptuous  foods associated with the Lunar New Year.

Before New Year

Prior  to the official start of the holiday, Chinese households are thoroughly cleaned. Cleaning  symbolizes ridding the household of the  previous  year’s bad luck and making the home welcoming to good luck in the coming year. (On the first several days of the  festival ,  tradition  holds that brooms be stored, so that the newly arrived good luck will not be swept away.)

The days or weeks leading up to Lunar New Year are also when communities begin to decorate with red: fresh red paint on the doors of businesses and homes, red paper cut-out decorations, red lanterns. Red is the color of joy and good fortune in Chinese cultures, and is most strongly associated with new year celebrations.

One of the traditional ways to begin celebrating the Lunar New Year is the “reunion dinner,” when families gather to celebrate hopes for the new year.

During the New Year Celebrations

How do you wish someone "happy new year" in Chinese? It depends on who you're talking to. In China, the official language is Mandarin.  Gong xi fa cai  is how Mandarin-speakers wish you a happy new year—literally "wishing you to be prosperous in the coming year." Many overseas Chinese communities speak Cantonese.  Gung hay fat choy  is how Cantonese speakers wish you a happy new year—literally "wishing you great happiness and prosperity."

Some of the most common celebrations during the Lunar New Year festival include parties,  firecrackers , and the famous lion dance familiar to Western audiences. During the first days of the Lunar New Year younger family members may begin receiving bright red envelopes full of money. These envelopes, known as hong bao  (Mandarin)or  lai see  (Cantonese), are traditionally given to unmarried adults and children.

The third day of the Lunar New Year is often quieter and more somber than those preceding it. It is considered bad luck to visit friends or family, or play host to visitors yourself. This day is usually reserved for honoring deceased relatives by visiting  graves or lighting incense or paper offerings in memory of loved ones.

Often times the seventh day of the Lunar New Year recognizes  renri  ,  the creation-day of human beings. To honor humanity’s connection to all living things.

The ninth day of Lunar New Year is recognized as the birthday of the Jade Emperor, the ruler of heaven in  Taoist  belief.

The beautiful Lantern Festival signals a close to the Lunar New Year festival. Paper lanterns light the way for lion dances and all-day parades and festivals. The bright lights of the Lantern Festival celebrate the first  full moon  after the Lunar New Year. The colorful lanterns, displayed outdoors as well as inside  temples , are associated with guiding lost souls’ home and were originally created by monks to honor Buddha.

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The most important holiday in Chinese culture around the world is undoubtedly Chinese New Year, and it all started out of fear.

The centuries-old legend of the origins of the Chinese New Year celebration varies from teller to teller, but every telling includes a story of a terrible mythical monster preying on villagers. The lion-like monster’s name was Nian (年), which is also the Chinese word for “year."

The stories include a wise old man who counsels the villagers to ward off the evil Nian by making loud noises with drums and firecrackers and by hanging red paper cutouts and scrolls on their doors, because Nian is scared of the color red.

The villagers took the old man’s advice and Nian was conquered. On the anniversary of the date, the Chinese recognize the “passing of the Nian,” known in Chinese as guo nian (过年), which is synonymous with celebrating the new year.

Lunar Calendar

The date of Chinese New Year changes each year because it's based on the lunar calendar. While the western Gregorian calendar is based on the Earth’s orbit around the sun, the date of Chinese New Year is determined according to the moon’s orbit around the Earth. Chinese New Year falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice. Other Asian countries such as Korea, Japan, and Vietnam also celebrate the new year using the lunar calendar.

While Buddhism and Daoism have unique customs during the New Year, Chinese New Year is far older than both religions. As with many agrarian societies, Chinese New Year is rooted in a celebration of spring, like Easter or Passover.

Depending on where it's grown, the rice season in China lasts roughly from May to September (north China), April to October (Yangtze River Valley), or March to November (Southeast China). The New Year was likely the start of preparations for a new growing season.

Spring cleaning is a common theme during this time. Many Chinese families clean out their homes during the holiday. The New Year celebration could also have been a way to break up the boredom of the long winter months.

Traditional Customs

On Chinese New Year, families travel long distances to meet and make merry. Known as the "Spring movement" or Chunyun (春运), a great migration takes place in China during this period as many travelers brave crowds to get to their hometowns.

Though the holiday is actually just a week long, traditionally it's celebrated as a 15-day holiday when firecrackers are lit, drums are heard on the streets, red lanterns glow at night, and red paper cutouts and calligraphy hang on doors. Children are also given  red envelopes  containing money. Many cities around the world hold New Year parades complete with dragon and lion dances. Celebrations conclude on the 15th day with the Lantern Festival .

Food is an important component of the New Year. Traditional foods to eat include nian gao  (sweet sticky rice cake) and savory dumplings. 

Chinese New Year vs. Spring Festival

In China, New Year celebrations are synonymous with Spring Festival (春节 or chūn jié), which is typically a week-long celebration. The origins of this renaming from "Chinese New Year" to “Spring Festival” are fascinating and not widely known.

In 1912 the newly formed Chinese Republic, governed by the Nationalist Party, renamed the traditional holiday "Spring Festival" to get the Chinese people to transition into celebrating the Western New Year. During this period, many Chinese intellectuals felt that modernization meant doing all things as the West did.

When the Communists took over power in 1949, the celebration of New Year was viewed as feudalistic and steeped in religion, not proper for an atheist China. Under the Chinese Communist Party , Chinese New Year wasn't celebrated some years.

By the late 1980s, however, as China began liberalizing its economy, Spring Festival celebrations became big business. Since 1982, China Central Television has held an annual New Year’s Gala which is televised across the country and via satellite to the world.

Over the years, the government has made several changes to its holiday system. The May Day holiday was increased and then shortened to one day, and the National Day holiday was made three days instead of two. More traditional holidays, such as the Mid-Autumn Festival and Tomb-Sweeping Day, are emphasized. The only week-long holiday that was maintained is Spring Festival. 

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• Chinese New Year

History of Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival,   is China’s most important festival. It is also the most important celebration for families and includes a week of official public holiday.

The history of the Chinese New Year festival can be traced back to about 3,500 years ago. Chinese New Year has evolved over a long period of time and its customs have undergone a long developmental process.

When is Chinese New Year?

The date of the Chinese New Year is determined by the lunar calendar. The holiday falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice on December 21. Each year the New Year in China falls on a different date than on the Gregorian calendar. The dates usually range sometime between January 21 and February 20.

Why is it called the Spring Festival?

Even though it is winter, the Chinese New Year is popularly known as the Spring Festival in China. Because it starts from the Beginning of Spring (the first of the twenty-four terms in coordination with the changes of Nature), it marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring.

The Spring Festival marks a new year on the lunar calendar and represents the desire for a new life.

Legend of the Origin of Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is steeped with stories and myths. One of the most popular legends is about the mythical beast Nian (Year). He ate livestock, crops, and even people on the eve of a new year.

To prevent Nian from attacking people and causing destruction, people put food at their doors for Nian.

It’s said that a wise old man figured out that Nian was scared of loud noises (firecrackers) and the color red. So, people put red lanterns and red scrolls on their windows and doors to stop Nian from coming inside. Crackling bamboo (later replaced by firecrackers) was lit to scare Nian away.

Chinese New Year’s Origin in the Shang Dynasty

Chinese New Year has a history of about 3,500 years. Its exact beginning date is not recorded. Some people believe that Chinese New Year originated in the Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 BC), when people held sacrificial ceremonies in honor of gods and ancestors at the beginning or the end of each year.

Chinese Calendar “Year” Established in the Zhou Dynasty

The term  Nian  first appeared in the Zhou Dynasty (1046–256 BC). It had become a custom to offer sacrifices to ancestors or gods, and to worship nature in order to bless harvests at the turn of the year.

Chinese New Year Date Was Fixed in the Han Dynasty

The date of the festival, the first day of the first month in the Chinese lunar calendar, was fixed in the Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD). Certain celebration activities became popular, such as burning bamboo to make a loud cracking sound.

 In the Wei and Jin Dynasties

In the Wei and Jin dynasties (220–420 AD), apart from worshiping gods and ancestors, people began to entertain themselves. The customs of a family getting together to clean their house, having a dinner, and staying up late on New Year’s Eve originated among common people.

More Chinese New Year Activities from the Tang to Qing Dynasties

The prosperity of economies and cultures during the Tang, Song, and Qing dynasties accelerated the development of the Spring Festival. The customs during the festival became similar to those of modern times.

Setting off firecrackers, visiting relatives and friends, and eating dumplings became important parts of the celebration.

More entertaining activities arose, such as watching dragon and lion dances during the Temple Fair and enjoying lantern shows.

The function of the Spring Festival changed from a religious one to an entertaining and social ones, more like that of today.

In Modern Times

In 1912, the government decided to abolish Chinese New Year and the lunar calendar. It adopted the Gregorian calendar instead and made January 1 the official start of the New Year.

After 1949, Chinese New Year was renamed the Spring Festival. It was listed as a nationwide public holiday.

Nowadays, many traditional activities are disappearing but new trends have been generated. CCTV (China Central Television) Spring Festival Gala, shopping online, WeChat red envelopes, and overseas travel make Chinese New Year more interesting and colorful.

Here are two good website if you would like to read more, see charts, and get the answers to many questions about Chinese New Year: https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/special-report/chinese-new-year/ Chinesenewyear.net

• Kelvin Smith Library

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Happy New Year

This guide had been created for the lunar new year celebration sponsored by the International Student Services Office, the Office of Multicultural Affairs, and First Year Experience and Family Programs of CWRU.

The Gregorian calendar is followed and solar new year is an official holiday in Asian countries. But lunar new year is still the most important festival in several Southeast and Northeast Asian countries, especially among those of Chinese descent. Lunar new year marks the ending of the old and the beginning of the new year. It is on the first day of the first lunar month. In the Gregorian calendar, the festival falls somewhere between January 21 and February 19. Let's take a look at how this most important holiday is observed in different countries.

China (Spring Festival, Xin Nian)

Celebration starts from the beginning of the twelfth lunar month through the 15th day of first lunar month, the Lantern Festival. Legend tells that in ancient times, a horrible monster called "nian" (same word for "year") appeared at the end of the year, attacked people and livestock, but the villagers could not defeat it. Finally, the villagers found out the monster would be terrified by the color red and noise. People set off firecrackers, wore red clothes, hang red lanterns, and painted their homes red at the end of the year. The beast panicked and ran away. The cheerful bright red color is the most popular color for the Spring Festival.

Traditional Spring Festival events include: 

Twelfth lunar month:

Day 8: Offering of Soup of the Eighth Day (Laba Gruel). Laba gruel is a thick porridge consisting of "various whole grains and/or rice with dried fruits and nuts such as dates, chestnuts, pine seeds, and raisins."

Day 23: Sending off the Kitchen God. The Kitchen God is the agent of the heavenly authority and spends the whole year with the family. On the 23rd of the last month of the lunar year, he ascends to heaven and makes a report of the family. Family present offerings, hoping the deity will speak of good things. A paper horse is set on fire as the god's steed to ascend to heaven.

Day 30: New Year's Eve (Chu xi). Fierce door Gods (Men shen) are pasted on the center panels of doors, auspicious spring scrolls/couplets (Chun lian) on each side of the front door. People sweep the house to send off misfortune. Offerings to gods and ancestors are made. Family reunion meals take place. People stay awake to safeguard the year.

First Lunar Month:

Day 1: New Year's Day. Set off firecrackers. People change into new clothes and visit elders. Elders pass out red envelopes (Hong bao) containing "lucky money" (Ya sui qian). Burn incense and worship deities in temples.

Days 1-5: Relatives/friends visits. Traditional new year food includes meat dumplings (Jiao zi), fish and sweet steamed glutinous rice pudding (Nian gao). Fruits, nuts and seeds are popular snacks, conveying "wishes for fertility and long life." Especially in the south part of China, flowers such as lotus, camellia, hand citron and narcissus are used to decorate home.

Day 15: the Lantern Festival Day (Deng jie) or the Feast of the First Full Moon (Yuanxiao jie). A wild variety of lanterns are displayed. People go to the streets and view processions of stilt walkers, lions dances, dragon parade and opera performances. Sweet-tasting glutinous rice flour balls called Yuan xiao, is consumed in every household.

• Chang, Mei-Yen. "Lunar New Year In Taiwan." International Journal Of Education Through Art 6.1 (2010): 41-57.
• Stepanchuk, Carol and Wong, Charles. Mooncakes and Hungary Ghosts: Festivals of China. San Francisco: China Books & Periodicals, 1991.

Vietnam (Tet Nguyen Dan or Tet)

Tet is the most important annual festival in Vietnam, both culturally and spiritually. It is marked by a four-day public holiday. But the preparation for Tet starts a full month ahead and continues until the seventh day of the new year. About ten to fifteen days before Tet, people begin shopping for the holiday. Square or hexagonal cardboard candy box bearing "Happy New Year" is a must-have for every household on its ancestral altar. A great variety of calendars are available in the market and hung in every house as an ornament. Calendars have almost replaced the old custom of hanging couplets in Chinese calligraphy. Flowering branches and small trees are brought into homes during the holidays. The favorites are peach branches and small potted mandarin trees. The apricot blossom or mai flower is very popular in the South.

In tradition, Tet commences on the twenty-third day of the twelfth month when the Kitchen Gods, the three Ong Tao, are worshiped and travel to heaven to give an annual report of the family they inhabit. A bowl of three small carps is offered to be ridden by the gods for their journey  to see the Heavenly King. Rice cake is an essential food to Tet for offering on ancestral altars and giving as gift exchanges between kins and friends. Cylindrical rice cakes (Banh tet) are popular in the South, while square rice cakes (Banh chung) are popular in the North. In the past, it was a tedious task to make rice cakes as people boiled the cakes ten to twelve hours over fires in a large open space. Today rice cakes can be bought in shops or ordered in advance. "Five-fruit tray" (Mam ngu qua) is another common offering on the ancestral altar, which symbolizes the "good fortune and prosperity hoped for" in the new year.

On the twenty-fifth or twenty-sixth day of the last lunar month, ancestral graves are visited and tidied. In the late afternoon of the last day of the old year or the first day of the new year, families hold a ceremony to "honor the ancestors and invite them to enjoy Tet with the living family." The ancestors will protect the family throughout the new year. Family will visit father's or mother's lineages on the first and second days, and visit teachers or former teachers on the third day of Tet.  On the first day of the new year, temples and shrines are full of people. Religious activities also take place at certain sites dedicated to former national or regional heroes.

In rural area, a neu tree, "a long bamboo pole with a pineapple at the top, decorated with a bell, lantern, and flags," would be raised outside the house once the Kitchen God has been sent off.  Taking down of the neu tree marks the ending of the celebration on the seventh day of the first lunar month.

• Nguyen, Van Huy. "Tet holidays: ancestral visits and spring journeys." Vietnam: Journeys of Body, Mind, and Spirit. 71-91. Berkeley, CA: U of California P, with American Museum of Natural History, New York; Vietnam Mu
• McAllister, Patrick. "Religion, The State, And The Vietnamese Lunar New Year." Anthropology Today 29.2 (2013): 18-22.
• McAllister, Patrick. "Connecting Places, Constructing Tết: Home, City And The Making Of The Lunar New Year In Urban Vietnam." Journal Of Southeast Asian Studies 43.1 (2012): 111-132.

Lunar new year celebration starts on the first and ends on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Home is cleaned and tidied for the new year. On new year's eve, family will enjoy a festive meal together. On New Year's Day, younger generation will visit elders and elders will distribute cash in red envelopes. Visitors will bring two mandarin oranges as new year's gifts, since the name of orange sounds like "good fortune" and "gold (financial wellbeing)." In return, guests will get back two oranges when they leave, conveying blessings for the new year. Streets in Chinatown are beautifully and lavishly lit, and lanterns are hang up. Dragon dance, lion dance, fireworks and fire-eating performance are popular activities.

• The official site of Singapore Tourism Board: Chinese New year. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
• Chinese Encyclopedia Online: Singapore Lunar New Year Rites. Retrieved January 24, 2019 (Translated by the author).

Korea (Seollal)

Seollal (Korean New Year) is a three-day national holiday and focuses on family. People spend a lot of time shopping for ancestral rites and gifts. Thousands of travelers are heading for their hometowns and transportation can be time-consuming. 

The day before Seollal, family members gather together to prepare the holiday food. Tteokguk (rice cake soup) is the most important food for both ancestral rites and the New Year meal (Sechan). Rice cake (Tteok) used for tteokguk is prepared by "steaming non-glutinous rice flour, pounding the dough with a mallet until it is firm and stick, and then shaping it into the form of a rope." The shape of a long rope signifies an expansion of good fortune in the new year. Seollal food preparation requires long hours of work. Nowadays, ready-made food can be purchased or delivered to home. 

On the morning of Seollal, people dress in new clothing, especially Korea's traditional costume (Hanbok). Then the families gather to perform ancestral rites to pay respect to ancestors and pray for good fortune in the new year (Charye ritual).  It is believed that ancestors will return to enjoy the holiday food. After the ancestral rites, family share the holiday food together.  According to Korean tradition, eating tteokguk on Seollal adds one year to your age. After the meal, the younger generations will bow deeply to the elders to show respect. In return, the elders will offer good wishes along with gifts of money (Sebaetdon). Family members play traditional folk games and share stories. The most common activity is Yutnori, a board game that involves throwing four wooden sticks.

• Paik, Jae-eun. "Tteokguk, Rice Cake Soup." Koreana 21.4 (2007): 76-79.
• The Official Site of Korean Tourism Organization: Learn Traditional Culture to Celebrate Seollal! Retrieved January 24, 2019.
• The Official Site of Korean Tourism Organization: Celebrating Seollal in Korea: A Glimpse of Local Customs. Retrieved January 24, 2019.

Lunar new year is the most important holiday for Chinese Malaysians. The celebration starts from Winter Solstice and and lasts until the fifteenth of the first lunar month. Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur is decorated with red color lanterns and crowded with shoppers. On New Year's Eve, a family reunion dinner will be held. People will stay awake to safeguard the year and light fireworks. On New Year's Day, Chinese Malaysians open their homes for visits from friends of other religions and races. Sweeping the floor on New Year's Day is forbidden as good fortune will be swept away. Bad language and unpleasant topics are strictly discouraged. Relatives and friends will visit each other from the second day of the new year.Yee Sang is a special dish that is only served during Chinese New Year, conveying wishes for prosperity, health and good luck in the new year. Dragon and lion dances are held in Chinatown and there are many prayers in temples. On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month (Chap Goh Mei, known as Chinese Valentine's Day), young unmarried women will throw tangerines into the sea, wishing to find  a good husband. 

• Wonderful Malaysia, "Chinese New Year in Malaysia." Retrieved January 24, 2019.
• How the Spring Festival is Celebrated in Singapore and Among Chinese Malaysians." Retrieved January 24, 2019 (Translated by the author).
• Lim, Audrey. "Chap Goh Mei." Retrieved January 24, 2019.
• NPR: Yusheng: A Dish To Toss In The air To Celebrate The Chinese New Year.

On New Year's eve, Thai Chinese will hold ancestral rites, offer fruits, taro, sweets and other dishes on the altar, and burn incense. After ancestral worship, family will enjoy reunion meal together. On New Year's Day, Thai Chinese will pay pilgrimage to temples and pray for favorable climatic weathers and good wellbeing in the new year. Chinatown in Bangkok is decorated with lanterns, and dragon parades and lion dances are held.

• "How Thai Chinese Celebrate the Spring Festival." Retrieved January 24, 2019 (Translated by the author).
• Bao, Jiemin. "Chinese in Thailand." Encyclopedia of Diasporas : Immigrant and Refugee Cultures around the World. New York ; London : Kluwer Academic/Plenum, 2004, p. 757.

Philippines

Lunar New Year was announced as a  public holiday in 2012 in the Philippines. Lunar new year is the most prominent celebration for Chinese Filipinos. People participate in dragon and lion dances in Chinatown and enjoy Chinese opera performance. Tikoy (sticky rice cake) giving is a tradition and is only available for purchase in stores around Lunar New Year time. Red envelopes containing luck money (Ang pao) are distributed to children.

• Ang See, Teresita. "Chinese in the Philippines." Encyclopedia of Diasporas : Immigrant and Refugee Cultures around the World. New York ; London : Kluwer Academic/Plenum, 2004, p. 767.
• "Chinese New Year Celebrated in the Philippines." Asia Society. Retrieved January 24, 2019.

Japan (Shogatsu, 正月)

Since 1873, the official and cultural Japanese New Year has been celebrated on January first based on the Gregorian calendar. Kadomatsu, the bouquet of pine and bamboo which stands for longevity and righteousness, stand before entrance as new year's decoration. Twisted straw rope (Shimenawa) is put over doors of the house to "bring good luck and keep evil out." New crops and mochi (rice cakes) are offered to gods in thanks and people pray for good harvests in the new year. Osechi is a special cooking for new year prepared in a four-tiered lacquered box. From new years's eve to the seventh day of January, Japanese people pay their first pilgrimage of the year to shrines or temples and pray for good fortune in the new year (Hatsumode). Children receive pocket money (Otoshidama) from parents and kins. Kite-flying is a popular play for boys, and battledore and shuttlecock for girls.

• Japan. Kokusai Kankokyoku. Annual Events in Japan. Tokyo Board of Tourist Industry: Japanese Government Railways, 1938.
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• Dates & Calendar
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10 Facts You Should Know about Chinese New Year

Top 10 facts about chinese new year.

The festival date changes every year.

It is also called Spring Festival.

Chinese new year starts a new animal’s zodiac year..

The celebration lasts for 15 days till Lantern Festival.

One sixth of the world’s people celebrate it., it is the longest public holiday and the whole country is on the move..

Travel Rush during the Festival Family get together for the reunion dinner. Reunion dinner is a ritual. The reunion dinner on Chinese New Year's Eve is a big feast to commemorate the past year. This is the most important time to be with families. After the reunion dinner, families sit together to watch the CCTV New Year's Gala while chatting. As the most watched TV program, the gala collects various well-selected performances, targeting audiences of different generations. Then comes the annual largest usage of fireworks on the planet. Fireworks are an indispensable part of the celebration to liven up the air of Spring Festival. All families set off fireworks to celebrate the festival. The biggest firework show is on Lunar New Year's Eve.   The celebration decorations are mostly in red. Fireworks Show at Hong Kong Victoria Harbour Red lanterns decorate city streets. “Guo Nian Hao” is one of the most used greetings. Fun facts about chinese new year for kids, everyone wears new clothes.. Kids are especially happy to show their beautiful new clothes to their little friends and others.   Kids receive red envelopes as gifts. Red packets are the best gifts for kids. Instead of wrapped gifts that western nationalities give at Christmas, children get red envelopes stuffed with lucky money from grandparents, uncles, aunts and other elders who have started to earn their way. The happy fact is that kids are allowed to spend the money as they like.   They can eat various delicious foods. Everyone gets one year older.. It is like a national birthday and it doesn’t matter when you were born. For kids, it means they are able to do more things on their own. More Chinese New Year Facts Articles on Chinese New Year Displaying all articles. It’s the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac − associated with good fortune, wisdom and success Mario Poceski , University of Florida What effect will lunar new year have on COVID spread in China? Our modelling shows most people have already been infected Shengjie Lai , University of Southampton and Andrew J Tatem , University of Southampton China’s biggest holiday: The Lunar New Year and how it is celebrated Year of the Tiger: An opportunity for bold changes in combatting anti-Asian  racism Gina Wong , Athabasca University Chinese new year: your guide to everything from importance of the colour red to firework bans Dr Jingjing Ruan , Cardiff University and Catherine Chabert , Cardiff University Two extremes – how the rich and poor spend Chinese New Year Qing Shan Ding , University of Huddersfield New Year celebrations give Chinese economy a hangover James Laurenceson , University of Technology Sydney Rejoice, it’s Chinese New Year – no, wait, not here Rey Tiquia , The University of Melbourne Related Topics Chinese economy Holiday season Lunar New Year Mental health Religion and society Zodiac signs Top contributors Professor of Buddhist Studies and Chinese Religions, University of Florida Senior Lecturer in Marketing, University of Huddersfield Chinese Technosciernce philosopner, School of Historical and Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne Professor, Psychologist, Athabasca University Senior Lecturer, University of Wales Trinity Saint David Reader, School of Modern Languages, Cardiff University WorldPop Director, Professor of Spatial Demography and Epidemiology, University of Southampton Director and Professor, Australia-China Relations Institute (ACRI), University of Technology Sydney Principal Research Fellow in Spatial Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton X (Twitter) Unfollow topic Follow topic Life › Public and religious holidays Chinese New Year - statistics & facts  amid the pandemic , growth in the new normal , key insights. Detailed statistics Main travel purposes among Chinese during Lunar New Year 2023 Tourism volume during Spring Festival in China 2024, by selected region Average movie ticket price during Spring Festival in China 2016-2024 Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic Retail & Trade Revenue of retail sales during Chinese New Year 2011-2021 Holiday Activities Total number of local tourists during Chinese New Year in China 2017-2024 Tourism revenue during Chinese New Year in China 2017-2024 Further recommended statistics Premium Statistic Number of passengers during Spring Festival in China 2018-2023 Premium Statistic Number of passengers during Spring Festival in China 2024, by transport Premium Statistic Main travel purposes among Chinese during Lunar New Year 2023 Premium Statistic Spring Festival box office revenue in China 2014-2024 Number of passengers during Spring Festival in China 2018-2023 Number of passengers traveling during Chinese New Year holiday in China from 2018 to 2023 (in millions) Number of passengers during Spring Festival in China 2024, by transport Number of passengers traveling during Chinese New Year holiday in China in 2024, by means of transport (in millions) Main travel purposes in China during Spring Festival in 2023 Spring Festival box office revenue in China 2014-2024 Box office revenue in China during Spring Festival from 2014 to 2024 (in billion yuan) Premium Statistic Share of online and offline sales in China during Lunar New Year 2019-2023 Premium Statistic Breakdown of offline retail sales in China during Lunar New Year 2019-2023, by city Premium Statistic Breakdown of offline retail sales in China during Lunar New Year 2023, by channel Premium Statistic Change in retail sales performace in China during Lunar New Year 2023, by product Share of online and offline sales in China during Lunar New Year 2019-2023 Distribution of online and offline sales in China during Spring Festival from 2019 to 2023 Archaeologists Discovered an Ancient Chinese Immortality Potion. It Exposes the True Cost of Chasing Eternal Life. For thousands of years, the upper class has been “spending their own money to use themselves as guinea pigs.” Humans have been trying to cheat death for thousands of years. Myths about elixirs promising immortality span various cultures, as do real concoctions that often did more harm than good. One of the most misguided attempts at creating a potion for immortality involved the first emperor of China and mercury pills. In his obsession with finding a formula that would grant him eternal life, Qin Shi Huang downed mercury and other toxic substances nearly two millennia ago, believing his alchemists had hit upon the perfect magical tonic. Unsurprisingly, he died prematurely at age 49. Archeologists have discovered another 2,000-year-old “elixir for immortality” that sheds light on the true cost of chasing down eternal life. While excavating the tomb of a Western Han noble family in China’s Henan province in 2018, researchers unearthed a bronze pot. At first, the team thought the liquid inside was wine, but more recently determined that it was an alchemist’s formulation: a yellow liquid containing potassium nitrate and alunite. These two ingredients are cited in ancient Taoist texts as ingredients for immortality . Potassium nitrate is an inorganic salt used today as a natural source of nitrate, and is a useful ingredient in food preservatives, fertilizer, and fireworks. Alunite is a mineral that forms in volcanic or sedimentary environments when sulfur-rich minerals oxidize. It has historically been used to make alum, which is important for water purification, tanning, and dyeing. While neither substance has any use in lengthening human life or improving health, the liquid represents “the first time that mythical ‘immortality medicines’ have been found in China,” Shi Jiazhen, head of the Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology in Luoyang, told a Chinese media outlet. The ancient elite of China were not the only ones who were trying to find a way to be immortal. We all want to live forever—or at least stave off natural deterioration for as long as possible. This desire manifests in myriad ways today, from modern medical procedures to reverse disease, bottled creams and liquids that promise to restore tight, younger-looking skin, and even extreme measures like blood transfusions from younger bodies . Despite an ultimate failure to preserve youth against the ravages of time, humanity isn’t going to stop trying. And it turns out, the effort has its benefits, longevity researchers say, because along the way, we’ll figure out how to stay healthy for longer. The long-term danger is in creating a world where only a privileged few get access to the ultimate longevity treatments, researchers say. Most contemporary efforts to beat back death occur among the very, very rich. Bryan Johnson , a software entrepreneur in his mid-40s, spends about $2 million a year on tools and treatments aimed at appearing and functioning as if he were 18 again, for instance. It’s an old story—likely, only the noble families like the one whose tomb was discovered in China were able to afford creative solutions like alchemy. Even though that brand of magical thinking has fallen away, today’s humans long just as fervently to create a method, tool, or treatment that would ensure a form of longevity. Johnson has 30 doctors and health care experts helping him maintain and even reverse his biological age. In a bid to perfect his methods, he tried blood plasma transfusions , using vials of younger blood from his son, but stopped after he found there was no benefit. Only research with mice shows a life-lengthening effect from such transfusions. “There is no point in living 100 years if you are miserable.” The innate fact that wealth is probably a benefit to testing longevity treatments doesn’t bother Brian Patrick Green, Ph.D., who studies the ethics of technological manipulation of humans. In fact, you can be thankful for lawful experiments, because “folks who try those are typically spending their own money to use themselves as guinea pigs, and if they volunteer for that, and it either helps them live longer, or helps the rest of us learn new knowledge, we can’t really be mad about it,” he says. But there’s a downside to all this progress, says Green, who is director of Technology Ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University, California. “Life extension could possibly go wrong in the future if it becomes only accessible to the rich, for example, or makes people become so protective of their extended lives that they become risk averse and never come out of their homes,” Green says. Instead of looking for a solution to death, it’s more important to do our best to live a balanced life. “I don’t think there is much more I can do besides following my mother’s advice,” says aging and longevity researcher Joao Pedro de Magalhães, Ph.D., professor of molecular biogerontology at the University of Birmingham. That means not smoking, not drinking too much alcohol, having a healthy diet, sleeping well, and exercising, he says. “There is no point in trying to force habits that one doesn’t really like just to be healthy because it will just cause stress—which is unhealthy and reduces longevity. In other words, it is equally important to be healthy psychologically as well as physically.” So enjoy that ice cream on occasion, Magalhães advises. “There is no point in living 100 years if you are miserable.” Today, we enjoy a life span that’s double that of our great-grandparents, thanks to our better understanding of how nutrition, exercise, medicine, and hygiene affect the body and mind. However, most researchers think we’re close to reaching the upper limit, perhaps a little north of 100 years. The longest living person on record is Jeanne Calment , who was born in 1875 and died at age 122. We probably won’t be able to beat that unless we can somehow overcome one fundamental problem , says nanomechanics expert Peter Hoffmann, Ph.D.: thousands of water molecules are constantly bombarding our cells and eventually breaking the bonds of our cellular “molecular machines.” While chronological age itself is not a cause of death, over time, your organs and bodily systems will begin to fail. Even without disease, your heart, your brain, your digestive system and the rest will start to break down at a cellular level. We may have come a long way from the alchemists’ beliefs about how to freeze our lives in a youthful state, but technology to overcome our natural lifespan is still “fairly primitive,” Green says. “We are a long way still from dreams of immortality.” Before joining Popular Mechanics , Manasee Wagh worked as a newspaper reporter, a science journalist, a tech writer, and a computer engineer. She’s always looking for ways to combine the three greatest joys in her life: science, travel, and food. Pop Mech Pro: Science Boosting Your Mind With Billions of Tiny Robots We’re Plugging Into the World’s Biggest Battery Do Psychedelics Reveal an ‘Ultimate Reality?’ Fourth-Dimensional Aliens Could Be Spying On Us Aliens May Possess a Form of Consciousness Japan Is the World’s Top Hotspot for UFO Sightings Are Underwater UFOs an Imminent Threat? New Clues Emerge About an Ancient Lost City This Laser Could Unlock Interstellar Travel UFO Sightings are Spiking. This Man Knows Why. Magic Mushrooms May Have Shaped Our Consciousness How We'll Discern the Origins of the Universe 15 Fun Facts about Chinese New Year (#15 Will Impress You) Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) is the most important festival in China and a major event in other Asian countries. Chinese Lunar New Year 2025 will fall on Jan 29th. Here are 15 interesting facts about Chinese New Year. 1. Chinese New Year is also called "Spring Festival". Though in winter, Chinese call their New Year holidays ' Spring Festival ' (春节 chūnjié /chwnn-jyeah/), because 'Start of Spring' (3 February) is the first of the terms in the traditional solar calendar . While wintry weather prevails, 'Start of Spring' marks the end of the coldest part of winter when the Chinese traditionally could look forward to the beginning of spring. 2. It is a festival for 1/4 of the world's population. Over 2 billion people celebrate Chinese New Year in some way, even if it's just a national acknowledgment. These countries have public holidays during Chinese New Year: China, Indonesia, The Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea, Malaysia, North Korea, Singapore, and Brunei. More and more Western cities celebrate this festival in recent years, like New York, London, Vancouver, and Sydney. 3. The Chinese New Year date changes each year. The date for Chinese New Year changes each year. It always falls between January 21 and February 20 and is determined by the Chinese lunar calendar. In 2025, Chinese New Year will fall on Feb 10th. See more about Chinese New Year Dates . 4. Every Chinese New Year starts a new animal's zodiac year. There are 12 Chinese zodiac animals. In order, the 12 animals are Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. 2025 is a year of the Snake . Your zodiac animal is decided by your birth year. Find out your Chinese Zodiac sign . 5. The festival is celebrated for 16 days till the Lantern Festival. Traditionally, the 16 days from Chinese New Year's Eve until the Lantern Festival each had a special celebration activity. On the evening of the 15th day of the first lunar month, on the night of the full moon, families gather for dinner and go out and see fireworks and light lanterns. Lanterns are put up for decoration, let loose to fly, and floated in rivers. 6. This period is a time to offer sacrifices to Gods and ancestors. Praying is one of the more important activities during Chinese New Year. People pray to gods and ancestors. Many Chinese people visit ancestors' graves on the day before the Chinese New Year's day, and offer sacrifices to ancestors before the reunion dinner Read more about how the origins and history of Chinese New Year have changed with time . 7. On Chinese New Year's Eve, people eat auspicious foods. Certain foods are eaten during the Chinese New Year period purely for their symbolic meaning. This includes dumplings, eaten because they represent wealth. The more dumplings you can eat, the more money you will make in the new year. Fish is eaten because the word for fish in Chinese, (鱼 Yú /yoo/) sounds like 'surplus'. Oranges and tangerines are displayed because they are believe to bring good luck and fortune due to their pronunciation and characters. You can read more about the traditional Chinese New Year foods and Top Lucky Chinese New Year Flowers and Fruits . 8. Billions of red envelopes are exchanged. Chinese people love the color red. Giving red envelopes is a way to send good wishes and luck (as well as money). Red envelopes are given out from older to younger, from bosses to employees, and from leaders to underlings. It is a special New Year's bonus. And today many of these red envelopes are given electronically, something that can be done through WeChat , China's most popular communications app. See more information about how much money goes inside and how to give. 9. Red decorations are everywhere during the Chinese New Year. You might know that red is a lucky color in China, representing many positive things such as happiness, beauty, vitality, good luck, success, and good fortune, but did you know that almost everything is red during Chinese New Year? Apart from the red envelopes, decorations, and spring couplets hung up outside people's homes are red. You'll also see lanterns everywhere, as well as red paper cuttings. See the Top 7 Decorations during Chinese New Year . 10. The festival causes the world's largest annual migration. For Chinese people, the most important part of the Chinese Spring Festival is to enjoy a reunion dinner with their families on New Year's Eve, even if they have to travel long distances. 200 million people from Chinese mainland travel long distances for these holidays, and it is estimated that there are 3.5 billion journeys in China. Tens of millions of people travel in other countries too. This makes CNY the largest annual human migration in the world, known as the Spring Festival Travel Rush . For comparison, less than 100 million people travel more than 50 miles during the Christmas holidays in the US according to the American Automobile Association. 11. And the New Year's Eve Gala is the world's most-watched TV show. On Chinese New Year's Eve , most of China tunes in to watch the New Year's Eve Gala on the national television. This TV show involves many Chinese celebrities performing songs and dances and is watched as a family together, in a similar way that families might watch the ball dropping on New York's Times Square in the USA. Watching it is a great way to get an introduction to many types of Chinese performance arts. 12. Washing, sweeping, or taking out the garbage are not allowed. During the Chinese New Year period, there are many superstitions. Washing hair or clothes is not allowed on the first day of the lunar year because it is seen as "washing one's fortune away" at the beginning of the year. Sweeping up and taking out the garbage symbolize removing the good luck from the house, so people don't do that either. Giving people pears or mirrors as gifts is also taboo. See more Chinese New Year taboos . 13. There is the world's biggest annual fireworks usage during Chinese New Year. Another for our facts about Chinese New Year, no single hour in any other country sees as many tons of fireworks lighted as in China around the midnight beginning Chinese New Year. Fireworks are used to scare evil spirits: Most people from Chinese mainland believe that the flash and bang of firecrackers and fireworks scare away demons and evil ghosts. As a result of pollution and safety issues, many of China's big cities have banned people from setting off their own fireworks within the city or within certain parameters of the city. Local governments set up their own beautiful displays. Read more on why Chinese New Year Must Have Firecrackers . 14. Kids love the holiday. Kids love the holiday, because they get a month off of school, new clothes to wear, and receive red envelopes. It is believed that wearing new clothes can bring fortune and health, so parents will buy new clothes for their kids, which they wear for the reunion dinner on Chinese New Year's Eve. Red envelopes within lucky money are traditional gifts for children during the Chinese New Year period. Children receive red envelopes from parents, older relatives, and visitors. Every kid has a chance to "get rich". Some kids receive over 10,000 yuan (almost 1,500 USD!). Read more about Chinese New Year for Kids . 15. But it can be tough for some: "old" singles hire fake boy/girlfriends to take home. This is a fresh-new fact about Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year is a joyful time for most, but for singles above the normal matrimonial age, it's not. In China, females are said to be marriageable up to 30, and males before 32. For "old" singles, parents are extremely anxious. So New Year's Eve stress is heightened by embarrassing interrogations of the singles. Desperate parents even arrange dating (prospective marriages) for their single children. To solve this problem an interesting, and often ridiculous, solution has appeared — renting a boyfriend or girlfriend for the New Year. There are websites and agents specialized in this business. The price is about 100 yuan (16 USD) a day. Get Inspired with Some Popular Itineraries More Travel Ideas and Inspiration Sign up to our newsletter. Be the first to receive exciting updates, exclusive promotions, and valuable travel tips from our team of experts. Why China Highlights Where Can We Take You Today? Southeast Asia Japan, South Korea India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri lanka Central Asia Middle East African Safari Travel Agents Loyalty & Referral Program Privacy Policy Address: Building 6, Chuangyi Business Park, 70 Qilidian Road, Guilin, Guangxi, 541004, China --> teleSUR English --> HD --> -->