13 Zář The Ultimate Guide to Chinese New Year Spring Festival
It is also recorded that people linked the firecrackers with hemp rope and created the bian pao (鞭炮, „gunpowder whip“) in the Song dynasty. The firecracker was still called bao zhu (爆竹), thus equating the new and old traditions. Later, under the Song, people discarded the bamboo and started to use paper to wrap the gunpowder in cylinders, in imitation of the bamboo. After gunpowder was invented in the Tang dynasty and widely used under the Song dynasty, people modified the tradition of firing bamboo by filling the bamboo pole with gunpowder, which made for louder explosions. As imperial examinations became essential and reached their heyday under the Tang dynasty, candidates curried favour to become pupils of respected teachers and to get recommendation letters. Another theory is that bai nian tie was derived from the Han dynasty’s name tag, men zhuang (門狀, „door opening“).
Business people of the Cantonese dialect group will hold a Hoi Nin prayer to start their business on the second day of the Chinese New Year, blessing their business to thrive in the coming year. Some people do not offer a Buddhist prayer due to the influence of Christianity, with a Christian prayer offered instead. Confucianists take the opportunity to remember their ancestors, and those who had lived before them are revered. Any haircuts need to be completed before the New Year, as cutting hair on New Year is considered bad luck due to the homonymic nature of the word „hair“ (fa) and the word for „prosperity“. Some people give their homes, doors, and window-frames a new coat of red paint; decorators and paper-hangers experience a year-end rush of business before the Chinese New Year.
In 1928, the ruling Kuomintang party decreed that Chinese New Year would fall on 1 January of the Gregorian calendar, but this was abandoned due to overwhelming opposition. In the chapter, „Ending of a Year“ (歲除) in Wulin jiushi (武林舊事), concubines of the emperor prepared a hundred and twenty coins for princes and princesses to wish them longevity. It was also during the Song dynasty that people started to give money to children in celebration of a new year. Both bao zhu (爆竹) and bian pao (鞭炮) are still used today to celebrate the Chinese New Year and other festive occasions.
New Year’s Day: Family Visits
- For example, in 2013, New Year’s Eve (9 February) fell on a Saturday and New Year’s Day (10 February) on a Sunday.
- It is also recorded that people linked the firecrackers with hemp rope and created the bian pao (鞭炮, „gunpowder whip“) in the Song dynasty.
- The horse stands as a revered symbol of freedom, vitality, and unbridled ambition.
- This festival is celebrated worldwide, particularly in Asian countries like China.
- Using the broom, swearing, and breaking any dinnerware without appeasing the deities are also considered taboo.
- Start planning your China holiday with one of our local specialists.
- Festivities often last for 15 days — sometimes even more — with different tasks and activities taking place over that period.
Word of the emperor’s gesture spread, and later it became the custom of people in general, who used Xuan paper instead of gold leaves. The poem describes people cleaning millet stacks, offering mijiu (rice wine) to guests, slaughtering lambs, visiting their master’s home, toasting him, and expressing wishes for longevity together. Before the new year celebration was established, ancient Chinese gathered and celebrated the end of the harvest in autumn.
The main parade, which sees over 100,000 spectators and involves more than 3,500 performers, is a notable highlight of the celebrations. With one of the largest Chinese populations outside of Asia, Sydney also boasts the largest Chinese New Year celebrations outside of Asia, annually attracting over 600,000 attendees to the festivities in Chinatown. The Dragon dance and the Southern Lion dance are customarily performed on that day. The main events typically take place in the Chinatown area in Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius. During the week before New Year’s Day, spring cleaning in homes is performed.
The clever Snake coiled around the Horse’s hoof, managing to finish the race ahead of the Horse and causing the Horse to fall into the seventh place. According to Chinese mythology, the order of the zodiac animals was decided by a Great Race held by the Jade Emperor. The Chinese zodiac follows a 12-year cycle, with each year represented by a different animal. This story explains two important traditions—hanging red decorations and lighting firecrackers—representing victory over evil and a fresh start to the year.
- When visiting, it’s customary to bring gifts, such as fruits or beverages, and exchange greetings like Gong Xi Fa Cai (wishing you prosperity) and Guo Nian Hao (happy new year).
- Different communities in Asia will serve various “birthday” foods on that day.
- The seventh day, traditionally known as Renri (the common person’s birthday), is the day when everyone grows one year older.
- While celebrations and traditions take place annually, the exact date of the Lunar New Year changes every year as it begins with the arrival of a new moon, which signifies the start of a new month.
- One of the most well-known practices of the current day is receiving money from their elders after performing a formal bow, a tradition likely adopted from Confucian customs.citation needed
At the heart of Lunar New Year celebrations is the reunion dinner on Lunar New Year’s Eve, which falls on February 16th, 2026. Red is the dominant color for decorations, which include red lanterns, paper cuttings, Spring Festival couplets, and strings of chili peppers. The phrase Guo Nian, meaning “celebrating the new year” in Chinese, evokes warm feelings of family reunions.
Tenth day
On Chinese New Year day, it is customary for Sino-Mauritians to share niangao with their relatives and friends and to light firecrackers to ward off evil spirits. While the family dinner was traditionally celebrated at the house of the oldest family members, going to restaurants for New Year’s Eve is getting more popular; some restaurants may have special dinners to foster the family reunions of Sino-Mauritians. Mauritius is also the only country in Africa that lists the Chinese Spring Festival as a statutory public holiday. During the festival, the Chinese embassy in Islamabad arranges various cultural events in which Pakistani arts and cultural organizations and members of the civil society also participate. Observed by Thai Chinese and parts of the private sector, the festivities occur over three days, starting on the day before Chinese New Year’s Eve.
On the sixth day, known as Horse’s Day, people drive away the Ghost of Poverty by discarding the garbage accumulated during the festival. In other regions with a longer Chinese New Year holiday, celebrations include welcoming back the gods who were previously sent off on this day. In communities that celebrate Chinese New Year for 15 days, the fourth day marks the beginning of corporate „spring dinners“ and the return to normal business operations.
Get Inspired with Some Popular Itineraries
The first three days are filled with tributes to ancestors, festive games and foods such as rice cakes (tteokguk) and pancakes (jeon). In South Korea, for instance, the Lunar New Year festival is called Seollal. It’s believed these envelopes — known as hongbao/lai see — can protect children by warding off evil spirits, called sui. In many families, married people are expected to give out red packets filled with money to those who haven’t yet tied the knot — both children and unmarried juniors. For many followers, the Lunar New Year is an ideal time to visit a temple to make blessings depending on what the stars have to say about their particular zodiac sign for the coming months.
However, this was not the Mid-Autumn Festival, during which the Chinese gathered with family to worship the Moon. The Chinese calendar defines the lunisolar month containing the winter solstice as the eleventh month, meaning that Chinese New Year usually falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice (rarely the third, if an intercalary month occursb). Traditionally, every family would thoroughly clean their house, symbolically sweeping away any ill fortune to make way for incoming good luck. It is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture and was placed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2024.
Day 7: The people’s birthday
In June 2015, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared that the Lunar New Year would be made a public school holiday, and in September 2023, New York State made Lunar New Year a mandatory public school holiday. Meanwhile, Wellington hosts a two-day weekend festival for Chinese New Year, and a one-day festival is held in Dunedin, centred on the city’s Chinese gardens. For 2021 (for one year only), the government declared the Chinese New Year a government holiday. Through a presidential decree it was officially declared as a one-day public holiday as of 9 April 2002 by President Megawati. It was celebrated as one of the official national religious holidays by Chinese Indonesians from 18 June 1946 to 1 January 1953 through a government regulation signed by President Sukarno on 18 June 1946.
interesting facts about Lunar New Year that you may not know
Using the broom, swearing, and breaking any dinnerware without appeasing the deities are also considered taboo. Typical actions such as lighting fires and using knives are considered taboo; thus, all consumable food has to be cooked beforehand. It is a traditional practice to light fireworks, burn bamboo sticks and firecrackers, and perform a lion dance to ward off evil spirits.
In the South, it is customary to make a glutinous new year cake (niangao) and send pieces of it as gifts to relatives and friends in the coming days. For those who practice Buddhism, the Laba holiday is also considered Bodhi Day. For New Year celebrations that follow Chinese-inspired calendars but are outside of China and the Chinese diaspora (such as Korea’s Seollal and Vietnam’s Tết), see the article on Lunar New Year.
Why do Chinese New Year dates change every year?
However, for signs like the Pig and Monkey, 2026 could pose some challenges. If you’re unsure of your zodiac sign, you can easily find it with an online zodiac calculator (or using the one below). Each zodiac sign has a unique relationship with the Year of the Horse. Though their zodiac year may bring challenges, these obstacles often lead to greater wisdom and personal growth for Horses. Red underwear, socks, or accessories are believed to ward off misfortune and invite blessings. In the zodiac, they thrive in lively settings and are often seen as natural leaders and motivators.
According to Chinese metaphysics consultant Vicki Iskandar, the Year of the Horse comes every 12 years and the last time “we had the Fire Horse as the ‘pillar’ of the year was in 1966”. The Chinese zodiac system combines a 12-year animal cycle with a 60-year elemental cycle created by pairing the five elements with yin and yang. The Vietnamese zodiac is slightly different, as it honours the cat instead of the rabbit and the buffalo instead of the ox. According to legend, as God prepared to depart from Earth, he invited all the animals to bid him farewell.
According to legend, due to arrogance and misbehaviour, the horse’s wings were cut off and it was banished beneath Mount Kunlun. One popular narrative tells of the celestial horse, originally the Jade Emperor’s imperial steed. Beyond cosmological explanations, rich Ringospin Casino folk legends also recount the origin of the zodiac animals.
Early in the morning of the first day of the lunar new year, people also have to visit and greet each other with family and friends. However, in the folk traditional sense, Chinese New Year starts from the Kitchen God Worshiping on the 23rd of the 12th lunar month (or even the Laba Festival), until the 19th of the first lunar month. Modern people set the Spring Festival on the first day of the first lunar month, ending on the 15th day of the first lunar month (Lantern Festival), with New Year’s Eve and the first day of the first lunar month as the climax. On this day, people from all over China will immerse themselves in a strong festive atmosphere, with every household decorating red and full of joy.
The dates of the celebration follow the Chinese lunisolar calendar instead of the Gregorian calendar. In India, many celebrate Chinese New Year with lion and dragon dances in Chinatown, Kolkata, where a significant community of people of Chinese origin exists. In 2026, no official Chinese New Year celebrations were held in Yaowarat as the country was in mourning following the passing of the Queen Sirikit.
No Comments