All about the Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year is an important holiday celebrated by Chinese people all around the world. Each new year is named after one of 12 different animals: dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog, pig, rat, ox, tiger, and rabbit.

When is Chinese New Year?

It starts somewhere between late January and Early February. The date changes from year to year because it follows an ancient farmer calendar which is based on phases of the moon, known as the lunar calendar.

Preparing for the New Year

Chinese people clean their houses to get rid of dirt and unwanted items. Houses are decorated with red paper scrolls and lanterns, often with good luck phrases such as “happiness” and “wealth” on them. People who live or work away travel home in the days leading up to the New year so they can be with their families during this time. Food is important during this time so lots of food is bought for the festivities.

New Year’s Eve

Every family member has a thorough bath to wash away the bad luck before the end of the year. Everyone wears brand new clothes from head to toe for the festive period. Red is a very popular
colour for clothing as it is considered lucky. Children receive red envelopes filled with money and sweets from their parents and grandparents (this tradition is called hongbao). Traditionally, people light candles or oil lamps to drive away evil spirits and look forward to the good luck of the New Year. Families gather and have a large, traditional feast. This is the most important meal of the year so extra special dishes are prepared. In the North, people eat jiaozi - a steamed dumpling. In the South, people eat nian gao (New Year’s Cake) – a sticky sweet rice pudding. People stay up until midnight setting off fireworks to scare away evil spirits.

New Year’s Day

In the morning children wake up to find red envelopes filled with money and sweets under their pillow. Usually, on the first day of the Lunar New Year, families may visit senior members of the family. In the days that follow people may visit their friends and offer good luck wishes to each other for the year ahead. Lion dances are often performed in the streets on New Year’s day and throughout the period, as it is believed to be lucky to see a lion on the first day of the new year.

New Year Celebrations

The New Year Celebrations last for two weeks. The 2nd day of the celebrations is also believed to be the birthday of all dogs, so dogs are treated with special foods. During the celebrations, people often visit friends and relatives. They also visit the temple to worship the Gods and have their futures told. During the celebrations, firecrackers are thrown to keep away bad spirits.

The Lantern Festival

The 15th day of celebrations is known as the Lantern Festival. Rice dumplings are eaten on this day for good luck. There is dragon dancing and lion dancing parades in the streets.