Happy Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival or Lunar New Year, is the grandest festival in China, with a 7-day long holiday. As the most colorful annual event, the traditional CNY celebration lasts longer, up to two weeks, and the climax arrives around the Lunar New Year's Eve.China during this period is dominated by iconic red lanterns, loud fireworks, massive banquets and parades, and the festival even triggers exuberant celebrations across the globe.But how do Chinese people celebrate the festival?Just follow us!

Make Preparations One Week Before

Generally, a thorough sweeping of the house forebodes the beginning of traditional Chinese New Year celebrations. People sweep away dust from furniture, walls, floors and kitchen ware, and throw away old useless things to sweep away bad luck and welcome the coming year. Next, it’s time for New Year shopping to buy foods, drinks, new clothes, snacks and other special products from crowded shopping malls and markets. Moreover, New Year decorations must be on the shopping list. Spring Festival couplets, red lanterns, Fu character posters, red paper cuts, and New Year pictures with images of Chinese zodiac animals are most popular ornaments.

Return Home before the New Year's Eve

Since Since Chinese New Year is quite significant for Chinese, no matter how far a person is, they will always try to return home regardless of how far they must travelling and other problems they are experiencing. The result is the so-called Spring Festival Travel Rush.

Everyone wants to return home before the New Year Eve and have a reunion dinner with their family.

Family Reunion Dinner – New Year's Eve

Home is the principal focus of the Spring Festival. All Chinese people manage to make their way home at the latest by New Year's Eve, for a reunion dinner with the whole family. The essential course on all Chinese menus for a reunion dinner will be a steamed or braised whole fish, representing a surplus every year. Various kinds of meat, vegetable, and seafood are made into dishes with auspicious meanings. Dumplings are indispensable for northerners, while rice cakes for southerners. The night is spent enjoying this feast along with cheerful family talk and laughter.

Giving Red Envelopes – Best Wishes through Money

From newborn babies to teenagers, luck money will be given by seniors, wrapped in red packets in the hope of dispelling evil spirits from the kids. CNY 100 to 500 notes are commonly sealed in a red envelope, while there are big ones with up to CNY 5,000 especially in the rich southeast regions. Besides a small disposable amount, most of the money is used to buy the kids toys, snacks, clothes, stationery, or saved for their future educational expenditure.

Watching CCTV New Year's Gala – 20:00 to 0:30

It is undeniable that the CCTV New Year's Gala is China's most watched television special, despite the declining viewership in recent years. The 4.5-hour live broadcast features music, dance, comedy, opera, and acrobatic performances. Although the audience becomes more and more critical of the programs, that never stops people turning on the TV on time. The delightful songs and words act as a habitual background to a reunion dinner, for after all it's been a tradition ever since 1983.

Visit Relatives for Several Days

Chinese New Year celebration is not exclusive to immediate family members, but among all relatives and friends. Married couples should visit the wife’s parents on the second day of the New Year. During the following days, people visit different relatives, bringing gifts and red envelopes to express care, love, and good wishes. Hearty feasts are held from one house to another. People enjoy the food and drink, chat, laugh, and sometimes play mahjong for entertainment.