Chinese New Year or ‘Spring Festival’ is China’s most important festival and holiday. This new year falls on Friday, February 16th 2018, beginning a year of the Dog.
Chinese New Year is celebrated by a quarter of the world! Spring Festival is a major holiday in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, and in many of China’s neighboring countries such as Singapore and South Korea. And it’s celebrated in the world’s many China towns.
When It Is and Animal Signs
CNY’s date is decided by the Chinese lunar calendar, and it changes every year, but it’s usually in the mid of January to the mid of February .
It’s traditionally celebrated for 16 days, from the eve to Lantern Festival (March 2nd 2018). The coming 7-day Spring Festival public holiday will be February 15–21, 2018.
Each Chinese year is associated with an animal sign according to the Chinese zodiac.There are 12 animals in the zodiac. Chinese traditionally believe that years begin and end at Chinese lunar year, rather than January 1. 2018 is a year of the Dog.
Traditions and Activities
The main traditions include eating reunion dinner with family, giving red envelopes, firecrackers, new clothes, and decorations.
House Cleaning
Customarily, families give their homes a thorough cleaning in the days leading up to New Day’s Day. Windows are scrubbed, floors are swept and furniture is dusted in preparation for the new year, sweeping away the bad luck of the past year. In addition, dusting is avoided on New Year’s Day, for fear that good fortune will be swept away.
Decorating Buildings and Streets with Lucky Red Items
Every street, building, and house where Spring Festival is celebrated is decorated with red. Red is the main color for the festival, as red is believed to be an auspicious color.
Red lanterns hang in streets; red couplets are pasted on doors; banks and official buildings are decorated with red New Year pictures depicting images of prosperity.
As 2018 is a year of the Dog, decorations related to dogs will be commonly seen. There are red dog dolls for children and New Year paintings with dogs on.
New Year Market
As the New Year approaches, open-air markets selling decorations, red envelopes, toys, clothes and trinkets are a frenzy of activity. In Hong Kong and Macau, where it is a tradition to give flowers for Chinese New Year, street markets are also teeming with flowers and potted plants. Flowers such as orchids, peonies and narcissus are popular because they are considered especially auspicious.
Chinese New Year’s Eve — Family Time
CNY is a time for families to be together. Wherever they are, people are expected to be home to celebrate the festival with their families.
Typically, families will gather for a sumptuous reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve. A big homemade meal with multiple dishes, including steamed fish is prepared. The tradition of eating fish during the New Year stems from the fact that the Chinese word for “surplus” or “profit” sounds similar to the word for fish. Thus, it is believed that eating fish will bring wealth in the new year.
Staying up for Midnight Celebrations
Like people waiting in New York Time Square to see the ball dropping, Chinese people have the custom of staying up late on our New Year’s Eve to welcome our new year’s arrival.
After reunion dinner, families normally sit together to watch the Spring Festival Gala, one of the most watched TV shows in China. At the same time, most people send WeChat red envelopes or short messages to acquaintances by phone.
Red Envelopes
Red envelopes are cash gifts that are given by senior family members to their junior relations, and can range from a few dollars to quite hefty amounts. Usually, they are given from adults to children, and from married couples to their younger, unmarried family members. It is also customary for bosses to present them to employees.
Firecrackers and Fireworks
It has long been a Chinese tradition to set off firecrackers from the first minute of their new year. Fireworks have increasingly been added to the cacophony. Traditionally, it is believed that the loud noise of the firecrackers serves to scare away evil spirits, although nowadays firecrackers are banned in many cities for safety reasons.
In addition, most major cities, including Hong Kong and Shanghai, will put up an impressive display of fireworks around midnight to welcome in the new year.
Public Shows and Cultural Activities
In many Chinese cities, from New Year’s Day, traditional performances can be seen: dragon dances, lion dances, and imperial performances like an emperor’s wedding. A great variety of traditional Chinese products are on offer, and strange Chinese snacks, rarely seen the rest of the year.
Praying at the Temple
The Lunar New Year season is a busy time for Chinese temples. Worshippers typically visit the temple on the third day of the New Year to light incense and pray to the deities for blessings and good luck in the year ahead. Many major temples will also put on festive dragon and lion dances in the courtyard.
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