It is one of the representatives of traditional Chinese snacks and is a spherical food made of glutinous rice flour. Eating dumplings is a unique way to express people’s wishes for blessings and good fortune during the end of the old year and the beginning of new year. Lantern Festival is famous for its Yuan Xiao (sweet rice balls), whose round shape symbolizes family unity and togetherness. It is best to choose bright, colorful, and warm Chinese New Year clothes, especially red clothes, because red symbolizes auspiciousness and festivity. It embodies the affection and nostalgia of more than one billion Chinese people.
Chinese New Year Calendar (1930 –
In the Gregorian calendar, Chinese New Year occurs on the new moon that falls between 21 January and 20 February. Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines celebrate it as an official festival. Other activities include lighting firecrackers and giving money in red envelopes. Windows and doors may be decorated with red paper-cuts and couplets representing themes such as good fortune, happiness, wealth, and longevity.
Therefore, on New Year’s Eve, people fled to the deep mountains to avoid the harm of the Nian monster. In ancient China, there was a monster called “Nian”, which had long antennae on its head and was extremely fierce. The Spring Festival of 2026 will arrive on February 17th of the Gregorian calendar. The Spring Festival falls on the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, marking the beginning of a new year. It originated from the ritual activities of praying for good years at the beginning of each lunar year during the ancient Shang Dynasty period.
The Lunar New Year in 2026 welcomes the Year of the Horse, according to the Chinese lunar calendar. On this day, people light lanterns to symbolize driving out darkness and bringing hope to the coming year. Called Yuan Xiao Jie in Mandarin Chinese, it’s considered the perfect ending to the weeks-long Lunar New Year preparations and celebrations.
- When the sui was going to reach out and touch the child’s head, the pillow suddenly brightened with the golden light, and the sui was scared away, so the exorcism effect of «red paper wrapped copper money» spread in China (see also Chinese numismatic charms).
- One popular Chinese New Year tradition is the thorough cleaning of one’s home to rid the residence of any lingering bad luck.
- A huge part of Asian culture is not just family and togetherness – but incredible food.
- Other activities include lighting firecrackers and giving money in red envelopes.
- The remaining 14 days are usually only celebrated by ethnic Chinese families.
Chinese New Year 2026/ 2027: Dates & Calendar
- Chinese New Year is a national public holiday in many Southeast Asian countries and is considered to be one of the most important holidays of the year.
- The pairing of the twelve Earthly Branches with twelve symbolic animals created the well-known zodiac cycle that continues to influence cultural life today.
- As a result, the horse became a powerful cultural symbol of loyalty, endurance, and dedication.
- Another is wearing red in some form to ward off evil spirits.
- However, for signs like the Pig and Monkey, 2026 could pose some challenges.
- Nowadays, unfortunately, the focus has shifted more toward the amount rather than the goodwill it represents.
Another family dinner is held to celebrate the eve of the birth of the Jade Emperor, the ruler of heaven. For many Chinese Buddhists, this is another day to avoid meat, as the seventh day commemorates the birth of Sakra, lord of the Devas in Buddhist cosmology, who is analogous to the Jade Emperor. In China, it is also common that on the 5th day people will shoot off firecrackers to get Guan Yu’s attention, thus ensuring his favour and good fortune for the new year.
Due to the incomplete correspondence between the lunar calendar and the Gregorian calendar, the Gregorian date of the Spring Festival (the first day of the first lunar month) varies every year, ranging from January 21 to February 20. Taiwanese Guonian differs from the Chinese Spring Festival in several cultural practices, traditions, and customs, despite both celebrations being based on the traditional Chinese calendar. The festival is also called «Lunar New Year» in English, despite the traditional Chinese calendar being Ringospin Casino lunisolar and not lunar.
Transportation during Chinese New Year, abbreviated as “Spring Festival travel rush”, is divided by the Spring Festival, with 15 days before the festival and 25 days after, for a total of 40 days. The fifth day of the first lunar month, according to Chinese folk customs, is the birthday of the five Gods of Wealth. Ancestral worshiping usually takes place on the last day of the 12th lunar month, and varies in different regions due to different traditions. On the 24th day of the 12th lunar month, there is a custom of sweeping dust (aka sweeping houses).
The 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac
As mentioned, the Lunar New Year is also called the Spring Festival in China and marks the beginning of the spring season. “China Xian Tour put together 9 days Beijing, Zhangjiajie, Guilin and Xian Tour bespoke to us. Start planning your China holiday with one of our local specialists. Besides Chinese New Year, the Lantern Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Dragon Boat Festival are also representative traditional festivals in China.
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In the Classic of Poetry, a poem written during the Western Zhou period (1046 BC – 771 BC) by an anonymous farmer, described the traditions of celebrating the 10th month of the ancient solar calendar, which was in autumn. An older man appeared before the villagers went into hiding and said that he would stay the night and would get revenge on the Nian. In more than 96 percent of years, the Chinese New Year is the closest new moon to the beginning of spring (lichun) according to the calendar. However, «Chinese New Year» is still a commonly used translation for people of non-Chinese backgrounds. Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, marks the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar.
From RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland in 2021, everything you need to know about the Chinese New Year The zodiac system is deeply rooted in Chinese cosmology and reflects a sophisticated understanding of astronomy, philosophy, and the rhythms of nature. Discover the 12 Chinese zodiac signs, their personality traits, and compatibility. Each country has its own traditions, but the core values remain the same—family, food, and hopes for a prosperous year ahead.
Red envelopes
Their son was very sleepy, however, so they let him go to sleep after placing a red paper bag containing the copper coins under the child’s pillow. Red envelopes are then kept under the pillow and slept on for seven nights after the Chinese New Year, before opening, because that symbolizes good luck and fortune. Red packets almost always contain money, usually varying from a couple of dollars to several hundred.
Chinese New Year Calendar
However, in 1873, five years after the Meiji Restoration, Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar, and the first day of January became the official and cultural New Year’s Day in Japan. During the New Year holidays, stage bosses gather the most popular actors from various troupes and let them perform repertories from the Qing dynasty. In 2017, it was estimated that over 100 billion of these virtual red envelopes would be sent over the New Year holiday. Many families in China still follow the tradition of eating only vegetarian food on the first day of the new year, as it is believed that doing so will bring good luck into their lives for the whole year. Legends hold that the Hokkien were spared from a massacre by Japanese pirates by hiding in a sugarcane plantation, between the eighth and ninth days of the Chinese New Year, coinciding with the Jade Emperor’s birthday. The seventh day, traditionally known as Renri (the common person’s birthday), is the day when everyone grows one year older.