15 Fascinating Facts about the Chinese New Year

15 Fascinating Facts about the Chinese New Year

Bright red lanterns floating through the sky, beautifully decorated streets filled with jubilant souls, eclectic dragon dances, and sweet dumplings for the reunion dinners; are just a few of the numerous traditions associated with the most important Chinese celebration. The Chinese New Year!

New Year is celebrated all over the world, but arguably, nobody quite does it with such style and pomp as the Chinese. It’s more than the fireworks at midnight and happy new year messages! Millions travel to join their families and friends in the celebrations, marked with reunion dinners on Eve, decorating houses, visiting ancestral graves for prayers, exchanging red envelopes, and much more.

Running for a good 15 days, it is the longest Chinese holiday, wrapped in legend, symbolism, and a lot of red too! It’s the thing about culture; beautifully intriguing. So, why don’t you find out more on 15 fascinating facts about the Chinese New Year? Take a look.

1. Chinese New Year falls on a different day every year

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It doesn’t fall on the same day but it’s usually in late January or February. It all depends on the new lunar (moon) cycle. This is because it is governed by the traditional Chinese calendar, which is lunisolar. The first date is normally worked out by the appearance of the new moon.

2.  Each year is associated with a distinct animal in Chinese tradition

The traditional Chinese calendar rotates through a cycle of 12 years, and each year is accorded a unique animal. There are thus 12 Chinese zodiac signs named after animals, and these are Rat, Ox, Tigger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Each of these has unique attributes. These zodiac signs begin and end at Chinese New Year.

For example, 2022 was the year of the Tiger, and ran from February 1^st to January 21^st, which ushered in the year of the Rabbit. The Chinese believe that a person’s attributes can be determined by the year in which they were born, or in other words, the animal/zodiac sign associated with that year. The rabbit, for example, symbolizes peace.

Read more on; 20 Fascinating Chinese Traditions Customs & Traditions to Know About.

3. It’s the longest Chinese holiday

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While a majority of the world celebrates New Year in a day or two, the Chinese New Year celebration goes on for 15 days. This is because it begins with the new moon, and ends on the next full moon. The latter is marked by the Lantern Festival. Chinese New Year is one of the most important Chinese celebrations, and it’s taken quite seriously. The first 7 days are an official public holiday, meaning no work or school for a week!

4. The celebrations are steeped in symbolism and legend

From the red colors used in decorations to dragon dances, gifts exchanged and foods eaten during the Chinese New Year, everything signifies a particular belief. Red signifies good fortune and vitality, a lucky color for the Chinese. Certain foods are preferred, such as dumplings, which symbolize wealth, and fish, associated with the surplus. Some activities are also prohibited, including washing hair on New Year’s Day since it’s believed one is washing away good luck. Each tradition has an underlying belief carried through generations.

Read also; 10 Delicious Chinese Dishes you have to try When visiting China.

5. The Chinese New Year is also known as Spring Festival

Spring is considered the season of new things and fresh starts. It brings with it bloom, harvests, and all things new. Chinese New Year is known as the Spring festival since it signals the ‘Start of Spring’, in line with the traditional lunisolar calendar. People celebrate new beginnings.

6. There’s a legend behind setting off firecrackers

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One of the essential practices during the Chinese New Year is setting off firecrackers at midnight, and there’s a legend as to why this is done. A monster named Nian used to come out every New Year’s Eve and people had to stay indoors. Then one day, a boy decided to leave the house and fight the monster off with firecrackers. People came out the next day to celebrate their survival by setting off more firecrackers. The practice stuck.

7. Celebrations bring about the ‘Spring Migration’

One of the pleasant things about New Year, or any other major celebration around the world is the reunion of families and friends. With urbanization, most young people live in the big cities, away from their elderly parents or grandparents in rural areas. In modern China, it’s no different.

Thus, Chinese New Year, otherwise known as the Spring Festival, sees masses of people travel back to their homes to celebrate the holiday with the rest of their families. This is often referred to as the Spring Migration. It is the world’s largest annual migration, with millions of people traveling long distances to join their families for the celebrations!

8. Washing, sweeping, and throwing out the trash is prohibited.

That’s right. Washing hair or even clothes is not an option on New Year’s Day, and sweeping or throwing out trash is not allowed. This is usually the state for the first two or three days. Why? It’s believed that if you sweep or throw out the garbage, you’ll be discarding the good tidings or luck that come with the New Year. However, a day is dedicated to cleaning before the celebrations begin. This is believed to sweep away bad luck and create space for the new.

9. Kids get ‘lucky money’ in red envelopes!

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Forget the toys and dolls. Chinese children receive cash enclosed in pretty red envelopes during the Chinese New Year. The ‘lucky money’ symbolizes the transfer of blessings or fortune from the elders to the next generation. Red envelopes can also be exchanged between co-workers, friends or employers, and employees.

10.  Almost everything is decorated in red

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Generally, red is a beloved and lucky color in China. It’s associated with many good things such as joy, good fortune, and beauty. Besides the firecrackers and red envelopes, everything else is pretty much red on a regular street in China during the Spring Festival.

From peoples’ homes to the beautiful, red lanterns hanging in the streets, clothes worn, and everything in between, it’s a lot of red all around. It’s believed that the red, just like firecrackers, wards off ‘monsters’, or the bad, to make room for the good. People wear red, mostly, and it’s taboo to wear black or white clothes. These are associated with grief and bad luck.

11. Dragon dances are quite popular

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Not real dragons, obviously, but these dances are quite a sight nonetheless. As expected, the ‘dragons’ are adorned in red decorations, as well as the dancers. Lion dances are also done, although the dragons are the most popular. Accompanied by loud drumming, the noise is believed to drive bad luck away! They are often done during the Lunar Festival, which marks the end of the Chinese New Year.

12. Eating dumplings is a popular tradition on New Year’s Eve

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They are pieces of cooked dough, acting as wrappings for a variety of fillings. The latter include fish, cheese, meat, and vegetables of various kinds. Dumplings. While they can be eaten any time of the year, sharing dumplings for New Year’s Eve dinner has significance in Chinese tradition.

The dish is associated with abundance or wealth. Since people desire continued prosperity with every new year, eating dumplings is an expression of this wish, and the more you eat, the more prosperity you’ll experience. That’s the belief. Oranges and tangerines are also hung outside to bring good fortune.

See also; 10 of the Best Easter Chinese Food to Try.

13. Praying and offering sacrifices is one of the most important practices

The Chinese New Year is considered an auspicious time to offer prayers and sacrifices to gods and one’s ancestors. People usually visit their ancestor’s graves a day before New Year’s Day. There, they offer them sacrifices before a reunion dinner later with one’s family on New Year’s Eve. This shows respect, and it’s believed that the ancestors will protect them in the new year and make them prosper. Another critical tradition is the reunion dinner with one’s family, and many travel long distances just to participate. 

14. Chinese New Year ends with the Lantern Festival

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They call it the Yuanxiao Festival, or Lantern Festival. It’s celebrated on the first full moon of the year. People fill the streets to celebrate in the night, and beautiful, red lanterns float around in the festivities. Traditionally, women couldn’t leave their houses at night but on this one, they were allowed to walk about and admire the night’s moon. People release lanterns into the sky or float them on rivers, and it’s quite a beautiful sight. Peace and reconciliation are encouraged during this festival.

15. It is celebrated by a quarter of the world’s population

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China’s population makes up about 20% of the world’s population, and that’s quite a number. With rapid globalization, the Chinese population can be found almost anywhere in the world. It’s, therefore, no surprise that the Chinese New Year celebrations are a common sight all over the globe. That means you can join in the festivities if your country has a Chinatown!

Have a look at How to Celebrate Chinese New Year in Paris.