Chinese New Year: Traditions & Celebrations
Learn about the most important Chinese festival — its history, customs, food, and how it's celebrated across China.
What is Chinese New Year?
Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival (Chunjie), is the most important traditional festival in China. It marks the beginning of the lunar new year and lasts 15 days, ending with the Lantern Festival. In 2026, Chinese New Year falls on February 17, ushering in the Year of the Horse. The festival is a time for family reunions, feasting, and honoring ancestors.
New Year's Eve Dinner
The reunion dinner on New Year's Eve is the most important meal of the year. Families gather to eat symbolic foods: dumplings (shaped like ancient gold ingots for wealth), fish (the word for fish sounds like "surplus"), spring rolls (resembling gold bars), niangao (rice cake for higher prosperity), and tangyuan (sweet rice balls for family unity). Each dish carries auspicious meaning.
Red Envelopes (Hongbao)
Red envelopes containing money are given during Chinese New Year, primarily from older generations to children and unmarried adults. The amount is typically an even number (odd numbers are associated with funerals), and the number 8 is preferred as it sounds like "wealth." Digital red envelopes via WeChat have become popular in recent years.
Lion and Dragon Dances
Lion dances and dragon dances are performed during the New Year period to bring good luck and drive away evil spirits. The lion dance features two performers in a lion costume, accompanied by drums and firecrackers. The dragon dance involves a team of performers holding a long dragon on poles, making it undulate through the streets. Both are spectacular to watch.
Lantern Festival
The 15th and final day of the New Year celebration is the Lantern Festival. People display and sometimes release lanterns, solve riddles written on lanterns, eat tangyuan (sweet glutinous rice balls), and watch lion dances. In some cities, spectacular lantern fairs are held, featuring enormous illuminated displays of animals, flowers, and mythical creatures.
Quick Facts
- • Chinese New Year is celebrated by over 1.4 billion people
- • The festival causes the world's largest annual human migration
- • Red is the dominant color, symbolizing luck and prosperity
- • Firecrackers were traditionally used to scare away the Nian monster
- • The Lantern Festival marks the first full moon of the lunar year
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