However, this was not the Mid-Autumn Festival, during which the Chinese gathered with family to worship the Moon. The Chinese calendar defines the lunisolar month containing the winter solstice as the eleventh month, meaning that Chinese New Year usually falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice (rarely the third, if an intercalary month occursb). Traditionally, every family would thoroughly clean their house, symbolically sweeping away any ill fortune to make way for incoming good luck. It is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture and was placed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2024.
It is convenient for people to buy gifts for their New Year visits as well as their home decorations at these markets. These usually open-air markets feature New Year–related products such as flowers, toys, clothing, and even fireworks and firecrackers. Common gifts include fruits (especially oranges, but never pears), cakes, biscuits, chocolates, and candies. In addition to red envelopes, typically given from older individuals to younger ones, small gifts such as food or sweets are exchanged between friends or relatives from different households during Chinese New Year. With the demon vanquished, peace returned to the village, and in gratitude, the elders bestowed upon the courageous young man a red envelope filled with money as a token of appreciation for his valor and for freeing the village from the demon’s menace. 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).
Things You Didn’t Know About Chinese New Year
The clever Snake coiled around the Horse’s hoof, managing to finish the race ahead of the Horse and causing the Horse to fall into the seventh place. According to Chinese mythology, the order of the zodiac animals was decided by a Great Race held by the Jade Emperor. The Chinese zodiac follows a 12-year cycle, with each year represented by a different animal. This story explains two important traditions—hanging red decorations and lighting firecrackers—representing victory over evil and a fresh start to the year.
- Chinese New Year, annual 15-day festival in China and Chinese communities around the world that begins with the new moon occurring sometime between January 21 and February 20, according to Western calendars.
- The temperament traditionally attributed to the Horse – bold, enthusiastic, energetic – aligns naturally with the attributes of Yang Fire.
- In Taiwan, spring travel is a significant event known as the Spring Festival travel rush.
- Many believe that a big cleanup should take place at home on the 28th day of the last lunar month, which falls on February 15 this year.
- A reunion dinner is held on New Year’s Eve, during which family members gather for a celebration.
- Amid the sound of firecrackers, a year has come to an end,The spring wind has wafted warm breath to the Tusu wine.While the rising sun shines over each and every household,People get rid of the old couplets and put up the new ones.
- Red packets are generally given by married couples to the younger unmarried members of the family.
Laba Festival (Jan. 26, : Old Chinese New Year Calendar Start
As described by Song dynasty official Zhang Tangying in his book Shu Tao Wu, Volume 2, on the day of New Year’s Eve the emperor ordered the scholar Xin Yinxun to write the couplets on peach wood and hang them on the emperor’s bedroom door. During the Tang dynasty, people established the custom of sending bai nian tie (拜年帖, «New Year’s greetings»), New Year’s greeting cards. It evolved into the practice of cleaning one’s house thoroughly in the days preceding the Chinese New Year. In the Lüshi Chunqiu, in the Qin state, an exorcism ritual to expel illness, called «Big Nuo», was recorded as being carried out on the last day of the year. The 10th month celebration is believed to be one of the prototypes of Chinese New Year.The records of the first Chinese New Year celebration can be traced to the Warring States period (475 – 221 BC).
- The remaining 14 days are usually only celebrated by ethnic Chinese families.
- 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).
- According to Chinese mythology, the order of the zodiac animals was decided by a Great Race held by the Jade Emperor.
- This is why wearing the fiery color, along with hanging banners and lighting firecrackers or fireworks, are Lunar New Year traditions, all of which are still followed today.
- And every year, a heavenly stem (one of five elements, which fall into the yin or yang category) is paired with an earthly branch (one of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals).
- A huge part of Asian culture is not just family and togetherness – but incredible food.
Giving Chinese New Year Red Envelope (红包)
The main parade, which sees over 100,000 spectators and involves more than 3,500 performers, is a notable highlight of the celebrations. With one of the largest Chinese populations outside of Asia, Sydney also boasts the largest Chinese New Year celebrations outside of Asia, annually attracting over 600,000 attendees to the festivities in Chinatown. The Dragon dance and the Southern Lion dance are customarily performed on that day. The main events typically take place in the Chinatown area in Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius. During the week before New Year’s Day, spring cleaning in homes is performed.
In 1928, the ruling Kuomintang party decreed that Chinese New Year would fall on 1 January of the Gregorian calendar, but this was abandoned due to overwhelming opposition. In the chapter, «Ending of a Year» (歲除) in Wulin jiushi (武林舊事), concubines of the emperor prepared a hundred and twenty coins for princes and princesses to wish them longevity. It was Ringospin Casino also during the Song dynasty that people started to give money to children in celebration of a new year. Both bao zhu (爆竹) and bian pao (鞭炮) are still used today to celebrate the Chinese New Year and other festive occasions.
According to legend, due to arrogance and misbehaviour, the horse’s wings were cut off and it was banished beneath Mount Kunlun. One popular narrative tells of the celestial horse, originally the Jade Emperor’s imperial steed. Beyond cosmological explanations, rich folk legends also recount the origin of the zodiac animals.
The Lunar New Year begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar cycle and ends 15 days later with the first full moon. Falling on the 15th day of the first month in the lunar calendar, this year in 2026, it falls on 3 March. The Lantern Festival, a traditional Chinese festival, marks the final day of the 15-day Spring Festival celebrations. Celebrated across the world, particularly throughout East Asia and China, the Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays in the calendar. During Chinese New Year, people will set off firecrackers on New Year’s Eve and the first day of the first lunar month. From the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month at year end, people start to be busy with the Lunar New Year, and all activities have a common theme – bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new.
Rescued by humans, the horse later repaid their kindness by assisting in agriculture and warfare, earning distinction and ultimately being chosen as one of the twelve zodiac animals. The pairing of the twelve Earthly Branches with twelve symbolic animals created the well-known zodiac cycle that continues to influence cultural life today. Known as Yuan Xiao Jie in Chinese, this festival is famous for its Yuan Xiao (sweet rice balls), whose round shape symbolizes family unity and togetherness. The Lunar New Year celebrations conclude with the Lantern Festival, falling on March 3rd, 2026, which marks the first full moon of the lunar year. The third day of the new year, February 19th, 2026, is traditionally a day for visiting temples. Nowadays, unfortunately, the focus has shifted more toward the amount rather than the goodwill it represents.
Nowadays, some people even change their phone or computer wallpaper to a picture of Cai Shen for a modern twist on this tradition. On the 28th day of the last lunar month, families do a thorough house cleaning to sweep away any lingering bad luck, making way for a fresh beginning. It’s believed that arguments are more likely to happen on this day, so some people will avoid social interactions and visit temples to make offerings to offset any potential bad luck. Some believers won’t even sweep or take out the trash for the first five days of the new year, fearing they will wash away all that fresh good luck.
Spring travel
This is also considered a propitious day to visit the temple of the God of Wealth and have one’s future told. Hakka villagers in rural Hong Kong in the 1960s called it the Day of the Poor Devil and believed everyone should stay at home. As this day is believed to be The Birthday of Che Kung, a deity worshipped in Hong Kong, worshippers go to Che Kung Temples to pray for his blessing.
Children born in the last lunar calendar year were Snakes, while those born on or after the Lunar New Year in 2027 will be Goats, and so on. Lunar New Year, widely considered the most important event of the year in China and Chinese communities around the planet, is nearly here. Keep in mind that different regions and minorities may celebrate the days on different dates, or have different names or practices for certain days. Each day of the 16-day-long festival has a name, and usually an assigned purpose or meaning. In the Chinese tradition, a person’s birth year—rather than their birth month—is considered key to understanding character and fortune. Many traditional dishes served during this festival reflect wishes for prosperity, health, and longevity.
Family portrait
Business people of the Cantonese dialect group will hold a Hoi Nin prayer to start their business on the second day of the Chinese New Year, blessing their business to thrive in the coming year. Some people do not offer a Buddhist prayer due to the influence of Christianity, with a Christian prayer offered instead. Confucianists take the opportunity to remember their ancestors, and those who had lived before them are revered. Any haircuts need to be completed before the New Year, as cutting hair on New Year is considered bad luck due to the homonymic nature of the word «hair» (fa) and the word for «prosperity». Some people give their homes, doors, and window-frames a new coat of red paint; decorators and paper-hangers experience a year-end rush of business before the Chinese New Year.
According to Chinese metaphysics consultant Vicki Iskandar, the Year of the Horse comes every 12 years and the last time “we had the Fire Horse as the ‘pillar’ of the year was in 1966”. The Chinese zodiac system combines a 12-year animal cycle with a 60-year elemental cycle created by pairing the five elements with yin and yang. The Vietnamese zodiac is slightly different, as it honours the cat instead of the rabbit and the buffalo instead of the ox. According to legend, as God prepared to depart from Earth, he invited all the animals to bid him farewell.
Since then, on every New Year’s Eve, parents have wrapped coins in red paper to protect their children. Additionally, dumplings and spring rolls symbolize wealth, whereas sweet rice balls symbolize family togetherness. The pomelo, which is believed to bring constant prosperity, also has a pronunciation that symbolize good luck. Other traditional foods consist of noodles, fruits, dumplings, spring rolls, and Tangyuan, which are also known as sweet rice balls.
Using the broom, swearing, and breaking any dinnerware without appeasing the deities are also considered taboo. Typical actions such as lighting fires and using knives are considered taboo; thus, all consumable food has to be cooked beforehand. It is a traditional practice to light fireworks, burn bamboo sticks and firecrackers, and perform a lion dance to ward off evil spirits.
The first three days are filled with tributes to ancestors, festive games and foods such as rice cakes (tteokguk) and pancakes (jeon). In South Korea, for instance, the Lunar New Year festival is called Seollal. It’s believed these envelopes — known as hongbao/lai see — can protect children by warding off evil spirits, called sui. In many families, married people are expected to give out red packets filled with money to those who haven’t yet tied the knot — both children and unmarried juniors. For many followers, the Lunar New Year is an ideal time to visit a temple to make blessings depending on what the stars have to say about their particular zodiac sign for the coming months.
The preparation begins on the first of the Lunar Calendar and the celebration lasts until the 15th of the first month. The Chinese zodiac year begins with Chinese New Year, thus changing the cycle to a new animal. One popular Chinese New Year tradition is the thorough cleaning of one’s home to rid the residence of any lingering bad luck.
The dates change every year because the festival is based on the Chinese Lunar Calendar. Get the latest stories delivered straight to your inbox. President Trump has warned of severe consequences if no nuclear deal is reached, while Iran demands sanctions relief as part of any agreement. US and Iranian officials are meeting in Geneva for a second round of talks on Tehran’s nuclear program, mediated by Oman, amid rising tensions and military drills. The previous zodiac year, from January 29, 2025, to February 16, 2026, was the Year of the Wood Snake, representing a time to shed old habits, reassess what works, and trust inner wisdom.