How to Celebrate Chinese Lunar New Year

The Chinese Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is the most important festival in China. The Lunar New Year usually lasts for 15 days from the first day of the first lunar month, and ranges from January 21 to February 21 of the solar calendar. During the Lunar New Year, the Chinese will often decorate their homes, parade troops, sing traditional folk songs, and hold banquets. If you want to participate in the celebration of the Chinese Lunar New Year, you must pay attention to the following points so that you can participate in the festivals and at the same time show respect to Chinese traditions.

Table of Contents

Preparing for the Lunar New Year

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Clean the house. This tradition is carried out with the belief that cleaning the house at this time of year will “wipe away the bad, unfortunate omens” that have accumulated throughout the old year. ^{[1] X Research Resources Barnabas and Anabel Kindersley, Nos fêtes préférées dans le monde entier (Our favorite celebrations worldwide), p. 8, (1997), ISBN 2-07-051310-6} The house is cleaned to be ready to welcome the lucky omens that will come in the new year.

Keeping clean and fresh air is also an important part of Tet; many people even cut their hair, or get a new haircut.
Do not sweep the house at the beginning of the new year. Because according to the traditional concept, doing so will “sweep away” the luck that you have just received. After the first 15 days, or at least the first few days of the new year if you can’t wait, you are allowed to clean.

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Decorate the house with red. According to Chinese culture, red is considered the color or symbol of good luck and is often used to decorate for the new year. The number “8” is also considered a symbol of luck and wealth, as in Chinese the number 8 is pronounced close to the word “play” – which means prosperity and wealth.

Stick the paper on the window pane. The types of paper that are pasted are usually depictions of rural life or Chinese mythology, and it is customary for people to have their windows facing south and north. ^{[2] X Research Source}
Display pictures and artwork about the New Year. Traditionally, these works feature images of well-being and prosperity, including animals and fruits. According to custom, you can stick a picture of a “gatekeeper” on your door, to help ward off evil spirits and bring blessings to your home. ^{[3] X Research Sources}
Hang couplets. You can write your own spring-themed couplets or buy a Chinese calligraphy print on red paper.
Hanging paper lanterns. Lanterns with red stickers are an integral part of the New Year.
Paint your door, frame, or window panes red!

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Add decorations. Showcase crafts and artwork with food bowls, flowers, and candies.

Place flowers around the house, such as lotuses. The lotus flower symbolizes rebirth and new growth.
Place bowls of tangerines around the house. The tangerine with the leaves still intact is a symbol of happiness in the new year. Put the tangerines in even numbers and eat in pairs for good luck. ^{[4] X Research Resources Barnabas and Anabel Kindersley, Nos fêtes préférées dans le monde entier (Our favorite celebrations worldwide), p. 8, (1997), ISBN 2-07-051310-6}
Arrange a tray with 8 candies. Number 8 is a lucky number. You can put any kind of candy on your tray, or traditional Chinese candies made from lotus seeds, longan, peanuts, coconut, cantaloupe seeds, sugar melon. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

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Take Mr. Apple to heaven. Seven days before the Lunar New Year (December 23 of the lunar calendar), Ong Tao will return to heaven to tell the Jade Emperor about business and the behavior of families below. So keep the best attitude towards Mr. Apple and prepare offerings including fruit, candy, water, and other foods to offer to Mr. Apple. Some people even burned a picture of Mr. Tao to bring him up to the sky through the smoke.

In some localities, it is customary for people to leave tofu for two days after making offerings to Ong Tao and then eat all the unpleasant-smelling residue to prove to the Jade Emperor that they are very economical when he comes to verify the report of the Emperor. Tao God. You can replace this custom with a tastier tofu if you wish!

Celebrate Chinese Lunar New Year

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Dress formally. This is a very good time to wear traditional Chinese clothes. Traditional Chinese costumes (made from silk) can be purchased at Chinatown. Associated with joy, happiness, luck, prosperity and well-being, red clothing will ensure that you fully express the spirit of Tet. In addition to red, yellow is also a color used a lot during the New Year, or you can learn how to combine the two.

Avoid wearing all black trees during Tet. Black symbolizes bad luck, and even death. This is a time of luck and revival!

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Go to temple. Chinese people often go to pagodas or temples to pray for good luck during Tet. They will light incense and pray. Most temples are open to everyone, not just the Chinese.

You can find lucky tattoo tubes near the entrances to temples or pagodas. Pray for a tattoo, then shake the tattoo tube until a tattoo card falls out. There will be a fortune teller explaining the hexagram to you. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

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Firecrackers. Fireworks are usually set off at midnight on New Year’s Eve – the transition between the old year and the new year. Fireworks used in China and Hong Kong often have a very loud explosion, and fireworks are mainly lit on the ground. The loud explosions of firecrackers are intended to scare away evil spirits, preventing them from bringing bad luck. ^{[7] X Research Resources Barnabas and Anabel Kindersley, Nos fêtes préférées dans le monde entier (Our favorite celebrations worldwide), p. 8, (1997), ISBN 2-07-051310-6}

Many people set off fireworks continuously for 15 days, or at least the first 4-8 days of the new year before they go back to work. In areas where the Chinese live, you will hear a lot of firecrackers, and the atmosphere is very busy during their New Year celebrations!
It is possible that some localities and countries prohibit individuals from setting off fireworks, if so you can watch the official state fireworks.

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Red envelopes money in a red envelope. Adults will give lucky money to children. Sometimes they also give lucky money to employees or friends.

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Ancestor Worship. To show gratitude and respect for what your ancestors did for you. There are many traditional customs to show your gratitude, such as bowing before an ancestral grave or altar or preparing food and drink for ancestor worship.

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Have fun chatting with each other. Tet is a time of happiness and luck and also a time to share joy with each other. Avoid quarrels, scuffles, or negative attitudes in the New Year. These things will bring bad luck.

Regularly visit your relatives and friends to welcome the new year together.
Greet each other with the greeting “Gong Xi”. “Gong Xi” means “Congratulations!” Alternatively, you can use slightly longer greetings, like “Gong Hei Fat Choi” in Cantonese or “Gong Xi Fa Chai” in Mandarin.

Enjoy Traditional Food

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Learn how to cook traditional Chinese food. The main party will be held on New Year’s Eve, the time before the start of the new year. There can be many traditional dishes, but only a few have special meaning: ^{[8] X Research Source}

Liquor, a traditional Chinese drink, and radish symbolize longevity.
Red chili is a symbol of good luck.
Rice represents harmony.
Fish, chicken, or other small animals are usually prepared whole and cut at the table. This reminds us of unity and prosperity.

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Preparing dumplings for the Lantern Festival. Chinese people often make dumplings with various fillings to eat during this festival (on the full moon day of the first lunar month).

Each type of dumplings has a special role in Chinese New Year celebrations because of their shape resembling ancient Chinese gold or silver ingots.

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Prepare your own party. If you don’t want to book a party at a Chinese restaurant, try cooking your own Chinese New Year celebrations:

Dumpling processing. People often use a large amount of cabbage or radish to make dumplings with the meaning of prosperity. If you like, you can hide a coin or something in a dumpling, and whoever wins will be the lucky one. ^{[9] X Research Source}
Make your own spring rolls. Spring rolls, also known as ‘Spring rpl’, is named after the Spring Festival. So this is a great time to eat spring rolls! ^{[10] X Research Source}
Cook a variety of fish-related dishes. Fish is a symbol of prosperity. Cook fish dishes and don’t eat them all (the rest is left overnight) – for good luck! ^{[11] X Research Source}
Fried cake pot sticker. Pot sticker is a kind of dumplings, all kinds of dumplings are very popular in the Chinese New Year party.
Cook noodles with peanut sauce. The long, chewy noodles are a symbol of longevity and can be served with any sauce. ^{[12] X Research Source}
Cook shrimp with Chinese lobster sauce. This is a snack served after the main course. There are also plenty of recipes from traditional Chinese to new Sino-American fusion that you can learn from.
Prepare “tea eggs”. While not particularly associated with the Chinese New Year, it is the only Chinese dish that is used both as a garnish and as an appetizer.

Watch Parade

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Find information about your local parade. You can look up information about the Chinese New Year parade online or through local newspapers. Sometimes such parades are held on the first weekend of the new year instead of during Tet, or even during the New Year’s Eve.

Remember to bring your camera, and dress warmly if the weather is cold!
You’ll be lucky if you live near San Francisco where the Chinese New Year parade is the largest and oldest in Asia.

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Watch the parade on television or online. In the United States, large parades are often broadcast on local or regional television. In China, China Central Television (CCTV) annually attracts hundreds of millions of people to watch the Midnight Spring Festival Gala program.

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Watch special performances. In addition to fireworks, signature dishes, activities, and music, the New Year’s Parade is also a chance to see dancers dressed in dragon and lion costumes perform.

Dragon dancers are often very skillful and rhythmic with each other, each holding a long stick to control a long, winding colorful dragon. The dragon is a popular figure in Chinese mythology, and is considered a revered symbol of the nation and its people. ^{[13] X Research Source}
The two lion dancers both wear costumes depicting the figure of a large lion. The lion is a symbol of strength and majesty in Chinese mythology, but the lion dance is often modeled after the content of comic books, such as the story of a silly monk helping the lion. Look for a stalk of lettuce. ^{[14] X Research Source}
Both lion dancers dance rhythmically to the sound of traditional Chinese drums.

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Organize the Lantern Festival. On the full moon day of the first lunar month, many games will be held among countless beautifully decorated paper lanterns. Some cities even make huge works of art out of many lanterns. ^{[15] X Research Source}

Many people even write puzzles on lanterns for children to solve.
This is the time when Chinese people often eat sweet dumplings with fillings made from a variety of ingredients, this type of cake is often called tangyuan cake or yuanxiao cake.
Light candles on this day to bring more fairies into your home.

Advice

Commonly used decorative themes in China are fish, lanterns, lions, dragons, the god of wealth, and the New Year’s zodiac symbol.
There are many ways to celebrate the Chinese New Year, from the distinct folk festivals of each holiday to the distinct regional traditions in China. Don’t be surprised if you see that each locality has a different tradition of celebrating the Lunar New Year, try to learn more about the different forms of New Year if you go there.
If you are religious, pray. Praying for the lost and the various gods of China. Traditionally, there will be a number of days set aside for prayer.
Some decorative plants bring good luck:
- Peach blossom symbolizes good luck
- Kumquats and daffodils symbolize prosperity
- Chrysanthemum symbolizes long life

Warning

If your country bans firecrackers, you shouldn’t set off firecrackers, or you’ll get in trouble with the authorities. Countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Kenya, and the United States are the only countries with regulations that completely ban fireworks or ban burning in some areas.

Steps