Customs of Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year, also called Spring Festival, is China's most important and widely celebrated festival of all in China. Chinese New Year 2021 falls on Friday, February 12, 2021, beginning a year of the Ox. China's public holiday will be February 11–17, 2021. It is time for families to be together and a week of an official public holiday. During Chinese New Year, people have a long list of things to do. Different parts of China have very different traditions. The following are the most typical:

Cleaning Up

Clearing away the old stuff signifies the meaning of removing the old and welcoming the new. As your friends will make home visits during CNY, it's also useful to tidy up your home before CNY. After cleaning your home, it's time for decoration! To make your house look festive, the Chinese love to put DuiLian decorations, which are blessings written in Chinese calligraphy on red papers, delicate paper cutting, and a Chinese candy box filled with different kinds of sweets at home.

New Year Shopping

After cleaning people will go shopping, from a new piece of furniture to a new plate. Chinese people believe that since this is a year anew they should buy a lot of new things. Purchasing new items symbolizes welcoming new things and getting ready for a new start. A variety of foods are sure on their shopping list. Meat, vegetables, fruits are a must, while candies and nuts are popular items that are later seen on the tea-table of every Chinese household.

Family Reunion Dinner

As the festival approaches, family reunion becomes the major concern of every Chinese. No matter how far apart the family members, they would get back home for the biggest annual gathering. A luxurious home-made dinner is served, containing many dishes with not only delicious taste, but also good appearance and auspicious connotations. Besides the dumplings, a whole fish is a must, standing for a surplus and fortune of the New Year.

Eating Dumplings

The most important food during Chinese New Year is the dumplings, which are made with flour and stuffed with different fillings. It is a custom to eat dumplings on New Year's Eve, the 1st and the 5th day of the New Year. Because their shape resembles the monetary ingots used in ancient times, dumplings are believed to bring wealth in the coming year. People wrap coins, candies, or peanuts in some of the dumplings to express different blessings, for example, a coin for wealth, candy for the sweet life, and peanuts for health and longevity.

CCTV New Year's Gala

CCTV New Year's Gala is a comprehensive art and performance event on the festival's eve. First broadcasted in 1983, it has become a beloved performance including skits, cross talk, acrobatics, songs, and dances.

The gala starts at 20:00, with a countdown at 0:00, and ends with the song "Cannot Forget Tonight" at about 0:30.

Firecrackers and Fireworks

Firecrackers and fireworks are often set off throughout Lunar New Year, both to ward off an ancient monster called Nian, and because it's become a raucous way to celebrate. It's common to see families shooting off the equally festive, and non-fiery, confetti cannons on the streets of U.S. Chinatowns on New Year's Day.

Send Greeting Messages

During the festival and especially on New Year's Eve, people send greetings to relatives, colleagues, and friends through the phone.

They use instant messenger like Wechat, to send text and voice messages, emoticons, videos, and digital red envelopes to express good wishes.

Give Red Envelopes

After the family meal, it is time to say lucky words to grandparents and parents and it is time for the Red Envelope. In my family we use the traditional Chinese style, we kneel down in front of Mom and Dad and bow to say auspicious phrases like:

Xīn nián kuài lè    新年快乐       Happy New Year

Shēn tǐ jiàn kāng   身体健康         Good health

Wàn shì rú yì          万事如意        May everything goes as you wish

Gong xǐ fā cái          恭喜发财         Congratulations and prosperity

Then Mom and Dad give each of us a red envelope with cash in it.  Instead of spending the cash right away, the tradition is to put the red envelope under your pillow and so that it will keep you young and healthy.

When the children are grown up and independent then it becomes their turn to give red envelopes to their parents. I remember how proud I was when I gave my parents red envelopes when I first started working.

Children use the money to buy books or other school supplies. Some families save the money for the kids' future use.

Wear New Clothes

Chinese people prefer everything new for the festival. Generally, it is the duty of the middle generation of a family to buy new clothes for all family members. Although some adults do not follow this custom anymore, every child wears brand new clothes on New Year’s Day, from head to toe.

For people in his or her zodiac year of birth, a piece of new clothing in red is needed. Red underwear is popular, while a red overcoat is also a common choice.

Visit Friends and Relatives

A special way for people to express good wishes to each other and an important Chinese New Year tradition is to visit relatives. Generally speaking, people drop in at relatives' and friends' houses, bringing gifts or red envelopes, and greeting one another with 'Happy New Year'. In some rural places, where families have many relatives, this activity lasts for several days. It is impolite to visit someone without a gift. Therefore, special local products, fruits, and wines should be taken when you visit others.

Temple Fairs

Temple fair is an old practice of Chinese New Year customs, especially in Beijing. Although they originally were a form of worship connected with temples, now they are more like carnivals and are sometimes held in parks. Traditional cultural performances such as playing diabolo, traditional magic, puppet shows, and so on can be seen. Besides, people can buy all kinds of small commodities at very low prices. During and after the festival, Beijing has temple fairs almost every day in different places such as Wangfujing, Altar of the Earth, and Longtan Park.

Watch Colorful Lanterns

The Lantern Festival marks the end of the festival. Lanterns in different shapes are displayed on the evening of the 15th day of the 1st lunar month. In ancient times, these lanterns were made of paper or silk with candles placed inside. Now the materials have changed and the candles have been replaced by bulbs or LEDs.

In many cities, there are lantern fairs held in some historical sites or landmark buildings, where visitors can enjoy the beauty of traditional Chinese art.

Watch Shehuo Performance

Shehuo is often part of the Lantern Festival, particularly in north China. It is a form of worship consisting of both shows and parades, including a variety of performances such as the dragon and lion dances, yangko dance, and performance on stilts.

Shehuo is a common Chinese New Year custom in rural areas but seldom seen in cities. In some small towns, people crowd the roads to watch the exciting parade on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month.