How to Celebrate Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year, also referred to as Lunar New Year, is the most important holiday on the Chinese calendar. The holiday is a two week festival filled with reunions among family and friends, an abundance of delicious food and wishes for a new year filled with prosperity, joy and good fortune.
Mark Your Calendars
Chinese New Year 2021 is February 12, 2021. The celebration lasts from the night before the first day of the lunar year until the Lantern Festival 15 days later.
Here is a collection of easy family activities, recipes and crafts with step-by-step directions to help your family welcome a happy and lucky new year.
The Basics
Much like the celebration of the New Year in the Western world, Chinese New Year is all about the hopeful spirit of renewal. The holiday’s traditions, symbols and rituals are all meant to wipe the slate clean and prepare for prosperity, good luck and happiness in the new year. Simply put, every Chinese New Year is a new beginning. Today, Chinese New Year is celebrated with fireworks and family dinners by more than a billion people around the world.
History & Folklore
Chinese New Year has been celebrated for more than four thousand years and originated to mark the end of winter and the beginning of spring. The holiday is one of the three big festivals designated for the living — the others are the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival. Read More »
Decoding the 15 Days of Chinese New Year
You’re no doubt familiar with the 12 days of Christmas, resplendent with drummers drumming, pipers piping and a partridge in a pear tree. Less well publicized, however, are the 15 days of Chinese New Year, the festival season that stretches from the new moon on New Year’s Day until the full moon on the Lantern Festival. Read More »
The Meaning of Dragon and Lion Dancing
Though you may see dragon and lion dances performed at other celebrations throughout the year, it’s most exciting when they appear bobbing and weaving their way through Chinese New Year parades across the United States. Here’s what to watch for and how to tell them apart. Read More »
Activities
Celebrating Chinese New Year can feel like a marathon. The holiday involves at least a week of preparation prior to New Year’s Day, followed by two weeks of feasts, family visits and merrymaking. Each step of the way is an opportunity to create family memories, teach elements of Chinese culture and have fun. Chinese New Year is the most highly anticipated Chinese holiday of the year for good reason — it’s a time of high spirits, bustling energy and many happy reunions.
How to Give Red Envelopes
Red envelopes filled with lucky money are an iconic symbol of Chinese New Year. Exchanging red envelopes is all about the reciprocity of giving and receiving. See how these gestures of goodwill build relationships among family and friends. Read More »
How to Prepare for Chinese New Year
Planning for Chinese New Year involves two main themes. First, clearing away all of the previous year’s bad luck. And, second, preparing the home to receive the next year’s good luck. Use this day-by-day guide to known when to sweep out your home, visit the barber, decorate and cook a feast. Read More »
How to Decorate Your Home
Chinese New Year decorations use calligraphy, poetry, plants and food to express hopes for happiness, good luck and prosperity. Learn to use auspicious symbols that declare your family’s wishes for the year ahead, whether it’s longevity, career success or general abundance. Read More »
