Chinese New Year: a tradition that transcends borders, generations and cultures
Editor's note:
The United Nations officially designates 44 Chinese traditions as world cultural heritage. This series examines how each of them defines what it means to be Chinese.
The annual Spring Festival lantern fair along the Qinhuai River in Nanjing.
The Chinese New Year is deeply embedded as the preeminent holiday in China, ranking with Western traditions like Christmas in accentuating family, gift-giving and feasting. It is an officially recognized public holiday in 20 countries.
Known as Spring Festival, though it typically falls in late winter, the lunar holiday is a time to reflect on the past, cherish the present and look forward to the future. It is a celebration of togetherness, hope and the enduring spirit of humanity.
Such is its importance that Chinese New Year is one of 44 Chinese traditions officially inscribed as world cultural heritage by UNESCO.
This year on January 29, China welcomes the Year of the Snake, the sixth of the 12-year cycle of zodiac animals.
Spring Festival is rooted in centuries of tradition dating back thousands of years to an agrarian society dependent on seasonal cycles. For ancient Chinese people, it symbolized a fresh start and a chance to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
The festival has evolved over time, incorporating customs like house cleaning, ancestor worship and communal feasts. It became a celebration of family, community and communion with nature.
Spring Festival decoration in Beijing
Preparations for the festival begin weeks in advance. On the Laba Festival (the 8th day of the 12th lunar month), people eat porridge symbolizing prosperity and the beginning of the annual festive period.
As the Lunar New Year approaches, families clean their homes to "sweep away bad luck" and hang red decorations such as couplets and paper cut-outs. The color red symbolizes good fortune and is believed to ward off evil spirits.
The highlight of the celebration is Chinese New Year's Eve, when families gather for a reunion feast of symbolic foods, including dumplings shaped like ancient Chinese gold ingots that represent wealth, and fish, which in Chinese is a homonym of "abundance."
The fish must be only partially eaten because the leftovers signify continuing prosperity.
While waiting for the clock to strike midnight, many families gather in front of their televisions to watch the annual CCTV Spring Festival Gala. It's an extravaganza of performances that mix classical art forms like Peking Opera with modern music, dance and humorous cross-talk.
When the clock strikes 12, fireworks light up the skies, and people stay awake to "guard the transition to a new year" – a tradition believed to lengthen the lives of parents.
The festivities don't end there. Over the next 15 days, families visit relatives, exchange red envelopes with money as blessings, and participate in public activities like temple fairs and dragon dances.
The Yuyuan Lantern Festival in Shanghai
Each day of the Lunar New Year has its particular traditions. On Day 1, people set off firecrackers, visit family and avoid cleaning or throwing out trash to prevent bad luck.
Day 2 is for daughters visiting their parents, bringing gifts and honoring the god of wealth. On Day 3, families clean up, but some avoid socializing to prevent arguments.
Day 4 is for making offerings to deities, while Day 5 welcomes the God of Fortune with firecrackers and special foods like dumplings.
The festival culminates with the Lantern Festival, where communities gather to enjoy colorful lantern displays and solve riddles written on them.
In southern China, glutinous rice balls, or tangyuan, are a popular holiday dessert, symbolizing family togetherness. In northern China, dumplings dominate the table.
In the city of Nanjing in neighboring Jiangsu Province, the Qinhuai Lantern Festival is a spectacle of art and light.
The Yuyuan Lantern Festival in Shanghai is also one of the most popular events in the city during the Spring Festival period. Modern technologies, like LED lighting and projection mapping, blend old and new, and enhance the magic of the moment.
The Peach Blossom Woodblock Prints of Suzhou, once used to decorate homes, are another Spring Festival treasure.
Spring Festival decoration at London's Chinatown
These intricate prints depict themes of prosperity and happiness. In recent years, artists have adapted the craft into modern products, keeping the tradition alive in a changing world.
The Spring Festival is not just a Chinese celebration. It has become a global event.
From lion dances in San Francisco's Chinatown to lantern festivals in London, the festivities transcend borders.
In 2023, the United Nations declared the Lunar New Year an official holiday. The acknowledgment elevates the festival from a cultural celebration to an international symbol of unity and harmony.
Customers buy nianhuo, or the Spring Festival goods, at a market in the city of Chengdu in Sichuan Province.
Even as ancient Spring Festival traditions remain intact, the holiday is evolving in the modern world. Digital red envelopes, sent via apps like WeChat, have become a popular alternative to the traditional paper greetings.
Families separated by distance now use video calls to exchange blessings.
Millions of people travel home for the Lunar New Year to be with families, creating what has become the world's largest annual human migration.
In overseas Chinese communities, the Lunar New Year is a way to preserve and share heritage with neighbors.
Customers shop at a New Year bazaar in neighboring Jiangsu Province.
