In June 2015, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared that the Lunar New Year would be made a public school holiday, and in September 2023, New York State made Lunar New Year a mandatory public school holiday. Meanwhile, Wellington hosts a two-day weekend festival for Chinese New Year, and a one-day festival is held in Dunedin, centred on the city’s Chinese gardens. For 2021 (for one year only), the government declared the Chinese New Year a government holiday. Through a presidential decree it was officially declared as a one-day public holiday as of 9 April 2002 by President Megawati. It was celebrated as one of the official national religious holidays by Chinese Indonesians from 18 June 1946 to 1 January 1953 through a government regulation signed by President Sukarno on 18 June 1946.
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.
- In general, except for those in lucky colours like red and yellow, chrysanthemums should not be displayed at home during the New Year, because they are normally used for ancestral veneration.
- But long before modern calendars standardised dates, societies measured passing months by the moon, tracking its phases to mark time.
- The traditional dances are known worldwide and are often accompanied with loud drums and the cheers of a crowd.
- The fifth day of the new year is dedicated to welcoming Cai Shen, the God of Wealth.
- The festival incorporates Grant and Kearny Streets into its street festival and parade route, respectively.
- The horse, known for its spiritedness, speed, and strength, was therefore chosen as the emblem of this dynamic temporal phase.
- These packets contain money in an amount that reflects good luck and honorability.
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. Every animal in this zodiac system, which is called Sheng Xiao, is believed to have a personality that represents the year and the people born during that year. Some people prepare and enjoy special foods on certain days during the holiday. Since the mid-1990s people in China have been given seven consecutive days off work during the Chinese New Year. During the 15 days of celebration, breaking objects is considered a bad omen, as it is thought to bring bad luck, and gifting or buying new books is discouraged because the word for “book” sounds like “lose” in Chinese. Nevertheless, decorative lights and lanterns were displayed as usual, and Songkhla Province declared the day a public holiday.
To protect themselves, they hung red decorations and lit firecrackers to scare the monster away. One year, the villagers discovered that Nian feared the color red and loud noises. This festival is celebrated worldwide, particularly in Asian countries like China. In 2026, Lunar New Year falls on February 17th, kicking off the 16-day Spring Festival. Celebrated by millions around the world, this is a time for cultural traditions, family reunions, and hopes for good fortune in the coming year.
- All animals were invited, but as a reward, the 12 who arrived and took part had a year named after them in the zodiac, with the race determining in which order the animals would be placed.
- The aim is to rid your home of any bad luck that’s accumulated over the past year.
- Once ignited, the firecracker lets out a loud popping noise and, as they are usually strung together by the hundreds, the firecrackers are known for their deafening explosions that are thought to scare away evil spirits.
- On the first day of the first lunar month, people wear new clothes, symbolizing the departure of the old and the arrival of the new, the removal of bad luck, and the blessing of good health and good fortune for the coming year.
- The wearing of new clothes is another clothing custom during the festival; the new clothes symbolize a new beginning.
- Chinese New Year is observed as a public holiday in the provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala, Satun, and Songkhla.
Day 5: Welcoming the God of Wealth
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.
At the heart of Lunar New Year celebrations is the reunion dinner on Lunar New Year’s Eve, which falls on February 16th, 2026. Red is the dominant color for decorations, which include red lanterns, paper cuttings, Spring Festival couplets, and strings of chili peppers. The phrase Guo Nian, meaning “celebrating the new year” in Chinese, evokes warm feelings of family reunions.
On Chinese New Year day, it is customary for Sino-Mauritians to share niangao with their relatives and friends and to light firecrackers to ward off evil spirits. While the family dinner was traditionally celebrated at the house of the oldest family members, going to restaurants for New Year’s Eve is getting more popular; some restaurants may have special dinners to foster the family reunions of Sino-Mauritians. Mauritius is also the only country in Africa that lists the Chinese Spring Festival as a statutory public holiday. During the festival, the Chinese embassy in Islamabad arranges various cultural events in which Pakistani arts and cultural organizations and members of the civil society also participate. Observed by Thai Chinese and parts of the private sector, the festivities occur over three days, starting on the day before Chinese New Year’s Eve.
The wearing of new clothes is another clothing custom during the festival; the new clothes symbolize a new beginning. The burning of firecrackers also signifies a joyful time of year and has become an integral aspect of Chinese New Year celebrations. Once ignited, the firecracker lets out a loud popping noise and, as they are usually strung together by the hundreds, the firecrackers are known for their deafening explosions that are thought to scare away evil spirits. Each firecracker is rolled up in red paper, as red is auspicious, with gunpowder in its core.
Legend of Nian Monster
The dates of the celebration follow the Ringospin Casino Chinese lunisolar calendar instead of the Gregorian calendar. In India, many celebrate Chinese New Year with lion and dragon dances in Chinatown, Kolkata, where a significant community of people of Chinese origin exists. In 2026, no official Chinese New Year celebrations were held in Yaowarat as the country was in mourning following the passing of the Queen Sirikit.
China Tours
The villagers then understood that the Nian was afraid of the colour red and loud noises. The day after, the villagers came back to their town and saw that nothing had been destroyed. According to legend, Chinese New Year started with combating a mythical beast called the Nian (a beast that lives under the sea or in the mountains that looks like a lion with horns) during the annual Spring Festival.
Things You Didn’t Know About Chinese New Year
The Chinese lunar calendar operates on a 12-year zodiac cycle, with each year represented by an animal. Crisp, golden spring rolls mirror ancient gold bars, symbolizing wealth, and bright citrus fruits such as oranges and tangerines are shared because their round shape and color evoke fullness, success, and good luck. Sticky rice cakes called nian gao are commonly consumed, because their name means “high year,” implying steady progress and success in whatever one pursues. The last event held during the Chinese New Year is called the Lantern Festival, during which people hang glowing lanterns in temples or carry them during a nighttime parade. The holiday is sometimes called the Lunar New Year because the dates of celebration follow the phases of the moon.
It is also recorded that people linked the firecrackers with hemp rope and created the bian pao (鞭炮, “gunpowder whip”) in the Song dynasty. The firecracker was still called bao zhu (爆竹), thus equating the new and old traditions. Later, under the Song, people discarded the bamboo and started to use paper to wrap the gunpowder in cylinders, in imitation of the bamboo. After gunpowder was invented in the Tang dynasty and widely used under the Song dynasty, people modified the tradition of firing bamboo by filling the bamboo pole with gunpowder, which made for louder explosions. As imperial examinations became essential and reached their heyday under the Tang dynasty, candidates curried favour to become pupils of respected teachers and to get recommendation letters. Another theory is that bai nian tie was derived from the Han dynasty’s name tag, men zhuang (門狀, “door opening”).
Early in the morning of the first day of the lunar new year, people also have to visit and greet each other with family and friends. However, in the folk traditional sense, Chinese New Year starts from the Kitchen God Worshiping on the 23rd of the 12th lunar month (or even the Laba Festival), until the 19th of the first lunar month. Modern people set the Spring Festival on the first day of the first lunar month, ending on the 15th day of the first lunar month (Lantern Festival), with New Year’s Eve and the first day of the first lunar month as the climax. On this day, people from all over China will immerse themselves in a strong festive atmosphere, with every household decorating red and full of joy.
The day before Chinese New Year is usually accompanied by a dinner feast, consisting of special meats as a main course and an offering for the New Year. Families often offer sweet foods (such as candy) to “bribe” the deities into reporting good things about the family. This is done so that the Kitchen God can report to the Jade Emperor of the family household’s transgressions and good deeds. It is still served as a special breakfast on this day in some Chinese homes. Every member of the family was then served a bowl, with leftovers distributed to relatives and friends. Pickles such as Laba garlic, which turns green from vinegar, are made on this day.
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.
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.
As one of the twelve traditional zodiac animals in Chinese culture, the Horse corresponds to the Earthly Branch ‘Wu’ and appears in a twelve-year cyclical pattern within the traditional calendar system. The first and second days of the Lunar New Year are reserved for visiting family and friends. For those born in a Horse year, 2026 is their Ben Ming Nian—a year traditionally believed to bring bad luck due to a clash with Tai Sui, the God of Age. Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, marks the start of a new zodiac cycle based on the Chinese lunar calendar. Nowadays, cities worldwide still put on massive lantern displays and fairs on the festival’s final day.
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.
