Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is China’s most important holiday and a significant festival in several East Asian countries.
The Spring Festival celebrates the beginning of the traditional Chinese lunar new year. In 2026, the Spring Festival falls on Tuesday, February 17. The date of the Spring Festival changes annually.
Though customs vary widely across regions, the theme remains the same: bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new year’s good fortune and prosperity. Key activities during the Spring Festival include:
♥decorating homes,
♥offering sacrifices to ancestors,
♥sharing a reunion dinner with family on New Year’s Eve,
♥giving red envelopes and other gifts,
♥setting off firecrackers and fireworks,
♥watching lion and dragon dances.
1. Cleaning and Decorating Homes with Red Items
People thoroughly clean their homes before the Spring Festival, symbolizing the sweeping away of misfortune from the past year and preparing the household to welcome good fortune.
Red is the dominant color of the Spring Festival, as it is considered an auspicious hue for the Lunar New Year, symbolizing prosperity and vitality while warding off evil spirits. Streets are adorned with red lanterns, and doors are plastered with red couplets and New Year paintings.
2. Paying Homage to Ancestors
Honoring the spirits of the departed remains a cherished tradition during the Chinese New Year. Many Chinese visit ancestral graves the day before the festival, offer sacrifices to ancestors before the reunion dinner (symbolizing letting them “eat” first), and place an extra cup of wine on the New Year’s Eve table.
3. Reuniting with Family for the New Year’s Eve Feast
The Lunar New Year is a time for family reunions. New Year’s Eve is the most important day. No matter where they are, people should return home to celebrate with their families. The New Year’s Eve dinner is called the “reunion dinner.” Extended families gather around a round table, sharing delicious food and cherishing precious moments together.
4. Exchanging Red Envelopes and Other Gifts
During the Spring Festival, people exchange red envelopes (known as “hongbao” or “hongqian” in Cantonese). These envelopes contain money and are typically given to children and (retired) elders.
The money inside is called “yasui qian,” symbolizing the suppression of evil spirits. Recipients hope for peace and joy in the coming year.
5. Setting Off Firecrackers and Fireworks
From public displays in major cities to millions of private celebrations in rural China, setting off firecrackers and fireworks is an indispensable part of the festival. It serves both to ward off evil spirits and to welcome the New Year.
From midnight to midnight on Lunar New Year’s Day, China ignites billions of fireworks—the largest annual display of pyrotechnics anywhere in the world.
6. Watching Lion and Dragon Dances
During the Lunar New Year, lion and dragon dances are a common sight in Chinatowns across China and many Western countries. People perform these shows to pray for prosperity and good fortune in the coming year or for a specific endeavor.
There are many more Chinese New Year traditions and customs, such as wearing new clothes, staying up late on New Year’s Eve, and watching the Spring Festival Gala.