Chinese New Year: A celebration of tradition and prosperity

Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is considered the most important festival in China and a major celebration across East Asia.

This 2025, Chinese New Year falls on Wednesday, 29 January. Rooted in rich traditions, the festival marks the start of a new year on the Chinese lunisolar calendar.

Initially observed to honor deities and ancestors, the festival has evolved into a time for feasting, family reunions, and vibrant customs.

Here are the key traditions that define this auspicious celebration:

Putting up decorations

Homes come alive with festive decorations that invite good fortune and ward off evil spirits. Popular items include blooming flowers, Chinese firecrackers, red lanterns, paper cuttings, door couplets, kumquat and mandarin trees, and cherry or plum blossoms — all symbolizing the arrival of spring and prosperity.

Offering sacrifices to ancestors

Families honor their ancestors with offerings of food, fruits, and incense. It is believed that ancestral spirits return during this time to protect and bless their descendants with prosperity.

Reunion dinner

The tuanyuanfan, or reunion dinner, held on New Year’s Eve, is the heart of the celebration. This feast brings together family members, symbolizing unity and allowing elders to reconnect with their loved ones, strengthening familial bonds.

Giving red envelopes

Hongbao, or red envelopes, containing money, are given to children and unmarried adults. These envelopes symbolize good luck, prosperity, and protection from evil spirits, with the color red representing happiness and life.

Firecrackers and fireworks

Firecrackers and fireworks are integral to the New Year’s Eve festivities. They are used to scare away evil spirits and celebrate the arrival of the new year. It is also believed that the first person to launch fireworks will have an auspicious year ahead.

Lion and dragon dances

Representing strength, power, and prosperity, lion and dragon dances are performed during the New Year festivities. These dynamic performances are meant to chase away evil spirits and usher in good fortune.

Chinese New Year is a vibrant celebration of bidding farewell to the old and embracing the new. With its deep cultural significance and rich traditions, the festival welcomes luck, prosperity, and harmony, uniting families and communities in joy and hope for the year ahead.