Chinese New Year
Spring Festival celebration
Chinese New Year is the most important traditional festival in Chinese culture, marking the beginning of the lunar new year.
Celebrations typically span fifteen days, featuring family gatherings, feasts, red decorations, fireworks, and gifts of money in red envelopes.
Each year is associated with one of twelve zodiac animals.
The date falls between late January and mid-February.
Also called Lunar New Year or Spring Festival.
Explosive light displays
- dragon danceCeremonial Chinese procession performance
- lion danceCeremonial feline mimicry
- paradeCeremonial public procession
- feastingEating sumptuously together
banquet · performances · music · firecrackers · lanterns · decorations · couplets · paper cutting
Enclosed portable light sources
- redPrimary color, warm
- paper cuttingDecorative craft from trimmed sheets
- coupletsPaired rhyming verse lines
- peach blossomsFlowers of a drupe tree
pussy willow · lucky bamboo · knots · tassels · gold · vermilion · crimson
Filled dough parcels
- tang yuanSweet filled rice dumplings
- spring rollsWrapped fried appetizers
- fishGilled aquatic vertebrate
- longevity noodlesLong pasta symbolizing lifespan
rice cake · turnip cake · mandarin oranges · peanuts · hot pot · Buddha's delight
Rodent or informer
Gathering after separation
- gatheringCollection of people meeting
- dinnerPrimary evening meal
- homecomingReturning to one's origin
- togethernessState of close connection
ancestors · relatives · elders · bonding · kinship · embrace · welcome · nostalgia
Traditional practices or import taxes
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- taboosSocially proscribed practices
- auspiciousIndicating future success
superstitions · incense · worship · feng shui · legends · red color · cleaning · new clothes
Of the moon
- spring festivalWarm-season community celebration
- eveDay preceding celebration
- lantern festivalCelebration featuring decorative lights
- new moonUnlit lunar phase
first month · lunisolar · agricultural · traditional · date
fireworks
Explosive light displays
- dragon danceCeremonial Chinese procession performance
- lion danceCeremonial feline mimicry
- paradeCeremonial public procession
feasting · banquet · performances · music · firecrackers · lanterns · decorations · couplets · paper cutting · red envelopes
lanterns
Enclosed portable light sources
- redPrimary color, warm
- paper cuttingDecorative craft from trimmed sheets
- coupletsPaired rhyming verse lines
peach blossoms · pussy willow · lucky bamboo · knots · tassels · gold · vermilion · crimson
dumplings
Filled dough parcels
- tang yuanSweet filled rice dumplings
- spring rollsWrapped fried appetizers
- fishGilled aquatic vertebrate
longevity noodles · rice cake · turnip cake · mandarin oranges · peanuts · hot pot · Buddha's delight
rat
Rodent or informer
dragon · snake · horse · goat · monkey · rooster · dog · pig · cycle · compatibility
reunion
Gathering after separation
- gatheringCollection of people meeting
- dinnerPrimary evening meal
- homecomingReturning to one's origin
togetherness · ancestors · relatives · elders · bonding · kinship · embrace · welcome · nostalgia · warmth
customs
Traditional practices or import taxes
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- taboosSocially proscribed practices
auspicious · superstitions · incense · worship · feng shui · legends · red color · cleaning · new clothes · hair cutting
lunar
Of the moon
- spring festivalWarm-season community celebration
- eveDay preceding celebration
- lantern festivalCelebration featuring decorative lights
first month · new moon · lunisolar · agricultural · traditional · date
- cultural celebrationscultural festival, ethnic festival, folk festival, cultural fair, fiesta
- Cultural FestivalsDiwali, Oktoberfest, Mardi Gras, Holi, Carnival of Venice
- multicultural eventsfood festival, cultural fair, international day, Cinco de Mayo, global village
- Asian FestivalsDiwali, Deepavali, Holi, Mid-Autumn Festival, Dragon Boat Festival
- Chinese HolidaysSpring Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Moon Festival, Mooncake Festival, Dragon Boat Festival
- Chinese traditionsfeng shui, tai chi, qigong, Taoism, Confucianism
Chinese New YearChristmas
Winter nativity celebration
Thanksgiving · Fourth of July · Easter · Hanukkah · Diwali
Chinese New YearMid-Autumn Festival
Chinese harvest moon celebration
summer solstice · winter solstice · midsummer · harvest festivals