Chinese New Year, also called the Lunar New Year and the Spring Festival, is the biggest traditional festival in China. Historically, Chinese New Year marks the start of the spring season, symbolizing new life and fresh beginnings and emphasising the changes in nature across all seasons (“Chinese New Year,” 2024). It shows the emphasis on the changes in nature. Since the Xia Dynasty (2070BC-1600BC), “the first day of lunar January was regarded as the beginning of one year” (“Xia Dynasty,” 2024; Xu, 2014). According to a lunar calendar, the celebration date varies every year and typically falls between January 21 and February 20 (“Chinese New Year,” 2024).
Chinese New Year has been celebrated for a long time and the history can be traced back to ancient times. It is rooted in various myths and customs, such as the popular legend recounting the story of “Nian”, a monster that would hurt villagers on New Year’s Eve (Xu, 2014). Since “Nian was afraid of red, fire and great sound”, people began to scare it away by shooting fireworks, using red decorations like red paper cutting, hanging red lanterns and wearing red clothes (Xu, 2014).
As a vibrant expression of cultural heritage, these traditions have been preserved by Chinese people to this day. Nowadays, people spend several days preparing for and celebrating this festival by, for example, cleaning the house to sweep away bad fortune, decorating homes with red lanterns and couplets, and gathering the family for a reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve (Ibekwe, 2021).
The cultural significance of Chinese New Year extends beyond just a celebration; it is a time for remembering ancestors, strengthening family bonds and expressing hope for prosperity. Now, it’s celebrated all over the world, making it a way for different cultures to share and learn from each other (Ibekwe, 2021).
Chinese New Year. (2024). In Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chinese_New_Year&oldid=1215903043
Ibekwe, C. A. (2021). The Spring Festival: A Window into Chinese Culture. JOURNAL of CHINESE & AFRICAN STUDIES (JOCAS), 1(1). https://nigerianjournalsonline.com/index.php/JOCAS/article/view/1410
Xia dynasty. (2024). In Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Xia_dynasty&oldid=1216540328
Xu, R. (2014). Research on Chinese and Western Traditional Festival Culture Contrast. Proceedings of the 2014 International Conference on Education Technology and Information System (ICETIS 2014). https://doi.org/10.2991/icetis-14.2014.87
LearnHowToChinese. (2014). The Story of Nian - A Chinese New Year Story [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXOS99vWI_o