Here are 15 interesting facts about Chinese New Year. 1. Chinese New Year is also called "Spring Festival". Though in winter, Chinese call their New Year holidays 'Spring Festival' (春节 chūnjié /chwnn-jyeah/), because 'Start of Spring' (3 February) is the first of the terms in the traditional solar calendar. Chinese New Year, is an important Chinese festival celebrated at the turn of the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. With these 55 interesting facts about the Chinese New Year, let’s learn more about its – history, how and where it is celebrated, foods and rituals associated with it, and lots more 1. Chinese New Year is celebrated by more than 20% of the world. It’s the most important holiday in China and to Chinese people all over. Here are 21 interesting facts that you probably didn’t know about Chinese New Year. 1. Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival Though China has a day off on January 1, and some fireworks are let off then, most attention is focused on the traditional date of New Year. Chinese New Year falls in the period from January 21 to February 20. In 2025, Chinese New Year will fall on Jan. 29. Click to see more about Chinese New Year date. 5. The Chinese New Year (also known as Lunar New Year and Spring Festival) always starts sometime between January 21st and February 20th based on the phases of the moon. And as you’ll soon find out, almost all of these fun facts about Chinese New Year center around luck, superstition, the color red, and of course, food! Sydney's Chinese New Year Festival includes dragon boat races, lantern displays, and cultural events. Fun Facts. Here are some fun and lesser-known facts about Chinese New Year that might surprise you. The world's largest human migration occurs during Chinese New Year as millions travel home to be with family. One of the fun facts about Chinese New Year is that every year is represented by a zodiac animal and it is for the entire year. Chinese zodiacs are based on a twelve-year cycle and there are 12 zodiacs in total, which include Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Chinese New Year starts a new animal’s zodiac year. In China, each lunar cycle has 60 years and 12 years is regarded as a small cycle. Each of the 12 years is defined by an animal sign: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. 2025 is the Year of the Snake and 2026 is the Year of the Horse. With Chinese New Year in 2015, it will be the start of the Year of the Sheep. [4] A popular Chinese New Year treat is a candied crab apple on a stick. [1] An important part of the Chinese New Year is the chuen-hop, or the “tray of togetherness.” This usually consists of eight compartments that are filled with special and symbolic food items The Lunar New Year begins on February 5, 2019, marking the beginning of the Year of the Pig. Photograph by Qilai Shen, Bloomberg via Getty Images See red everywhere Spanning 15 days, the Chinese New Year (also known as Lunar New Year) is a time to rejoice and reconnect with the family and friends. So, as you get set to celebrate the most important event on the Asian calendar, we bring to you 10 interesting facts about Chinese New Year. 1. It’s the world’s largest annual migration The Chinese New Year is a common time for spring cleaning as a symbol of letting go of the past and welcoming a new year. 3. Every year, the Chinese New Year is named after an animal. This year is the year of the dog. 4. During the festival, it is common to set off firecrackers to scare off evil spirits. 5. It is also common to see street fairs During Chinese New Year, people have a long list of things to do. From one week preceding the festival to the 15th day after, many Chinese New Year customs are widely observed for thousands of years. The family reunion dinner, eating dumplings, and setting off firework are the must-dos that you might know. What else interesting do the Chinese do? No set date for Chinese New Year. The first thing most people don’t know is that Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, the date of which is not fixed. Because the Chinese New Year follows the Lunar Calendar, the date changes every year and it always falls on a day between January 21 and February 20. In 2019, it falls on February 5. The Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in China and is celebrated by Chinese people all over the world. Here are 10 interesting facts that you probably didn’t know about Chinese New Year. 1. Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival. In China, the new year is called chunjie (春节), which means ‘Spring Festival’. While a majority of the world celebrates New Year in a day or two, the Chinese New Year celebration goes on for 15 days. This is because it begins with the new moon, and ends on the next full moon. The latter is marked by the Lantern Festival. Chinese New Year is one of the most important Chinese celebrations, and it’s taken quite seriously. On the 28th, 29th or 30th day of the new year, every household "posts the New Year's Red" (the New Year's Red is the collective name for the red festive elements pasted during the New Year, such as Spring Festival couplets, door gods, horizontal batches, New Year pictures, and the word "Fu"). The Cantonese phrase “gung hay fat choy” which is said during the Chinese Lunar New Year does not translate to “Happy New Year” as is commonly believed, rather it translates to “wishing you to be prosperous in the coming year” and is in reference primarily to finance as this is viewed as one of the most, if not the most, important Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) is the happiest holiday season in China and it is also popular in other countries in Asia. On this occasion, people enjoy a lot of fun activities including shopping, decorating their own houses, and preparing plenty of festival food, etc. Below is 19 interesting facts about the Chinese New Year that may inspire you. Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is a vibrant and cherished celebration deeply rooted in Chinese culture. As the longest Chinese holiday, it offers a fascinating glimpse into centuries-old traditions and customs. In this blog, we unravel four intriguing facts about Chinese New Year, shedding light on its rich history and cherished practices.
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |