春节春節 Spring Festival

Summary

Spring Festival — Chinese New Year — opens the lunisolar year on the first new moon between 21 January and 20 February. It is the most important holiday of the year and the largest annual human migration on earth, as people travel home for a reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve and the days of visiting that follow.

History

The festival grew out of ancient year-end harvest sacrifices to gods and ancestors. A popular tale explains the red decorations: a beast called Nián (年) came each New Year’s Eve to devour villagers, until people discovered it feared loud noise and the colour red — hence firecrackers and red couplets. The modern fifteen-day shape, ending at the Lantern Festival, was largely fixed by the Han dynasty.

What people do

Families clean the house to sweep out bad luck, paste red couplets and the character 福 (fú, “fortune”) on doors, and gather for a reunion dinner heavy with auspicious dishes — fish for surplus, dumplings for wealth. Children and unmarried relatives receive lucky money in red envelopes (红包); firecrackers, lion dances and temple fairs fill the streets.

Greetings

Common greetings include 新年快乐 (Happy New Year), 恭喜发财 (wishing you wealth) and 万事如意 (may all go as you wish).

Festival idioms

• 恭喜发财恭喜發財 gōng xǐ fā cái ㄍㄨㄥ ㄒㄧˇ ㄈㄚ ㄘㄞˊ gung1 hei2 faat3 coi4 May you have a prosperous New Year! (New Year's greeting)
• 年年有余年年有餘 nián nián yǒu yú ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄧㄡˇ ㄩˊ nin4 nin4 jau5 jyu4 lit. (may you) have abundance year after year
• 万事如意萬事如意 wàn shì rú yì ㄨㄢˋ ㄕˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄧˋ maan6 si6 jyu4 ji3 to have all one's wishes (idiom)
• 心想事成 xīn xiǎng shì chéng ㄒㄧㄣ ㄒㄧㄤˇ ㄕˋ ㄔㄥˊ sam1 soeng2 si6 sing4 (idiom) to have one's wishes come true; wish you the best!
• 大吉大利 dà jí dà lì ㄉㄚˋ ㄐㄧˊ ㄉㄚˋ ㄌㄧˋ daai6 gat1 daai6 lei6 great luck, great profit (idiom); everything is thriving
• 招财进宝招財進寶 zhāo cái jìn bǎo ㄓㄠ ㄘㄞˊ ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄅㄠˇ ziu1 coi4 zeon3 bou2 ushering in wealth and prosperity (idiom and traditional greeting, esp. at New Year); We wish you wealth and success!
• 步步高升步步高陞 bù bù gāo shēng ㄅㄨˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄍㄠ ㄕㄥ bou6 bou6 gou1 sing1 to climb step by step
• 龙马精神龍馬精神 lóng mǎ jīng shén ㄌㄨㄥˊ ㄇㄚˇ ㄐㄧㄥ ㄕㄣˊ lung4 maa5 zing1 san4 old but still full of vitality (idiom)
• 五福临门五福臨門 wǔ fú lín mén ㄨˇ ㄈㄨˊ ㄌㄧㄣˊ ㄇㄣˊ ng5 fuk1 lam4 mun4 lit. (may the) five blessings descend upon this home (namely: longevity, wealth, health, virtue, and a natural death)
• 岁岁平安歲歲平安 suì suì píng ān ㄙㄨㄟˋ ㄙㄨㄟˋ ㄆㄧㄥˊ ㄢ seoi3 seoi3 ping4 on1 May you have peace year after year (New Year's greeting)
• 出入平安 chū rù píng ān ㄔㄨ ㄖㄨˋ ㄆㄧㄥˊ ㄢ ceot1 jap6 ping4 on1 lit. peace when you come or go
• 国泰民安國泰民安 guó tài mín ān ㄍㄨㄛˊ ㄊㄞˋ ㄇㄧㄣˊ ㄢ gwok3 taai3 man4 on1 the country prospers, the people at peace (idiom); peace and prosperity
• 万事亨通萬事亨通 wàn shì hēng tōng ㄨㄢˋ ㄕˋ ㄏㄥ ㄊㄨㄥ maan6 si6 hang1 tung1 everything is going smoothly (idiom)
• 喜气洋洋喜氣洋洋 xǐ qì yáng yáng ㄒㄧˇ ㄑㄧˋ ㄧㄤˊ ㄧㄤˊ hei2 hei3 joeng4 joeng4 full of joy (idiom); jubilation
• 张灯结彩張燈結彩 zhāng dēng jié cǎi ㄓㄤ ㄉㄥ ㄐㄧㄝˊ ㄘㄞˇ zoeng1 dang1 git3 coi2 to be decorated with lanterns and colored banners (idiom)
• 金玉满堂金玉滿堂 jīn yù mǎn táng ㄐㄧㄣ ㄩˋ ㄇㄢˇ ㄊㄤˊ gam1 juk6 mun5 tong4 lit. gold and jade fill the hall (idiom)
• 一帆风顺一帆風順 yī fān fēng shùn ㄧ ㄈㄢ ㄈㄥ ㄕㄨㄣˋ jat1 faan4 fung1 seon6 propitious wind throughout the journey (idiom)

Public-holiday status

• Mainland China Public holiday
• Taiwan Public holiday
• Hong Kong Public holiday
• Macau Public holiday

Lunar and Western dates

On this site

• Poem: 元日 · 王安石
• Dishes: Chinese New Year

Further reading

• Chinese New Year — Wikipedia
• Chinese New Year — Encyclopædia Britannica (owner to confirm)