Customs and Symbols of Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year carries a wide range of customs that have developed over a long history and vary somewhat between regions and families. This page looks at some of the most widely recognised traditions associated with the festival.
The colour red
Red is the dominant colour of the festival, appearing in clothing, decorations, envelopes and paper cuttings. In Chinese tradition, red is associated with good fortune, happiness and protection against misfortune. Door frames and windows are often decorated with red paper featuring auspicious phrases or symbols, and these decorations are usually put up in the days leading up to New Year's Eve.
Fireworks and firecrackers
Firecrackers and fireworks have long been part of the celebration, traditionally believed to scare away bad luck and misfortune at the turn of the year. In many places today, large scale fireworks displays are organised as part of public New Year celebrations, while the use of firecrackers at a household level is subject to local rules, which vary from place to place.
Symbolic foods
Food plays a central role in the celebration, and many traditional New Year dishes are chosen because their names sound similar to words for good fortune, or because of their appearance. Fish is commonly served because the word for fish sounds like the word for surplus or abundance. Dumplings, especially in northern Chinese traditions, are associated with wealth because their shape resembles old ingots used as currency. Sticky rice cakes are linked to the idea of rising fortune or moving upward in the coming year. Specific dishes and their meanings can vary between regional and family traditions.
Red envelopes
Red envelopes, often called lucky money envelopes, are given mainly to children and unmarried younger relatives by parents, grandparents and other elders. The envelope is usually red, sometimes printed with gold characters or patterns, and contains money. The custom is thought to pass good fortune from the giver to the receiver, and the act of giving is considered at least as important as the amount given.
Family reunion and visiting relatives
The reunion dinner on New Year's Eve is widely regarded as one of the most important moments of the festival, bringing together extended family, sometimes from different cities or countries. In the days that follow, it is common to visit relatives, particularly older family members, to offer New Year greetings in person.
Lion and dragon dances
Lion and dragon dances are performed during the festival period, often in public spaces, markets and community events. These performances are accompanied by drums and cymbals, and are traditionally believed to bring good luck and drive away evil spirits. In cities with established Chinese communities, these performances are often among the most visible public markers of the celebration.
The Lantern Festival
The fifteenth day of the new year marks the Lantern Festival, which traditionally closes the New Year celebration period. Lanterns, often decorated with riddles or patterns, are displayed, and in some traditions people eat sweet glutinous rice balls, which are associated with family unity because of their round shape.
These customs together form a broad and varied tradition rather than a single fixed set of rules, and exact practices differ between regions, generations and individual families. For background on how the date of the festival is determined each year, see the main page of this site, and for information on the zodiac animal cycle associated with each year, see the zodiac page.