59 Fun Facts About Chinese New Year

How many animals are in the Chinese zodiac cycle?

The Chinese zodiac consists of 12 animals in a repeating cycle. Each animal represents one year, so the full cycle takes 12 years to complete.

What color is considered the luckiest during Chinese New Year?

Red is the most auspicious color in Chinese culture, symbolizing good fortune, joy, and prosperity. It is used extensively during Chinese New Year in decorations, clothing, and the famous red envelopes.

Which animal is first in the Chinese zodiac cycle?

Legend says the Jade Emperor set the order with a race, and the Rat's win is why the cycle starts with it.

The Chinese name for firecrackers, baozhu, literally means what?

Baozhu literally means 'exploding bamboo': the earliest firecrackers were hollow bamboo stalks thrown on a fire until the air inside burst the segments; gunpowder versions kept the name.

In 1967, official Chinese New Year celebrations were banned during which political campaign?

During the Cultural Revolution, the State Council cancelled the 1967 Spring Festival holiday and urged a 'revolutionized and fighting' festival; the public holiday only returned in 1980.

What are the red envelopes given during Chinese New Year called in Mandarin?

Hong bao literally means red packet or red envelope. They contain money and are given as gifts during Chinese New Year and other special occasions, symbolizing good wishes and luck.

What traditional Chinese New Year food symbolizes wealth because its shape resembles gold ingots?

Dumplings (jiaozi) are shaped like ancient Chinese gold ingots (yuanbao), making them a symbol of wealth and prosperity. Families often make them together on New Year's Eve, and some hide a coin inside one for extra luck.

In which month does Chinese New Year typically fall on the Gregorian calendar?

Chinese New Year falls between the 21st of January and the 20th of February, usually on the second new moon after the winter solstice, so the Gregorian date shifts from year to year.

What Chinese New Year dance features a long puppet operated by many people?

The dragon dance features a long, colorful dragon puppet held aloft on poles by a team of dancers. The dragon symbolizes power, strength, and good luck. Longer dragons are believed to bring more luck.

What is the family meal held on Chinese New Year's Eve called in English?

The reunion dinner on New Year's Eve gathers the extended family for the most important meal of the year, traditionally at the family home with a whole fish on the table.

Which mythical creature is said to have inspired the Chinese New Year celebration?

The Nian is a legendary beast said to come down at the end of each year to devour livestock and villagers; the festival phrase guo nian, 'passing the year', is folk-read as surviving the Nian.

Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year because it follows which kind of reckoning?

Chinese New Year follows the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar, which is based on both the moon's phases and the sun's position. This is why the date shifts each year relative to the Gregorian calendar.

How long does the Chinese New Year festival traditionally last?

The festival runs from New Year's Eve to the 15th day of the first lunar month, which falls on the first full moon of the year.

Which event marks the final day of Chinese New Year celebrations?

The Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month closes the celebrations; families hang lanterns under the year's first full moon and solve the riddles written on them.

What is the Chinese character commonly displayed upside-down on doors during Chinese New Year?

The character fu, meaning fortune or blessing, is often hung upside-down because the word for upside-down (dao) sounds like the word for arrive (dao). So an inverted fu symbolizes that fortune has arrived.

Which long, sticky rice cake eaten during Chinese New Year symbolizes achieving new heights each year?

Nian gao, a sticky glutinous-rice cake, sounds like 'higher year' (nian gao), so eating it is meant to bring promotions and better fortune year after year.

What fruit is commonly displayed during Chinese New Year because its name sounds like 'gold' in Chinese?

Oranges and tangerines are popular during Chinese New Year. In Cantonese, the word for orange sounds like 'gold,' and in Mandarin, tangerine (ju) sounds like 'luck.' They symbolize wealth and good fortune.

What is the Mandarin name for the lion dance performed at Chinese New Year?

Wu shi, literally 'dance lion', is the Mandarin name of the lion dance; performers inside the costume mimic a lion's movements to drums, gongs and cymbals, chasing off evil and inviting luck.

Why is it considered bad luck to sweep the floor during the first few days of Chinese New Year?

Sweeping during the first days of Chinese New Year is taboo because it is believed to sweep away good luck and wealth. Many families do a thorough cleaning before New Year's Day to avoid this.

In 1928 China's Kuomintang decreed Chinese New Year be celebrated on which date instead?

In 1928 the Nationalist government decreed New Year festivities be held on 1 January, the Gregorian date, and banned the lunar celebration; overwhelming opposition forced it to abandon the policy within a few years.

In the zodiac race legend, which animal did the Rat push into the river, costing it a zodiac spot?

In the race legend the Cat was shoved into the river by its rodent rival and arrived too late for a zodiac place; the tale is offered as the origin of the feud between cat and rodent.

In the Chinese zodiac legend, how did the Rat beat the Ox to become the first animal?

According to the legend, the Jade Emperor held a great race. The Rat, being small but clever, asked the Ox for a ride. Just before reaching the finish line, the Rat leapt off the Ox's head to land first.

What is the traditional greeting 'Gong Xi Fa Cai' wishing someone?

Gong xi fa cai wishes someone 'be prosperous': gong xi means congratulations and fa cai means to make a fortune; the Cantonese form is gong hei fat choi.

Families honor which deity by smearing honey on a paper image's lips before burning it at New Year?

The Kitchen God (Zao Jun) is believed to report each family's behavior to the Jade Emperor. Before New Year, families smear honey on his paper image's lips so he will only say sweet things, then burn the image to send him to heaven.

Whole fish is a New Year's Eve must. What does the Chinese word for fish (yu) also sound like?

The fish is deliberately not finished at the New Year's Eve dinner, so that the wish "may there be surpluses every year" is acted out on the table.

What are the paired lines of verse on red paper pasted beside doorways at Chinese New Year called?

Spring couplets (chunlian) are paired lines of verse on vermilion paper flanking the door; the earliest recorded pair is credited to Meng Chang, a tenth-century ruler of Later Shu.

Which country calls its Lunar New Year celebration 'Tet'?

Vietnam's Lunar New Year is called Tet (short for Tet Nguyen Dan, meaning 'Feast of the First Morning'). It is the most important holiday in Vietnamese culture, celebrated with similar traditions to Chinese New Year but with distinct Vietnamese customs.

What is the Korean name for the Lunar New Year celebration?

Seollal is the Korean Lunar New Year. Koreans celebrate with sebae (bowing to elders), wearing hanbok (traditional clothing), and eating tteokguk (rice cake soup), which symbolizes gaining a year of age.

What food is traditionally eaten on the 15th and final day of the Chinese New Year period?

Tangyuan, sweet glutinous rice balls served in broth, are eaten on the fifteenth night that closes the period; the name echoes tuanyuan, 'reunion', so they also appear at weddings and the winter solstice.

What is the significance of wearing new clothes on Chinese New Year's Day?

Wearing new clothes on New Year's Day symbolizes a fresh start and new beginnings. It represents leaving behind the old year and welcoming the new one with a clean slate.

Which animal is last (12th) in the Chinese zodiac cycle?

The Pig is the 12th and final animal in the Chinese zodiac. In the great race legend, the Pig stopped to eat and nap along the way, arriving last. People born in the Year of the Pig are said to be compassionate, generous, and diligent.

Fai chun, the red Chinese New Year doorway papers, descend from ancient charms made of which wood?

Peach-wood charms hung by doorways to keep out ghosts; over time people simply wrote the guardian gods' names on them, then auspicious phrases.

In Chinese tradition, the dragon is especially associated with power over what?

Chinese dragons are benevolent rulers of water and weather, commanding rain, rivers and seas, which is why farmers prayed to dragon kings for rainfall; the dragon was also the emperor's symbol.

The Chinese New Year period is the world's largest annual human migration, known in Mandarin as what?

Chunyun, literally 'spring transport', is the holiday travel rush when migrant workers and students head home; railways alone have carried hundreds of millions of trips during it.

Which flowers, normally used for ancestral veneration, should not be displayed at home during Chinese New Year?

Chrysanthemums, especially white ones, are the flowers of graves and ancestral offerings, so they are kept out of New Year displays in favour of plum blossom, orchids and narcissus.

On which day of Chinese New Year should you avoid visiting others, as socialising is considered unlucky?

The third day of Chinese New Year is called Chi Kou (Red Mouth) and is considered an unlucky day for visiting or socializing. It is believed that arguments and quarrels are likely on this day, so many people stay home.

What sweet dried meat snack is popular in Singapore and Malaysia during Chinese New Year?

Bak kwa is sweet, smoky barbecued pork slices, the Hokkien name for Chinese rougan; in Singapore and Malaysia queues for brands like Bee Cheng Hiang stretch for hours before the holiday.

The Chinese lion dance is normally performed by how many dancers?

Two dancers animate each lion: one works the head and forelegs, the other bends to form the body and hind legs; a third performer often plays the teasing Big Head Buddha.

In the Chinese zodiac, which animal year follows the Year of the Dragon?

The Snake follows the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac. The full order is: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig.

What is the round or octagonal tray of sweets served to Chinese New Year guests called?

The Chuen Hop, or Tray of Togetherness, is an octagonal or round tray with multiple compartments filled with symbolic treats: candied melon (growth), red melon seeds (happiness), lychee nuts (family bonds), kumquats (prosperity), and more.

The predecessor of the firecracker, bamboo heated until it burst, was used in China as early as when?

Heated bamboo that burst with a bang was used as early as 200 BCE, in the early Han era, long before gunpowder; later paper firecrackers copied the bamboo shape and kept the name.

What red paper cutting art is a traditional Chinese New Year decoration?

Jianzhi is the Chinese art of paper cutting; window flowers (chuanghua) showing zodiac animals and auspicious characters are pasted up for the festival, and UNESCO listed the craft as intangible heritage in 2009.

In Chinese astrology, what are the five elements that modify the zodiac animals?

The five elements (wu xing) in Chinese astrology are Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. Each element cycles every two years, combining with the 12 animals to create a 60-year grand cycle. So a 'Water Tiger' year differs from a 'Fire Tiger' year.

What is "ya sui qian"?

The name means money that suppresses the passing year; traditionally it was not spent until the festival was over.

By 2018, roughly how many Chinese cities at county level or above had banned fireworks and firecrackers?

Fireworks restrictions spread quickly on air-quality and safety grounds: 444 Chinese cities prohibited them by 2017, and 803 county-level-or-above cities had bans by 2018. Beijing downgraded its own total ban to targeted restrictions in 2005.

Zaotang, the candy offered to the stove deity around the 23rd of the last lunar month, is made from what?

Zaotang is made from maltose, a sticky malt sugar boiled and pulled until it sets hard; depending on shape it is called Guandong tang or tanggua, 'sugar melon', and is meant to stick the deity's mouth sweet.

In legend, the beast that raided villages each New Year was said to fear which three things?

The beast was said to fear the colour red, loud noises and fire, so villagers hung red paper, banged drums and lit bamboo fires and firecrackers; these became the festival's fixtures.

What distinction does the Spring Festival Gala broadcast on Chinese New Year's Eve hold?

The broadcaster claimed one billion viewers in 2018, and Guinness recognised it as the most watched national network broadcast in 2012.

What is the significance of eating uncut noodles during Chinese New Year?

Long noodles (changshou mian, literally 'longevity noodles') are eaten during Chinese New Year to symbolize a long life. It is considered bad luck to cut or break the noodles before eating them.

In the lion dance custom of cai qing, what vegetable does the lion "eat" and spit out?

The lion 'eats' lettuce, sang choi in Cantonese, a pun on sang choi, 'generating wealth'; the head of lettuce is hung with a money packet, and the shredded leaves are scattered over the crowd for luck.

The fifth day of Chinese New Year is the birthday of the God of Wealth, identified with which figure?

Guan Yu, the Three Kingdoms general later deified, is worshipped as the martial God of Wealth; on the fifth day households and shops set off firecrackers to welcome him for the year.

Which steamed cake, whose name sounds like 'prosperity', is a New Year offering in southern China?

Fa gao is a steamed cake whose name is a pun: 'fa' can mean both 'to rise' (as the cake does) and 'to prosper.' When the cake cracks open on top while steaming, it is a sign of good fortune. It is especially popular in Guangdong and Fujian provinces.

What is the Tibetan New Year celebration called?

Losar is the Tibetan New Year, celebrated for 15 days. While it sometimes coincides with Chinese New Year, the Tibetan calendar can differ by up to a month. Celebrations include making torma (butter sculptures), performing cham dances, and preparing khapse (fried pastries).

What is yusheng, eaten at Chinese New Year in Malaysia and Singapore?

Yusheng is a raw-fish salad tossed for prosperity: slices of raw fish with shredded vegetables, crackers and plum sauce that diners toss high (lo hei) while shouting lucky phrases; Malaysia and Singapore both claim the modern version.

What is the 'Renri' celebration on the 7th day of Chinese New Year?

Renri, the 7th day of the first lunar month, is known as Everyone's Birthday or the Common Man's Birthday. According to Chinese mythology, the goddess Nuwa created human beings on the 7th day after creating the world. It is celebrated by eating seven-vegetable soup (qi cai geng).

How long is China's Spring Festival travel rush, with its special rail, bus and air arrangements?

The rush lasts about 40 days, starting fifteen days before New Year's Day and running twenty-five days after it; the trips taken in that window exceed China's entire population.

Which pair of Tang dynasty generals became the classic door gods pasted up at New Year?

Qin Shubao and Yuchi Gong, generals of Tang emperor Taizong, reportedly stood guard at his door to ward off nightmares; their painted images became the classic paired door gods.

In communities that celebrate for 15 days, the fourth day of Chinese New Year marks the return to what?

In communities with the longer festival, business returns to normal operations on the fourth day, when companies hold 'spring dinners'; regions with longer holidays instead welcome back the gods sent off before New Year.

On which day of Chinese New Year do married daughters traditionally visit their birth parents?

The day is called "a year's beginning" (kainian); traditionally married daughters rarely got to visit their birth families.