Imagine a festival where one-sixth of the world’s population simultaneously hits the “pause button,” crossing mountains and seas to return home, welcoming spring with delicacies, fireworks, and ancient rituals. This isn’t science fiction but the annual Chinese New Year, a 15-day extravaganza. According to the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, begins on the first day of the first lunar month, marking the start of a new year. Around this time, themed around bidding farewell to the old, welcoming the new, auspiciousness, harmony, and reunion, people engage in a series of activities to celebrate this most significant traditional festival of the Chinese nation, known colloquially as “Guo Nian.”
Chinese New Year is not only China’s most important traditional festival, carrying millennia of cultural memory, but also a grand celebration shared by Chinese communities worldwide. In December 2024, Chinese Spring Festival was officially inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This announcement filled countless Chinese people with pride and sparked global interest in and understanding of the charm of the Spring Festival.
The World’s Largest Human Migration
Spring Festival isn’t just a holiday; it’s also the world’s largest annual human migration—Chunyun. On the eve of the Spring Festival, hundreds of millions embark on journeys home, whether by train, plane, high-speed rail, or car, carrying with them a longing for reunion. This colossal movement, the largest in human history, underscores the festival’s importance in the hearts of the Chinese people.
In recent years, advancements in technology and upgrades to transportation infrastructure, particularly the expansion of high-speed rail networks, have made Chunyun more efficient. The widespread adoption of smart ticketing systems has made trip planning more convenient. For overseas Chinese, Spring Festival signifies homesickness, but regardless of location, a New Year’s call across time zones bridges the distance with warmth from home.
Prelude to Spring Festival
Sweeping Away the Old Year Before the Spring Festival, families thoroughly clean their homes in a custom known as “sweeping the house.” Removing old items symbolizes bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new. Additionally, households hang Spring Festival couplets and paper-cut window decorations in red, symbolizing auspiciousness and happiness, aiming to bring good luck and fortune in the new year.
From New Year’s Eve Dinner to Fireworks
The Spring Festival’s New Year’s Eve dinner symbolizes family reunion and is typically a sumptuous affair, symbolizing good wishes for the new year. Dishes like fish for surplus year after year, dumplings symbolizing wealth and prosperity, and rice cakes symbolizing continuous advancement, each carry auspicious meanings. On New Year’s Eve, households set off fireworks and firecrackers to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new. Despite recent environmental policies restricting fireworks, urban light shows, lion and dragon dances, and drone fireworks displays continue to enliven the festive atmosphere.
During the Spring Festival, elders give red envelopes containing lucky money to younger generations as a way of expressing blessings and congratulations. People also visit relatives and friends, exchanging New Year greetings and wishing each other good health and success in the new year.
World Tour of Spring Festival
Spring Festival belongs not only to China but has long been a grand festival for Chinese communities worldwide. In major cities like New York, London, Paris, Milan, and San Francisco, grand Spring Festival celebrations are held annually. Chinatowns are adorned with lanterns and decorations, while dragon and lion dances, float parades, and temple fairs immerse locals in the joyous atmosphere of the Spring Festival. Governments and iconic landmarks in many countries, such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Big Ben in London, and the Sydney Opera House, also illuminate in red lights during the Spring Festival to send blessings to Chinese communities worldwide.
Furthermore, the “Spring Festival economy” is booming. Overseas malls launch special Spring Festival promotions, featuring limited-edition products, festive foods, and Chinese cultural experience activities that attract participation from locals. The influence of the Spring Festival has transcended borders, becoming a vital bridge for global cultural exchange.
Cultural symbol
In its announcement, UNESCO stated, “The Spring Festival is one of the world’s most important traditional festivals, representing family reunion, cultural identity, and the harmonious coexistence of world multiculturalism.” From the lively celebrations of the Spring Festival domestically, to the steadfastness and innovation of overseas Chinese in celebrating the festival, to the Spring Festival becoming a world-class cultural symbol, Chinese New Year is presenting the unique charm of Chinese culture to the world in a more open, inclusive, and vibrant manner.