What Do Chinese People Do During the Spring Festival?
The Spring Festival, as the most important traditional festival in China, carries profound cultural connotations and strong national emotions. It is not only a time to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new but also a grand celebration for family reunions and shared joys. With the development of the times, the customs of the Spring Festival have been evolving while being passed down. There is a continuation of ancient traditions and an integration of many modern popular elements, radiating new vitality.
I. Traditional Customs of the Spring Festival
(1) Pre - festival Preparations
Spring Cleaning: The Chinese character for "dust" (尘) has the same pronunciation as the character for "old" (陈) in Chinese. Thus, spring cleaning implies "removing the old and making way for the new." The intention is to sweep away all the bad luck and ill - fortune. This custom reflects people's aspiration to break with the old and embrace the new. Every household conducts a thorough cleaning before the Spring Festival, including cleaning windows, sweeping the floor, and wiping furniture, making the home look brand - new.
Putting up New Year Decorations: This is an important custom during the Spring Festival and includes putting up Spring Festival couplets, door gods, horizontal scrolls, New Year paintings, the character "Fu" (福), and window paper - cuts. Spring Festival couplets are a unique form of Chinese literature, using neatly - paired and concise words to depict beautiful images and express good wishes. Hanging door gods is meant to ward off evil spirits and disasters, safeguarding the peace of the family. Inverting the character "Fu" is a homophone for "fortune has arrived," expressing people's longing for a happy life and good future. The colorful New Year paintings and delicate window paper - cuts add a strong festive atmosphere to the festival.
Buying New Year Goods: Before the Spring Festival, people go shopping for various New Year goods such as candies, nuts, fruits, new clothes, and firecrackers. The whole family goes to the market or supermarket together to select these items. Traditional New Year goods also include some auspicious foods. For example, New Year cakes symbolize "getting higher year by year," and fish represents "having more than enough every year."
(2) New Year's Eve and the First Day of the Lunar New Year
Reunion Dinner: The reunion dinner, also known as the New Year's Eve dinner, family reunion meal, etc., is a special family gathering on the eve of the Lunar New Year. This meal is the most important one for the family throughout the year, with a rich variety of dishes, each carrying a special meaning. For instance, dumplings are shaped like ingots, and eating dumplings is believed to bring wealth. Glutinous rice balls symbolize reunion and happiness. The whole family sits around the table, enjoying the delicious food and having a wonderful time.
Staying Up Late on New Year's Eve: Staying up late on New Year's Eve, also called "Shousui" (守岁) or "staying up to see the New Year in" colloquially, is a ritual of staying awake on the last night of the old year to welcome the arrival of the new year. Legend has it that staying up late can drive away evil spirits and plagues, ensuring the safety and health of the family. Nowadays, while staying up, people watch the Spring Festival Gala together, chat, play games, and wait for the New Year's bell to ring.
New Year's Greetings: Paying New Year's greetings is a traditional custom during the Spring Festival. It is a way for people to bid farewell to the old and express good wishes to each other. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the younger generation pays respects to the elders, wishing them health, longevity, and all the best. In return, the elders give lucky money to the younger generation, which is usually wrapped in a red envelope, also known as a "red packet." The lucky money is believed to ward off evil spirits and protect the younger generation in the new year. Besides visiting relatives and friends to pay New Year's greetings, people also send New Year wishes to distant friends and relatives via phone calls, text messages, etc.
(3) Other Customs
During the Spring Festival, especially young Chinese people tend to put on traditional costumes such as Hanfu, Tang suits, or cheongsams（QiPao） to visit relatives and friends or go on trips and take pictures at scenic spots, adding a touch of grandeur and festivity to the Spring Festival celebrations. Wearing these traditional costumes during the Spring Festival is not just a form of fashion expression. It is more about showing respect for and inheriting Chinese cultural traditions. It connects people with their roots and showcases the beauty of Chinese culture to the world.
Ancestor Worship: Ancestor worship is a religious activity rooted in the belief in the harmonious co - existence of heaven and earth and is an important part of Chinese etiquette. During the Spring Festival, people hold ancestor - worshiping ceremonies to remember their ancestors and pray for the peace and prosperity of the family. The forms of ancestor worship vary by region. In some places, people place ancestral tablets at home and offer sacrifices, while in others, they go to ancestral halls or cemeteries.
Dragon and Lion Dances: Dragon and lion dances are traditional Chinese folk art performances that often take place during important festivals like the Spring Festival. The dragon dance symbolizes good luck, good weather, and smooth sailing. The lion dance implies driving away evil spirits and bringing good luck and peace. The dragon and lion dance teams usually consist of many people. They wear colorful costumes and, accompanied by the sound of gongs and drums, perform agile and dynamic movements with the dragon and lion, which is truly wonderful.
Visiting Temple Fairs: Temple fairs are traditional Chinese folk activities, usually held during the Spring Festival. There are various special snacks, handicrafts, and folk performances at the temple fairs, creating a bustling atmosphere. People can taste delicious food, buy souvenirs, and enjoy performances at the temple fairs, experiencing the strong festive atmosphere. Temple fairs are also important places for inheriting and promoting traditional culture, where many folk arts and traditional customs are displayed and passed down.
II. Modern Popular Elements of the Spring Festival
(1) The Spring Festival Gala: A Cultural Feast for Global Chinese
The Spring Festival Gala is a comprehensive variety show hosted by China Media Group on New Year's Eve every year to celebrate the New Year. It has accompanied generations of Chinese people to spend a happy and peaceful New Year's Eve and has become a cultural feast shared by global Chinese. Take the 2025 Spring Festival Gala as an example. The number of direct and on - demand views on new media platforms reached 2.817 billion times, the reading volume of Spring Festival Gala - related social media topics reached 16.6 billion times, and the social media interaction volume reached 670 million times, setting a new record for previous Spring Festival Galas. The performer of the opening visual show "Welcome Blessings" is Li Ziqi, a globally renowned short - video creator of traditional culture. She has displayed the beauty of China's intangible cultural heritage to the fullest. I'm a fan of hers myself. The long dress she wore integrates 13 intangible cultural heritage techniques, including Weifang kite - making, Zhijin craftsmanship, Wuhan's plant - dyeing, Qingshen bamboo - weaving in Sichuan, Wenzhou's mother - of - pearl inlay, Chengdu lacquer art, Nanjing's Yunjin brocade loom makeup flower, Beijing's silk flower - making, Beichuan's Qiang embroidery, and Yingshan's flower - twining. It perfectly interprets the beauty of traditional Chinese culture.
In addition, the robot performance show on the Spring Festival Gala stage was also one of the globally - discussed topics. The Spring Festival Gala is broadcast live and reported through CGTN (China Global Television Network) in English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Russian channels, and 82 language foreign - language dissemination platforms, in conjunction with more than 2,900 media in over 200 countries and regions around the world, showing the world the excitement and charm of the Chinese Spring Festival.
(2) Electronic Red Envelopes: Convenient and Fun Ways to Send Blessings
The emergence of electronic red envelopes has changed the traditional way of giving lucky money. Nowadays, people can send red envelopes to their relatives and friends through mobile payment platforms such as WeChat and Alipay. Electronic red envelopes are not only convenient but also add interactivity and fun. During the Spring Festival, various groups are filled with the joy of grabbing red envelopes. People share the joy of the festival while grabbing red envelopes. In addition, some platforms have launched the function of customizing red envelope covers, making red envelopes more personalized and festival - featured.
(3) Segmented Spring Festival Celebration: A Balance between Work and Life
In recent years, the "segmented Spring Festival celebration" has gradually become a new trend. Many people choose to divide their holidays into two parts. In the first part, they set off on a journey back home two or three days in advance to spend New Year's Eve with their families. In the second part, starting from the first or second day of the Lunar New Year, they embark on a domestic cross - provincial tour or a short - term overseas tour. This way of celebrating the Spring Festival not only satisfies people's desire to reunite with their families but also gives them the opportunity to relax and experience different local customs during the holiday. For example, Ms. Guo, who works in Hangzhou, first drives back to her hometown in Lin'an, Zhejiang, to celebrate the Spring Festival. Then, on the second day of the Lunar New Year, she takes her whole family on a trip to other places and finally returns to Hangzhou. The "segmented Spring Festival celebration" is becoming increasingly popular among young people.
(4) "Spring Festival - themed Tourism": A New Cultural Experience Integrating Culture and Tourism
Checking in at intangible cultural heritage experience activities and having an authentic Chinese New Year, "Spring Festival - themed tourism" is becoming a popular choice for domestic tourists during the Spring Festival. During the journey, people can enjoy traditional folk performances from various places, such as dragon and lion dances, stilt - walking, and yangge dancing. They can also participate in the making of traditional handicrafts, such as paper - cutting, dough - figurine making, and sugar - painting, experiencing the charm of traditional culture. In terms of travel destinations, traveling south to escape the cold or traveling north to enjoy the snow are two main trends during the Spring Festival. Harbin, as a popular destination for ice and snow tourism in China, has seen a significant year - on - year increase in tourism booking orders during the Spring Festival. Meanwhile, southern cities like Kunming, Fuzhou, and Xiamen, which are good for escaping the cold, are also highly favored by northern tourists.
(5) The Internationalization of the Spring Festival: A Global Cultural Festival
The Spring Festival is not only a traditional Chinese festival but also gradually becoming a global cultural festival shared by the world. In many foreign cities, Spring Festival celebrations are held, such as dragon and lion dance performances, Spring Festival temple fairs, and fireworks shows. More and more foreigners have developed a strong interest in the Chinese Spring Festival. They come to China in person, visit ordinary Chinese families, celebrate the Spring Festival with the Chinese people, and experience traditional customs such as making dumplings, cutting window paper - cuts, and pasting Spring Festival couplets. In addition, during the Spring Festival, Chinese - made New Year goods are also sold all over the world. Chinese lanterns, artificial flowers, scented candles, and snacks are very popular in foreign markets.
Finally, during the Chinese New Year holiday, Jianxihanfu hopes that everyone has good luck in the new year. At the same time, may you be in good health, successful in your careers, and have harmonious relationships. All the folks at Jianxihanfu wish you a happy Chinese New Year!
