The year of the Snake is coming!
蛇年
shénián
Year of the Snake
This year, the Spring Festival (春节, Chūnjié) falls on Wednesday, January 29th.
Curious about how Chinese families celebrate this festive season? Here are 5 popular customs that make the Spring Festival so special!
🧧Exchange Red Envelopes
It's common to exchange 红包 (hóngbāo) - red packets filled with cash. Giving hóngbāo is not just about money; it's a way to spread blessings, strengthen family bonds, and welcome the new year with joy.
红包
hóngbāo
red envelope
NOTE .
In recent years, digital 红包 (hóngbāo) have become very popular, especially through apps like WeChat. Now, families, friends, and coworkers can send virtual 红包 with just a tap, keeping this tradition alive in the modern world.
🔴 Importance of Red
The color red (红色, hóngsè) plays a key role in Chinese New Year traditions, symbolizing luck and prosperity. ♦️
红色
hóngsè
red color
During Chinese New Year, you'll see red everywhere:
🏮lanterns (灯笼, dēnglong);
🧍♂️red clothing (红衣服, hóng yīfu);
💥firecrackers (鞭炮, biānpào);
✂️paper cuttings (窗花, chuānghuā);
🧧red envelopes (红包, hóngbāo);
🎁gift wrapping (礼物包装, lǐwù bāozhuāng).
NOTE .
On New Year's Eve, whether you wear a bold red outfit or a small red accessory, it's believed to bring good luck (好运, hǎoyùn) to you and your family.
💥 Setting Off Firecrackers
Firecrackers (爆竹, bàozhú) are an iconic part of the Spring Festival, with deep roots in tradition and symbolism.
According to legend, the loud noise and bright explosions are believed to chase away 年兽 (niánshòu), a mythical beast that would appear during the New Year to cause harm.
爆竹
bàozhú
firecracker
lit. "to explode-bamboo"
A MODERN TWIST.
Digital firecrackers (电子鞭炮, diànzǐ biānpào) have become popular, especially in cities with firecracker bans. These digital versions allow people to continue the tradition in a safer, environmentally friendly way.
✂️ Make Paper-Cuts
剪窗花
jiǎn chuānghuā
to make papercuts
If you make your own paper-cut design, you can glue it to the exterior of your window, so the light from the inside can shine through the negative space of the cutout.
✂️ The most popular characters are:
福 (fú) ∙ luck
囍 (xǐ) ∙ double happiness
春 (chūn) ∙ spring
财 (cái) ∙ wealth
🖌 Write Spring
Festival Couplets
Traditionally, 春联 (chūnlián) are two lines of vertical text written in black ink on red paper and pasted on both sides of the door + one horizontal line at the top.
People hang them on their doorways, walls, or windows and the text includes New Year wishes or something you'd like to have more of in the New Year: wealth, luck, success, peace ✨
春联
chūnlián
Spring Festival couplets
NOTE .
Some 春联 (chūnlián) are intentionally hung upside down as part of the tradition. For instance, when the character 福 (fú, luck) is placed upside down (倒, dào), it creates a pun that means "luck has arrived."
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