The Chinese New Year will start from the 28th of January to the 4th of February. As we ushered in the year of the snake, Expats Holidays will always be here to help with your travel needs to offer an unforgettable travel experience. Therefore we have gathered some information for you, hoping to fulfill your Chinese New Year.
The Chinese New Year's customs
This is a great opportunity to experience the customs that the Chinese people practice during this holiday season with your friends or family. Pick one of the below customs and try it!
Clean the house
Sweep, mop, scrub, dust, vacuum, steam -- do everything to make sure your home is spick and span before midnight on Chinese New Year eve. The aim here is to say goodbye to the old and embrace the new.
Tip: Not only clean the furniture full of dust but also change the sheets.
New Year's shopping
People will go for New Year shopping to buy new clothes, gifts for relatives, foods, snacks, nuts, spring couplets, lanterns, and many other decorations to put in the house.
Tip: You can either buy everything from the supermarket or visit Nanjing East Road, Yu Garden and Tianzifang.
Hang up spring couplets
Before Chinese New Year, people will buy some spring couplets and other new year decorations including red lanterns, paper Cutouts, New Year's paintings, and so on to make themselves in a jubilant mood. Hanging up those decorations is to keep evil away and pray for blessing, longevity, health, and peace.
Tip: you can easily buy the decorations in the supermarket. 2024 is the Year of the Dragon, so remember to choose some Dragon decorations.
Enjoy a family reunion dinner
Dinner is one of the major events of the Chinese New Year and is often considered the most important family gathering for Chinese people. Whether the meal is cooked and eaten at home or enjoyed at a restaurant, all members of the family, old and young attend the feast. Although every region in China has different customs, some common dishes can be found on every table such as chicken, pork, fish and vegetables.
Tips
1. Fish is intentionally left unfinished to be kept for the next day. The reason for this is to echo a Chinese phrase 年年有余(nián nián yǒu yú) which means "to have abundant profit every year".
2. Spring rolls often appear on the reunion dinner tables in Southern China to celebrate the coming of spring.
Give/receive red envelopes
The red envelopes are generally given out to children or younger unmarried relatives from those who are already married. By passing the money to children, elders hope that a year of good luck and blessings can also be delivered.
Tip: There is also a widespread convention that the number four should not appear in the amount, such as in 40, 400 and 444. Due to the pronunciation of the word four in Mandarin is homophonous to the word "death". Furthermore, the amount of money contained in the envelope usually ends with an even digit.
Stay up late
This custom is called 守岁 (shǒu suì) and means to stay up late or all night on Chinese New Year's Eve. After the grand reunion dinner, all family members will sit together, chatting, playing cards or mahjong, watch the CCTV gala to welcome the New Year.
Tip: The legend says that staying up late can delay the aging process of the elder family member and prolong their life. The longer children stay awake, the longer their parents will live.
Visit friends and relatives
On the second day of Chinese New Year families go out to visit their friends, and family with many gifts and are treated to many foods when arriving. It is a great time to wish each person luck, joy, and abundance in the New Year.
Tips
1. 新年快乐 Xīnnián kuàilè: Happy New Year.
2. 吉祥如意 jíxiáng rúyì: Good fortune according to your wishes.
3. 心想事成 Xīnxiǎng shì chéng: May all your wishes come true.
Travel Tips for Chinese New Year
Your safety is our first priority as always, therefore we have gathered some information for you, hoping to make your Chinese New Year safer! Take care and be safe during your holiday season. If you have any travel issue or need any travel advice, we are here to support you as always.
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Chinese New Year desserts you can try
Desserts are made to give blessings for the next year. Both the names and looks are symbols of wishes for prosperity, happiness and auspiciousness. Though every region and even family has different customs, below you can find the most famous desserts.
Rice Cake 年糕 (nián gāo)
This dessert is something you offer your family members in order to wish them success in their career and good health in the new year. Rice Cake was already popular during the Wei and Jin dynasties (220-420 A.D.)
After more than two thousand years of development, there is a big difference between the northern regions and the southern regions. In the north, people prefer to prepare the rice cake as dessert while in the south it is usually stir-fried with meat and vegetables for a savory dish. You can easily buy it from the supermarket or perhaps make it by yourself.
Steamed Sponge Cake 发糕 (fā gāo)
The same as with the Rice Cake, the "gao" is still a wish for success. But the "fa" comes from the Chinese 发财 (Fā cái) which means to gain wealth and make a fortune. The Hakka people believe if the crack on the top of the sponge cake is bigger then the better luck it will bring.
It is lightly sweetened, fluffy in appearance but dense. During the Chinese New Year, the cakes are usually dyed in bright colors, such as pink and green. You can find this dessert in Zhejiang, South China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
Turnip Cake 萝卜糕 (luó bo gāo)
Turnip Cake is popular in southern China, especially in the Fujian and Guangdong provinces. In Chinese, "radish" (菜头 / cài tóu) has a similar pronunciation as "good luck and fortune" (好彩头). The main ingredient is shredded radish to which is added rice flour and other flavoring ingredients such as sausages, shiitake, dried shrimp, etc.
To add even more flavoring, the cakes can be dipped in sauces. Some suggestions are soy sauce, kumquat jam and hot chili sauce. Although it is a common dim sum item in Cantonese restaurants you can eat it all year round, but giving it a try on Chinese New Year is a must.
Osmanthus Jelly 桂花糕 (guì huā gāo)
The name of the jelly is a pun, "桂 / Guì" a homophone for贵, which means noble. Also, in Chinese floriography osmanthus represents auspiciousness, friendship and success.
Osmanthus jelly has more than 300 years of history. The three main ingredients are glutinous rice powder, fresh osmanthus petals and bits of crystal sugar. Crystal osmanthus jelly is a well-known Shanghainese dessert for the Spring Festival while Xianyang uses a special osmanthus jam.
Jujube Flower Cakes 枣花糕 (zǎo huā gāo)
Jujube (枣—zǎo) is a homophone of "early" (早). It is a wish for the couples to have children soon or a wish for your dream to come true.
Regarding the shape, some people go for multi-tiered cakes, others mold the dough into a flower and simply press the fruit into the center like the petals. After steaming, the dough rises to a light spongey texture so you obtain a "bouquet" of jujube flowers.
Dragon's Beard Candy 龙须酥 (lóng xū táng)
Dragon's beard candy is a traditional Chinese confectionary similar to floss halva or Western cotton candy. It is often offered as a gift when you visit your friend or relative in Chinese New Year.
Dragon's Beard Candy dates back to the Han Dynasty in China. According to the legend, there was an Imperial Court chef who entertained the Emperor by showcasing the process of making the candy. This involved stretching a dough made of rice flour and sugar into small, thin strands. These strands resembled a dragon's beard and were sticky enough to literally stick to your face easily. Hence, the candy was named Dragon's Beard Candy.
The Expats Holidays staff wishes you a happy Chinese New Year of Dragon! Take care and be safe during your holiday season. If you have any travel issue or need any travel advice, we are here to support you as always.
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