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Chinese New Year, called Spring Festival in Chinese, is the most important holiday celebrated by the Chinese culture. It involves many traditional celebrations, decorations, and foods that are based on bringing luck in the new year, as determined by the Chinese lunisolar calendar established since ancient times.
Aesthetically, the holiday is very consistent with its use of red and gold, which are colors said to scare away evil spirits and represent wealth. And like other holidays, because of the highly traditional activities, the celebrations are consistent throughout the Chinese diaspora with a certain air of festivity.
Visuals[]
- Lanterns
- Fireworks
- Hongbao, which translates into red envelopes or red packets
- Traditional paper decorations, such as hanging scrolls, faux firecrackers, and square cut-outs
- Chinese knot decorations
- Market stalls and street festivals
- Dragon and lion dancers
- Imagery associated with the Chinese zodiac's animal of the year
Foods[]
Many of the dishes are known for being auspicious because of their names being puns that sound like phrases that bring luck.
An infographic that shows some common sweets for the season
- Steamed fish（蒸魚）
- Nian gao (年糕）
- Togetherness tray
- Noodles
- Dumplings（餃子）
- Apples
- Oranges and other citrus fruits
- Hot pot
- Tangyuan (汤圆）
- Spring rolls
- Tanghulu (糖葫芦）
Fashion[]
Like with every other visual associated with the holiday, people go to festivities wearing red and gold jewelry.
Chinese clothing is often worn at this time, such as with fancier qipao, Tangzhuang, etc. This especially includes children, who often are dressed up by their parents in traditional clothing made of brocade and trimmed with faux fur.
Activities[]
On Chinese new year, people typically attend festivals with all sorts of things, like lion dancing, lighting fireworks/fire crackers, and light lanterns. Young children also receive Red Envelope, or Hongbao (红包）from elders, aunts and uncles, and parents. Inside a Red Envelope is usually currency.
At home, family and friends gather around for dinner as they share food.
Children sometimes light sparklers and throw cherry bombs.
Gallery[]
