Chinese New Year 2024

Lunar Date: Saturday 1 January 2024
Date in Australia: Saturday 10 February 2024
Public Holiday?: Yes
Suitable for Gift-Giving?: No

Spring Festival (春节) is one of the most significant and distinctive traditional holidays in China. It generally refers to Chinese New Year’s Eve and the first day of the lunar calendar. The celebration typically starts on Laba Festival or Little New Year and lasts until the Lantern Festival, encompassing the entire New Year period.

The Spring Festival boasts a long history, originating from the early beliefs and natural worship of ancient humans. Initially, it involved sacrificial rituals to welcome the new year, praying for abundant harvests and prosperity for both people and livestock. Over time, these ceremonies evolved into a series of celebratory activities, eventually forming the Spring Festival we know today. The term “Spring Festival” came into regular use after the Xinhai Revolution.

During the Spring Festival, Han Chinese and many minority ethnic groups across China engage in various activities to mark the occasion. These activities typically focus on paying respect to ancestors, expressing gratitude, praying for blessings, family reunions, sweeping away the old, and welcoming the new. The festivities have a rich cultural significance, with customs such as eating Laba porridge, worshipping the Kitchen God, cleaning the house, pasting Spring Festival couplets, and setting off fireworks.

Influenced by Chinese culture, several countries and regions worldwide now celebrate the Lunar New Year. From Egypt to Brazil, from the Empire State Building in New York to the Sydney Opera House, the Chinese Lunar New Year brings a wave of “China Style” across the globe. In 2006, the festival’s rich history and customs were added to the first national list of intangible cultural heritage. As of 2023, the United Nations officially recognises the Lunar New Year as a holiday, marking its global importance. The Spring Festival will continue to be a time of rich historical, artistic, and cultural significance for generations to come.

Name of the Festival

The Spring Festival, also known as Chinese Lunar New Year, has various names such as New Spring, New Year, or Year’s Eve. Its roots trace back to ancient times when people performed sacrificial rituals at the beginning of the year. The word “Spring” symbolises life, growth, and renewal, while “Festival” refers to a significant occasion for celebration. The festival represents new beginnings, hope, and family reunion.

In ancient China, the first month of the lunar calendar was called Zheng Yue or Yuan Yue, though the exact dates varied across different dynasties. It wasn’t until after the Xinhai Revolution that the first day of the lunar year became known as Spring Festival, while the Gregorian calendar’s January 1st was renamed New Year’s Day.

Festivities and Traditions

The traditions and rituals of the Spring Festival have evolved over time, blending customs from various regions into more fixed and shared practices that continue to this day. These activities are largely centred around the themes of offering thanks to deities, honouring ancestors, seeking protection from evil spirits, and enjoying time with family.

Some of the key Spring Festival traditions include:

1. Buying New Year’s Goods (年货): This involves preparing essential items for the celebration, including food, clothing, and gifts. The preparation of year goods is a nationwide activity, no matter the regional differences.
2. Cutting Year Meat (割年肉): As part of the festival, families prepare meat for their New Year’s meals, a tradition that dates back to times when meat was scarce and only eaten on special occasions.
3. Worshipping the Kitchen God (祭灶): This custom has its origins in ancient fire worship, with the Kitchen God being responsible for overseeing the household’s food and fortune.
4. House Cleaning (扫尘): Known as Dust Sweeping Day, this involves a thorough house cleaning to sweep away bad luck from the previous year, symbolising a fresh start.
5. Pasting Red Couplets (贴年红): Families decorate their homes with red couplets, window flowers, and images of the God of Door for good fortune.
6. New Year’s Eve Dinner (年夜饭): The most important family meal of the year, symbolising reunion and featuring foods like fish, which represents abundance, and dumplings, representing wealth.
7. Staying Up for the New Year (守岁): Families stay awake throughout the night, keeping the lights on to symbolise the arrival of the new year.
8. Giving Red Envelopes (压岁钱): Elders give red envelopes containing money to children, symbolising protection and blessings for the new year.
9. Setting off Firecrackers (放鞭炮): Firecrackers are set off to welcome the new year and ward off evil spirits, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.
10. Lantern Lighting (生旺火): On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, people light bonfires or torches to symbolise the burning away of the old and welcoming the new year.

The Spring Festival brings people together in celebration and thanksgiving, with customs passed down through generations, each rich in symbolism and meaning.