What Is The Spring Festival?

Views: 6 Author: B. Chisholm Publish Time: 2021-02-20 Origin: WISEGEEK

The Spring Festival, widely known as Chinese New Year, is the most significant holiday in the Chinese calendar. This vibrant celebration typically spans fifteen days, beginning on the evening before the first day of the first lunar month and concluding with the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day. Preparations start well in advance, with families traveling to reunite and celebrate together, much like Western traditions during Christmas.

Unlike the Gregorian calendar, the Chinese calendar is lunar, meaning the Spring Festival usually falls between late January and mid-February. Celebrated by Chinese communities worldwide, it features dazzling fireworks, lively lion dances, dragon dances, and colorful parades. At its heart, the festival is a time for families to come together, share meals, and welcome the new year.

Preparations for the Spring Festival

In the days leading up to Chinese New Year, people thoroughly clean their homes—inside and out—to sweep away bad spirits and invite good fortune for the year ahead. Other traditions include getting haircuts, settling debts, and purchasing new clothes. Homes are adorned with red paper scrolls featuring black Chinese characters, symbolizing hopes and wishes for prosperity and happiness in the coming year. On New Year’s Eve, families gather for a grand feast, often enjoying jiaozi (steamed dumplings), a traditional dish symbolizing wealth and good luck.

 ###迎新年的传统 (Welcoming the New Year) At midnight, fireworks and firecrackers light up the sky, a custom believed to scare off evil spirits and usher in a fresh start. The first few days of the Spring Festival are dedicated to visiting relatives and friends, exchanging gifts, and spreading New Year blessings. Children receive “lucky money” in red envelopes, a cherished tradition, while everyone dons new outfits to signify renewal. 

 Public celebrations spill onto the streets with parades, traditional music, and dance performances, including lion and dragon dances. These festivities often last for the first five days—or longer—and are mirrored by Chinese communities globally, who celebrate with equal enthusiasm. 

The Lantern Festival: A Grand Finale

The Spring Festival concludes on the fifteenth day with the Lantern Festival, coinciding with the first full moon of the lunar year. Streets and homes glow with strung-up lanterns, and lion dances entertain the crowds. Families feast once more, often eating dumplings like yuanxiao (sweet rice dumplings). A highlight of the night is guessing riddles written on paper attached to lanterns. If someone solves a riddle correctly, they remove the paper, present their answer to the lantern’s owner, and receive a small prize.