10 Things You Should Know About Chinese New Year 2023

The Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival as it is sometimes known, is an important celebration for many Chinese families. During this time of year, they take special care to cleanse their home of any bad luck and create an atmosphere of good fortune. People decorate the entrance to their homes with red cutouts featuring the characters for “happiness” and “wealth”; these bright colors are thought to bring positive energy into the house.

This holiday also marks a shift in seasons, as winter comes to a close and warmer weather starts to move in. This provides an opportunity for families to gather together and celebrate the start of a new year with traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation. From gathering around the dinner table for feasts of dumplings and fish dishes, traditional music performances, exchanging gifts such as red envelopes containing money, to setting off firecrackers – all of these activities come together to create an event filled with joy and optimism.

Interestingly enough, each year of the Chinese New Year is represented by one of twelve animals: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster/chicken, dog and pig. Each animal has its own unique characteristics which are said to be associated with those born in that particular year – both good qualities and not-so-good qualities that serve as life lessons!

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When is Chinese New Year 2023?

Chinese New Year 2023 will start on January 22nd, 2023, and last until February 9th, 2024. 

This year celebrates the beginning of a new zodiac cycle – the Year of the Rabbit. Those born in 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011 and 2035 are Rabbits according to the Chinese Zodiac. As such 2023 marks a special milestone for these people as it is their benmingnian (birth sign year) which is said to bring bad luck.

Why does the Chinese New Year date change every year?

The date of Chinese New Year is determined by the Chinese Lunar Calendar, which follows different cycles than those found in the Gregorian calendar. While most countries use the internationally accepted Gregorian calendar, China has its own system based on lunar cycles and its own zodiacs for determining days and years. This unique system is about 21-51 days behind our standard international calendar.

As such, Chinese New Year moves around a lot from year to year. It starts between January 21st and February 20th, however. This is because it is based off of astronomical events such as new moon day – usually two days after winter solstice – which occurs at different points annually due to varying cycles of sun and moon formations throughout time.

Chinese New Year is also called “spring festival”

Chinese New Year, also known as the “Spring Festival” is a time-honored tradition celebrated in China and many other countries around the world. This annual holiday marks the beginning of spring according to the ancient Chinese calendar, which is why it is lovingly referred to as “Spring Festival” even though it is held in winter.

Chinese New Year is an iconic annual celebration steeped in centuries of tradition, commonly referred to as the “Spring Festival” due to its timing according to the ancient Chinese calendar. It marks the end of the coldest time of winter when people can begin looking forward to warmer weather and longer days.

It is a festival that marks one quarter of the world’s population

Chinese New Year is celebrated by more than two billion people worldwide in various forms, making it a festival for a quarter of the world’s population. A number of countries claim this festival as an official holiday, including China, Indonesia, The Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea, Malaysia, North Korea, Singapore and Brunei. Although not native to South-East Asia, Western societies have adapted to the trend of universal individualism and are increasingly celebrating this festival as well. From New York to London, cities such as Vancouver and Sydney also mark Chinese New Year among their biggest cultural symbols.

Guo Nian Hao means Happy New Year!

As the Chinese New Year celebrations are underway, one of the best greetings to say is ‘Guo Nian Hao’, which translates to Happy New Year! There are lots of different greetings that can be said during this time, but wishing someone a happy new year with this simple phrase is sure to put a smile on everyone’s face.

Famous color is red

Red is the main color of Chinese New Year decorations, with houses decked out with red Spring Festival couplets, lanterns and paper cuttings; streets lit up in red lanterns; and many people dressed in red. It symbolizes happiness, wealth and prosperity, while also believed to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits- nearly as important as Christmas trees are to Christmas!

Children receive red envelopes with money inside

During Chinese New Year, children are often given red envelopes containing money as a gift. The amount of money should not be divisible by 4 or contain the number 4 itself as it can sound like ‘death’ in Chinese. Regardless of how much is given, children can spend the money however they would like to!

Lantern Festival

The Lantern Festival marks the end of Chinese New Year. People celebrate with their families and send off flying lanterns into the sky, as a way to symbolize reconciliation, peace and forgiveness.

Some information about food

On Chinese New Year’s Eve, people indulge in auspicious foods for their symbolic value. Dumplings are a popular choice as they represent wealth; it is said that next year you will make as much money as you eat. Fish is also eaten as its Chinese name (鱼 Yú /yoo/) sounds like ‘surplus’, granting abundance and good luck.

Chinese New Year causes the world’s largest annual migration

Millions of Chinese people travel to be with their families for the Chinese New Year. It is estimated that over 200 million people from mainland China must travel to get home, along with tens of millions more in other countries. This makes Chinese New Year the largest annual human migration in the world, also called the Spring Festival Travel Rush.