Lunar New Year in China

The Day: Lunar New Year, also known as Spring Festival (春节, Chūnjié), is the most significant traditional Chinese holiday. It marks the beginning of the lunar calendar year, which is based on the cycles of the moon and typically falls between January 21 and February 20 in the Gregorian calendar.

History: The festival has a history dating back over 3,000 years, rooted in ancient agricultural society's need to mark the end of winter and the beginning of spring for farming purposes. It is influenced by Chinese mythology and Confucian philosophy.

Traditions:

• Cleaning: Homes are thoroughly cleaned before New Year’s Eve to sweep away bad fortune and make way for incoming good luck.
• Decorations: Red lanterns, couplets with poetic auspices, paper cuttings, and images of prosperity are used to decorate.
• Reunion Dinner: Perhaps the most important facet is the family reunion dinner on New Year's Eve where multiple generations gather.
• Red Envelopes: Known as 'hongbao', these are gifts of money given to children and elderly family members.
• Fireworks and Firecrackers: Believed to scare off evil spirits with their loud noises.
• Dragon Dance: The dragon symbolizes power, wisdom, and wealth. Dances are performed for good luck.

What People Do:

• People travel across the country for family reunions in what is considered the largest annual human migration (Chunyun).
• They indulge in various traditional foods symbolizing different wishes: dumplings (wealth), fish (surplus), rice cakes (growth), etc.
• Visit temples to pray for a good year ahead.
• Watch or participate in local festivals featuring music, dance, and performances.

The celebration typically lasts up to 15 days until the Lantern Festival. It's a time steeped in tradition with an emphasis on family unity, honor to ancestors, and ushering in prosperity.