The Origin and Customs of the Chinese New Year

The Origin of Chinese New Year

The origin of Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) can be traced back to the New Year's harvest prayers and sacrifices in ancient times. At that time, following the agricultural rhythm, people offered sacrifices to heaven, earth and ancestors during farm leisure, praying for favorable weather and a bumper harvest in the coming year. According to legend, a fierce beast called "Nian" would appear in the deep winter at the end of the year. It was ferocious and active at night while hiding during the day, destroying crops and attacking humans and livestock, bringing great suffering to the people. By chance, people discovered that Nian feared the color red, loud noises and fire. So on the day at the end of the year, they pasted red couplets, set off firecrackers, lit candles and stayed up late, and Nian fled in panic at the sight.

The Han Dynasty was a crucial period for the formation of Spring Festival. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty issued the Taichu Calendar, officially designating the first day of the first lunar month as the start of the year and integrating the previous customs of sacrifice and exorcism. After the development of the Tang, Song, Ming and Qing dynasties, Spring Festival continuously added activities such as pasting Spring Festival couplets, paying New Year's greetings and visiting temple fairs. It gradually evolved from a ritual of praying for blessings and exorcising evil spirits into a national festival embodying the expectation of reunion and strengthening family ties, becoming the most significant traditional festival in Chinese culture.

Chinese New Year is a time for family reunion

The reunion moments of Chinese New Year lie in little daily matters filled with warmth and life. On Chinese New Year's Eve, the whole family gets busy early: elders stew braised dishes and wrap ingot-shaped dumplings in the kitchen, while the counter is covered with fish, chicken and rice cakes, symbolizing surplus year after year and good fortune; younger generations paste Spring Festival couplets, stick "Fu" characters (meaning blessings) and hang red lanterns under the eaves, letting the New Year atmosphere spread amid the busyness.

At dinner, the whole family sits around the table, raises glasses to chat about daily life, and shares the gains and expectations of the past year. After the meal, younger family members pay New Year's respects to elders to receive red envelopes (lucky money), and elders pass on blessings for peace and smoothness; children gather around the TV to watch the Spring Festival Gala, while adults play mahjong and talk about recent life, filling the brightly lit room with laughter and joy.

On the first day of the lunar New Year, the whole family puts on new clothes to visit relatives and friends, exchanging "Happy New Year" and blessings. Amid reunion and care, the bond of family affection grows stronger.

The Origin and Evolution of the Custom of New Year Lantern Festivals

The custom of appreciating lanterns during the New Year has deep roots in the sacrificial culture of ancient ancestors. At that time, people firmly believed that "fire can exorcise evil spirits." During the leisure period at the end of the year after harvest, they would light bonfires to worship heaven, earth, and ancestors, using firelight to dispel darkness and evil, and praying for smoothness in the coming year. The reverence and worship for "fire" laid the foundation for the lantern custom—firelight evolved from a sacrificial tool into a cultural symbol embodying prayers for blessings.

The Han Dynasty was a pivotal period for laying the foundation of the lantern custom. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty designated the first lunar month as the start of the year, and with the rise of the "Lantern Festival" (the 15th day of the first lunar month), lighting lanterns became a core tradition. Legend has it that Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty advocated Buddhism. Learning of the Buddhist tradition of lighting lanterns to worship the Buddha on the 15th day of the first lunar month, he ordered lanterns to be hung extensively in both the imperial court and among the people. Since then, the custom of lighting lanterns has been deeply integrated with New Year celebrations, not only inheriting the meaning of exorcising evil and praying for blessings but also adding the cultural connotation of respecting and worshipping the Buddha.

During the Tang and Song dynasties, the lantern custom entered its prime. The prosperity of social economy transformed the simple fire-lighting ritual into grand lantern festivals. In the Tang Dynasty, capitals like Chang'an and Luoyang featured lantern wheels as tall as 20 zhang (ancient Chinese unit of length, approx. 66 meters), adorned with brocade, silk, gold, and silver, with 50,000 lanterns clustered into flower-like trees for the whole nation to admire. The Song Dynasty took lantern festivals to new heights—lantern shows in Bianjing, Lin'an, and other cities lasted for days. Exquisite crafts such as revolving lanterns and lotus lanterns emerged, and interactive activities like lantern riddles and lantern-themed poems came into being, making lantern festivals a festive event combining appreciation, entertainment, and social interaction.

In the Ming and Qing dynasties, the New Year lantern festival custom became established and deeply rooted in people's hearts. From the first day of the lunar New Year to the Lantern Festival, streets, alleys, gardens, temples, and Taoist abbeys were decorated with lanterns, becoming must-visit places for family reunions and visiting relatives and friends. Dragon lanterns symbolize a prosperous age, fish lanterns represent surplus year after year, and "Fu" (blessing) character lanterns convey wishes for longevity, health, and peace—each lantern embodies people's beautiful expectations for the New Year.

After thousands of years of evolution, appreciating lanterns during the New Year has long transcended its original purposes of sacrifice and Buddha worship, becoming a cultural symbol carrying reunion, blessings, and entertainment. Today's Spring Festival lantern festivals blend traditional craftsmanship with modern technology, creating more splendid light effects, but the expectation for peace and harmony remains unchanged. This custom flowing in the light has been deeply etched into the Spring Festival memories of the Chinese people, becoming a cultural treasure passed down from generation to generation.