It’s an exciting time in China and Chinese communities around the world, as people are gearing up for the Spring Festival (春节 – chūn jié). Known to many as the Chinese New Year, this is the most important holiday in Chinese culture. The Spring Festival has a rich history as well as plenty of traditions and customs associated with it. We’ve covered the holiday in detail over the years here on the blog, so check out some of our best posts to learn all about it.

History of the Spring Festival

Image by Bridge Coila from flickr.com.

When does China celebrate the Spring Festival? Why do people wear red and light of fireworks? What is the story of the evil Nian beast? Find the answers to all these questions and more in this post.

Superstitions and Traditions

Every year there is fish!

The Spring Festival has tons of superstitions and traditions associated with it. Check out this post to find out why you shouldn’t get a haircut or buy new shoes in the first month of the year, why people eat fish and dumplings, and much more.

Spring Festival Vocabulary

年夜饭 – New Year’s Dinner

Get talking about the holiday in Chinese by learning a bunch of useful Spring Festival vocabulary.

Spring Festival Days 2-15

Image by Alpha from flickr.com.

While the holiday only officially lasts for a week, there are actually 15 whole days of the Spring Festival. Learn all about what happens from Day #2-15 in this post.

The Chinese Zodiac

The Chinese Zodiac.

We’re about to enter the Year of the Rooster, one of twelve animals on the Chinese zodiac calendar. Learn the history of the zodiac, figure out which animal you are, and dive deeper into its complex nature by reading this post.

Spring Festival in a Chinese Village

Chinese New Year in a village.

Back in 2015, we were fortunate enough to spend Chinese New Year in our friend’s village of Xiaohe, tucked away in the mountains of southern Yunnan province. The few days of eating, drinking, dancing, singing, and lighting off fireworks was an incredible experience. Read all about it here, and then check out the video:

In case you missed it, you should also check out Ayana’s awesome post from earlier this month about Chinese New Year greetings. I’ll leave you with one of the most common, which you can start saying to people as the holiday approaches:

恭喜发财!