At the start of the year, Chinese New Year immerses young and old in 15 days of festivities and ancestral traditions. Discover the sign that will reign in 2025 and all the details about this unique event.
At the end of January, Chinese communities around the world will enter a lunar new year with the Chinese New Year, also known as the “Spring Festival”. This event is very symbolic, it finds its roots in ancient agricultural traditions. Originally, it marked the transition to spring and symbolized the hope of good harvests. Today, this lunar festival continues to unite Chinese communities around ancestral traditions and a new emblematic animal, celebrated for 15 days of festivities until the Lantern Festival.
This year, Chinese New Year begins on Wednesday January 29, 2025 and ends two weeks later with the Lantern Festival, Wednesday February 12, 2025.
What is the Chinese New Year animal in 2025?
After a year 2024 placed under the sign of the Dragon, 2025 will be the year of the Snake, associated with the element of Wood. In Chinese culture, the sign of the Snake is synonymous with wisdom, creativity and reflection. It embodies the ability to analyze situations in depth, exercise caution and adopt ingenious solutions. Wood adds a dimension of growth and renewal, making the Wooden Snake a symbol of balanced intelligence and resilience in the face of challenges.
Why does Chinese New Year last 15 days?
According to tradition, the Chinese New Year begins on the second new moon after the winter solstice and lasts 15 days, until the first full moon, the day of the Lantern Festival. During this period, festivities honor the deities and allow us to chase away the negative energies of the past year, to start again under better auspices. In China, it is also the longest holiday period of the year.
What are the traditions of Chinese New Year?
If you are lucky enough to travel to a country or neighborhood in a city celebrating Chinese New Year, you will observe many traditions. The streets and houses are adorned with red decorations. The dinner is marked by symbolic dishes, followed by an exchange of red envelopes containing money or wishes. Firecrackers, fireworks, dragon and lion dances liven up the festivities.
Our manual activities around Chinese New Year
To keep children busy and get them involved in preparing for the Chinese New Year, Hugo the Snail offers you manual activities to do as well as coloring on the theme of Chinese New Year. A dragon to make with toilet paper rolls, dragon heads to cut out, Chinese New Year calendars to print or even a lantern making workshop… Find all our craft ideas for young and old:
Our decorating tips for Chinese New Year
Decorating your house and its interior is part of the customs of Chinese New Year. Here are all our decorating tips:
What do we eat for Chinese New Year?
The Chinese New Year meal, or “spring banquet”, is shared with the family with symbolic dishes to bring luck and prosperity. Fish, a sign of abundance, is essential, often accompanied by noodles for longevity. Chinese fondue, Peking duck, caramel pork, jiaozi ravioli and imperial rolls often complete the menu.
For dessert, fruits, like clementines, symbolize health and happiness. Nian gao, a traditional cake, is also in the spotlight, sometimes with nougat or “fortune cookies”. Leftovers are seen as a guarantee of success for the year to come.
The Lantern Festival, which also goes by the name “Little New Year”, ends the Chinese New Year festivities. During this festival, the Chinese meet with family or friends to eat yuanxiao, stuffed rice balls, served in a soup whose rounded shape symbolizes the reunited family. In the evening, they go out into the street with lanterns in their hands to watch the moon, admire the fireworks, and play riddles written on the lanterns.
During the day, different dances and stilt walks are also organized. This custom dates back to the time of Emperor Qin Shihuang, who unified China around 3 centuries BC. Lantern riddles appeared later during the Song Dynasty (960-1279).
