Happy Chinese New Year! 新年快乐！On January 29, China welcomed in the new year. Also known as 春节 (chūnjié) Spring Festival, this is their most important holiday. It begins with the new year and lasts approximately two weeks. Today we’ll be sharing some of the most important traditions that make up this special season.

1. The biggest tradition by far is the 红包 (hónɡbāo). Families give red envelopes filled with money to children and young people who have not yet married as a sign of prosperity.
2. If you spend Chinese New Year in China (which I highly recommend you do!), you’ll see lots of beautiful written characters hanging on doors. These represent fortune 财, happiness 福, health or longevity 寿… Hanging a word on a door is said to attract those same well wishes.
3. During the Spring Festival, it’s also common for families to honor their ancestors by offering them food, joss paper 金纸 (jīnzhǐ) and wine.
4. Family dinner on New Year's Eve is an absolute must. Firecrackers and fireworks are usually set off just before sitting down to eat.
5. People tend to visit friends and family around this time (just like we do at Christmas). Every time you go to someone's house, they will also give you a 红包 hóngɡbāo.
6. In the south, you might get the chance to see dragon and lion dances, with both animals representing luck.
7. The spirit of the season is very much ‘out with the old and in with the new’. So, in the days before New Year, Chinese people spring clean their homes and get rid of anything they no longer want or need. Once this is done, they can decorate their clean, tidy houses with typical Spring Festival ornaments.
8. Each region has its own typical food to celebrate this season. That said, New Year’s Eve dinner usually includes fish since, in Chinese the word for fish 鱼 (yú) is pronounced the same as 余 (yú), meaning abundance. In the north, they love to make 饺子 (jiǎozi), while in the south they prefer hot pot, dim sums or 汤圆 tānɡyuán.

 Do you know any more Chinese New Year traditions? Learn more about these traditions in the following video