Chinese Year of the Dragon: What to Expect During Chinese New Year?

Chinese New Year is coming soon! This year, it will be on Saturday, February 10. In Chinese culture, this festival is very special and lasts for 15 days. It's a time when families gather together and everyone feels happy. We celebrate the end of cold winter days and welcome the warm spring. This is why Chinese New Year is also known as the 'Spring Festival'.

Every Chinese New Year is linked to one of twelve animals, and each year is named after one of them. This year, it's the Year of the Dragon. 

In this blog post, I'll share the myths and legends about Chinese New Year, stories that have been passed down through generations. I'll also discuss common traditions and share my personal memories of the festival. If you're interested in these cultural stories and experiences, please keep reading. I hope you enjoy discovering them as much as I enjoy sharing.

The Tale of the Chinese Zodiac

Long ago, the Jade Emperor, who ruled the heavens, decided to have a race. He invited all the animals in the kingdom to participate, and the first 12 to reach his palace would be honored by having a year named after each of them.

On the day of the race, all the animals lined up by the riverbank. The Rat, being clever but not a good swimmer, asked the kind and sturdy Ox for a ride across the river. The Ox agreed, and off they went. When they almost reached the end, the Rat jumped off and was the first to finish, so the Rat became the first animal in the zodiac.

The Ox crossed the river and came in second. The Tiger was very strong. Even though the river had fast currents and was hard to swim in, the Tiger swam quickly and got the third place in the race.

The nimble Rabbit, having crossed the river by hopping on stones and a floating log, came fourth. Next came the Dragon. The Dragon could fly but had stopped to help others, so he finished fifth.

The Snake, hiding in the Horse's hoof, suddenly came out and finished sixth, making the Horse seventh. The Sheep, Monkey, and Rooster worked together, but The Monkey and the Rooster gave the Sheep eighth place for its kindness. Then the Monkey and the Rooster took the ninth and tenth places.

The playful Dog, enjoying the water too much, finished eleventh in the race. Finally, the Pig, who had taken breaks to eat and nap during the journey, arrived last, securing the twelfth position.

The Jade Emperor was impressed by each animal's unique qualities, and thus, the 12-year cycle of the Chinese Zodiac was established.

Chinese New Year Traditions

A few days before New Year's Day

As the Chinese New Year approaches, my family and I engage in a flurry of activities starting a few days before the New Year. We begin with a thorough cleaning of our home, sweeping away any bad luck to make space for incoming good fortune. 

After cleaning, we then hang bright red Chinese couplets on our doors. These couplets, with their poetic lines, go beyond mere decorations. They express wishes for prosperity, health, and happiness in the new year. Written in beautiful calligraphy, these phrases are full of hope and good fortune, reflecting our wishes for a prosperous and successful year ahead.

Shopping is another key tradition for us. 

Along with new clothes, particularly in red, the most auspicious color, we also buy flowers and oranges. Wearing red during the New Year is thought to bring good luck and keep away bad spirits. The flowers symbolize a blooming, prosperous new year, and oranges are bought for their association with good fortune and wealth.

One special tradition my family and I enjoy during Chinese New Year is collecting unique stamps. Each year, the postal service releases a set of stamps with beautiful designs related to the zodiac animal of that year. Below is a photo shared by my sister who recently visited Beijing. She told me that before the New Year, people love going to the post office to send wishes on special postcards. These cards usually have the zodiac animal of the year and are believed to bring good luck.

New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve is all about a big family dinner. We have special food like dumplings, which mean wealth, and fish, for abundance. We stay up late, talking and laughing, waiting for the New Year to start.

1st day of New Year

The first day of the New Year is unique. We avoid cleaning to ensure we don't sweep away the good luck that arrived at midnight.

It's also a time to honor our ancestors, we burn incense as a way to offer prayers and pay our respects to our ancestors, believing that the fragrant smoke carries our well-wishes and fosters a sense of continuity with our family heritage.

A favorite moment for the kids is receiving red envelopes filled with money, a gesture of good luck and blessings from the elders.

Days 2-8 of the New Year

After the first day, the celebrations continue. For many, the second day of the New Year involves visiting in-laws, a tradition that strengthens family bonds. From the third to the seventh day, people visit friends and relatives, exchanging gifts and good wishes.

People often go back to work on the eighth day, which means the big celebrations are mostly over.

15th day (Lantern Festival)

The joyful feeling of the New Year continues until the fifteenth day, which is the Lantern Festival. On this day, the streets are filled with colorful lanterns, and there are thrilling lion and dragon dances. These dances bring excitement to our celebrations and represent good luck and happiness with their vibrant costumes and lively moves, making our festivities extra special.

People also eat Tangyuan, which are sweet balls made of rice. These are eaten because they mean family togetherness and happiness.

Year of the Dragon Earrings

During the Year of the Dragon, we think about being as strong and successful as dragons. It's an ideal time for starting new projects and making big plans. Everyone hopes for good luck and happiness, the kind that a dragon is said to bring. We aim to be brave and do great things, inspired by the dragon.

As someone who enjoys collecting items related to the Chinese zodiac (last year was the Year of the Rabbit!), I'm excited to share that this year, as we welcome the Year of the Dragon, I've curated a few sets of delightful clip-on earrings that resemble these mythical creatures. 

This time, I want to introduce clip-on earrings that you can easily wear even if you don't have pierced ears, so that everyone can enjoy the special dragon-inspired style in a beautiful garnet red color, which is highly meaningful in Chinese culture. (After taking some more photos, I'll be introducing them to my online shop. 😊)

Thank you for reading about my Chinese New Year traditions and experiences. I hope you found them insightful and enjoyable to learn about. If you've had the chance to visit China during the festive times, you may have noticed the abundance of red, a color symbolizing luck and joy. I'm always curious to hear about travel stories. What do you find most fascinating about traditions and cultural customs? Personally, I like how they help me see the world in new ways and make me appreciate its diversity more. 🌎 Do you feel the same?

If you'd like to stay updated and be among the first to know about the debut collection launch coming later this year, I invite you to sign up for my email list. It's a great way to stay connected and be part of our community. Thank you again for joining me on this cultural journey, and I look forward to sharing more with you in the future.