Happy Chinese New Year Spring Festival

The Spring Festival is also called the Chinese Lunar New Year. Being one of the traditional Chinese festivals, it is the grandest and most important festival for Chinese people. It is also the time for whole families to get together, which is similar to Christmas for Westerners.

It comes on the first day of Chinese lunar calendar and lasts for almost half of a month. But in folk custom, this traditional holiday lasts from the 23rd day of the twelfth month to the 15th day of the first month (The Lantern Festival) on the lunar calendar.

December 30th (lunar calendar), New Year's Eve： Family Reunion Dinner

On New Year's Eve, people who work far away will manage to come home, regardless of long-distance travel, so the "Grand Dinner on New Year's Eve" is also called "Family Reunion Dinner". Every family will make the dinner the most sumptuous and ceremonious one in the year. Hostesses will fetch out prepared food and all family members will sit together and make dumplings in harmony. At twelve o'clock, every family will shoot off firecrackers to greet new days and send off old ones.

January 1st (lunar calendar)： Paying a New Year's visit
Following New Year's Eve is the first day of the Spring Festival, a day for paying a New Year's visit, during which people will be busy in giving best wishes to one another. It is said that people shouldn't dump things on the first day of the new year so that they would be able to keep whatever worth of fortune they will be in possession of in the next year.

The second day： Birthday of Dog
People say that after being offered sacrifices, Tsai Shen, the God of Wealth, leaves for heaven on the second day of the lunar New Year. In honor of the deity, people will eat wonton, resembling the shape of an ingot.
Traditionally married women will visit and pay respect to their birth parents. On the second day, the Chinese pray to their ancestors as well as to all the gods. Since the day is characterized by the birthday of the dogs, pets and strays will be fed well.
 

The third day, Birthday of Pig

Families who had an immediate relative deceased in the past 3 years will not go house-visiting as a form of respect to the dead. The third day of the New Year is allocated to grave-visiting instead. Some people conclude it is inauspicious to do any house visiting at all, as it is believed that evil spirits roam the earth this day and hence it would be bad luck to be outdoors.
 

The fifth day, Birthday of Ox/Cattle： Welcoming the God of Wealth
The day is regarded as the birthday of the God of Wealth and hence respect is paid to the god. In the morning, firecrackers are exploded as a sign of welcoming the God of Wealth. All businesses will be reopened on that day. Sweeping the floor is not considered bad luck anymore. In northern China, people usually eat Jiǎozi (dumplings) on that day. Friends and classmates will be visited.

the seventh day, Birthday of Men
The seventh day of the first lunar month is named renri (人日), literally meaning Human Day. It is considered to be the birthday of ordinary, or common men. The day is also called Day of Men or Men Day.
 

Fifteenth day, The Lantern Festival
The Lantern Festival, also called Yuanxiao Festival, is celebrated on January 15th of the lunar calendar. It is the first full moon night in the Chinese lunar year, symbolizing the coming back of the spring. The Lantern Festival may be regarded as the last day of the Spring Festival period. It is a good day for family get-togethers.

According to the folk custom of China, people on that night will light up fancy lanterns and go out to appreciate the moon, set off fireworks, guess riddles written on lanterns, and eat rice glue balls to celebrate the festival.