Well, it's almost that time of the year again; Chinese New Year, or known locally as "Spring Festival" 春节（Chunjie). As you know already, this is the biggest event of the year for China and the surrounding countries. The west has Christmas as its most dominant festival, China has Chinese New Year. If you're living in major cities, you will probably be wondering why it gets so empty during this time of year, or perhaps why the idea of a "new year" itself is celebrated so much? Here, we provide to you an overview of just what Chinese New Year is really about, getting you in the spirit of it all as the event approaches!

First of all, why is a New Year being set in Feburary? Chinese Year, being set in the traditional Chinese Calendar which originated the Zhou dynasty. This calendar follows the cycle of the moon. Thus, months began in the day of a new moon. A year would begin on the second or third moon of the winter solistice, which indicated the first day of Spring, hence the name "Spring Festival". This is always around the 15th Feburary. Over time, the festival has became fused with over Chinese traditions, such as ancestor worship and an emphasis on the family. As a result, for modern Chinese, the spring festival is about Family Reunion, as well as an emphasis on prosperity and good fortune! As you will also note, Chinese New Year is aligned with the Chinese Zodaic, which organises years into cycles of 12, each represented by an animal. This year of course is the year of the pig 猪 (zhu)

But what is the festival itself actually about? Chinese culture places a strong emphasis on family, inheritance and legacy, this being the most important part of Chinese society. With Chinese New Year being fused with those ideas. Every Chinese New Year, those whom have migrated to other cities, return home to be with their families. As noted above, this is the family reunion. The traditional family home is of paramount significance and importance. This creates a mass movement of people every single year unprecedented anywhere in the world! If you're in China for new year's time, you're going to see the price of transportation rocket, you're going to see train tickets sold out and every journey bustling with people and then if you're living in Beijing, Shanghai or Shenzhen, you're going to find you're suddenly in a ghost town! Where exactly is everyone? All the migrant workers have gone home to their provinces! Secondly, you're going to find that everything is decorated in red, which is China's lucky colour. You're likely to see ribbons and lanterns everywhere, and of course on the night of Chinese New Year itself, lots and lots of fireworks!

Once people are at home with their families? What do they do? There are some unique occurences. In line with Confucian traditions, many Chinese families may offer sacrifices to their ancestors. A family will typically serve out fruit, treats and flowers and tea in their favourite dishes on a table, offered symbolically to those who have passed before them. This will precede what is known as the reunion dinner 團年, the most important part of the celebration. The meal will consist of food with a special symbolism, such as for example a whole chicken and a whole fish, these symbolize the unity, togetherness and joy of the family. In addition, other foods eaten widely in Chinese new year include dumplings, because the shape symbolizes that of a bag of coins. Likewise, large amounts of tea and alcohol will be consumed. Families and friends will give each other gifts. Most common amongst the gifts given are the famous Red Envelopes which contain money. Most commonly, parents and grandparents will give them to their children. This represents a form of courtesy and face. 

In summary, Chinese New Year is a unique and exciting time to be a foreigner in China. Obviously, there are some things you have to prepare for; it might also be a lonely time, given it is so family focused, but don't don't worry! It is nevertheless a fantastic opportunity to witness a culture in action and in the light of its traditions!