Editor's note:
The Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, has been officially listed as a U.N. floating holiday as of 2024. This year, it falls on Feb. 10. To enjoy a
traditional and fascinating Spring Festival, the most important festival for Chinese people, here are 16 days with unique traditions you won't want to miss this holiday season.
Day 16, Dragon Head-raising Day (March 11, 2024)
The Dragon Head-raising Day is on the second day of the second lunar month. This year, it falls on March 11. Its customs are closely related to ancient Chinese people's worship of nature and their dependence on agriculture for sustenance.
This day usually falls in late February or early March, when the first rains of early spring are expected. As ancient Chinese people regarded the dragon as a deity that controls rainfall, they celebrated this day to pray for timely and plentiful rain and a good harvest for the year.
People often eat pancakes and "dragon beard" noodles, and get a haircut on this day. It is also the time of year when hibernating insects begin to wake up; therefore, in the old days, women and children wore perfume bags filled with fragrant herbs to repel the newly awoken bugs.
Day 15, Lantern Festival (Feb. 24, 2024)
The Lantern Festival is on the 15th day of the first lunar month. Families reunite for this festival to celebrate the first full moon of the lunar New Year. This year, it falls on Feb. 24.
People eat "yuanxiao" or "tangyuan," a kind of round rice dumpling, on this day. The snack is traditionally made from glutinous rice flour with such fillings as rose petals, sesame, bean paste, jujube paste, walnuts, dried fruit and sugar.
Lanterns of all shapes and sizes can be seen on trees or in the streets on this day, as admiring lanterns is a popular holiday pastime. Many places also hold lantern-designing competitions and lantern-riddle guessing games to entertain locals. Performances such as dragon dances and lion dances can also be seen on this day.
Day 14, Day for Worshiping God of Fortune (Feb. 14, 2024)
As a traditional festival custom, worshiping the God of Fortune on the fifth day of the first lunar month is another important activity that follows the celebrations on the first day. In 2024, this day falls on Feb. 14.
It is said that this day is the birthday of the God of Fortune, and in the past, businesses generally began to open on this day, hoping that the deity could bring wealth and luck. People often set off firecrackers, clean the house and work hard on this day, as it is believed that hard work and diligence can help people lead a good life.
