Chinese New Year is the most important holiday for the Chinese people, celebrated for over 3000 years! Each year, it falls on a different day between January 21 and February 20. This year, 2022, the New Year will take place on February 1 and heralds the year of the Tiger.
In China, the arrival of the new year is celebrated for a whole week, but also in Italy, the Chinese New Year is increasingly in vogue thanks to the Chinese communities that are increasingly omnipresent in our country, in fact, there is no shortage of folkloristic events in all the major Italian cities.
So let’s see what are the traditions of the Chinese New Year, to get prepared for this holiday and maybe even think of some gifts to offer to those who celebrate it.
Chinese New Year: traditions
The New Year is also called the Spring Festival, because we want to welcome the harvest season and celebrate the gods as a symbol of good luck.
So let’s see some traditions.
- Spring cleaning: a bit like us before the arrival of spring, it is customary to clean the house to shine before the New Year. This ritual is also symbolic for welcoming a new fortune.
- Christmas Eve dinner: even in China, a fish-based dinner with the whole family is organized.
- Dances and shows: in the streets you can watch various kinds of shows, such as the Dragon Dance or the Lion Dance. In particular, the lion is considered a symbol of superiority and wisdom. There are suggestive shows in which men dress up and dance by copying the steps of the lion accompanied by the music of the percussion, as a wish for good luck and to drive away evil spirits.
- Color of luck: the color of the New Year is red, in fact, it is common to see houses, shops and streets decorated with this beautiful bright color.
- Fireworks: as expected, fireworks can not be missing to welcome the New Year! Also accompanied by television programs, similar to those broadcast on Italian channels.
- Visits to relatives: certainly can not miss the visits to relatives and especially to the elders of the family and to exchange greetings you must be dressed in a decent way, even better if with brand new clothes.
As we have seen, the Chinese New Year is not very different from what is celebrated in the West, but how to wish a Happy New Year perhaps to some friend or relative? So let’s see what could be the recommended gifts for this period.
Chinese New Year: gifts
It is always nice to give a gift to someone who considers this holiday important, here are a couple of tips to make friends and family smile.
- Money Envelopes: it is customary to give yourself envelopes, strictly red, containing coins, which must always be even in number (but never the number 4). These are called hongbao and are used precisely to wish prosperity.
- Plants: giving a plant is always a welcome gesture and reminds us of our connection with nature. So, for this Spring Festival, you may want to opt for a beautiful plant, but avoid the cut flowers that are associated with funerals.
At Wine Flowers, we take care of delivering your favorite plant throughout Italy, relying on local florists who can also add other little gifts to your order, such as an excellent bottle of wine or Prosecco (alcoholic beverages are another idea. gift for this party).
Visit our website and in a few clicks you can place your order.
Discover the green plants here>
Discover the flowering plants here>
Tea: this drink is very popular in China, another idea is to accompany it with a tea service.
Fruit: Fruit is also something that is valued during this period, so this too is a well-received gift. Warning: Avoid pears that bring bad luck to Chinese culture.
Personal items: other gifts, which are mainly given to the elderly, can be scarves and hats.
Here are some ideas to wish a Happy New Year, according to the Chinese New Year tradition. One last recommendation: never give something black or white as a gift, as these colors are usually associated with funerals, so if you are undecided, always go for red!
