Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year, was celebrated from Jan. 29 to Feb. 12. Chinese New Year’s eve was on Jan. 28, with the actual new year being on Jan. 29. The lantern festival, marking the end of celebrations, was held on Feb. 12.
Chinese New Year is accompanied by the Chinese zodiac system. This is a 12-year cycle that associates each year with an animal and an element. The 2025 Chinese zodiac is a Wood Snake. Zodiacs are said to mean something about the coming year. In this case, the Wood Snake means that 2025 is a time for personal growth and wisdom.
Red is a color symbolizing luck in Chinese culture. During the New Year festivities, people decorate and wear red to bring good luck into the new year. The Chinese New Year is representative of removing the bad and old and welcoming the new.
Chinese New Year has traditions such as not bathing on the first day, wearing new clothes, dragon dances and cleaning, all representative of getting rid of the old and bad and welcoming good luck for the new year.
One fifth of the world population celebrates Chinese New Year. Families around the world celebrate Chinese New Year in different ways. Senior Nathan Tai celebrated with his family. “We had a small party for Chinese New Year and it was really fun to see my family and friends and welcome the new year,” Tai said.
Red envelopes and the lantern festival are two major traditions for the Chinese New Year. Red envelopes with cash are given as gifts, symbolizing good luck. The lantern festival marks the end of the celebrations. The way students celebrate the new year varies, “I don’t celebrate super traditionally. We have a reunion dinner and that’s about it,” senior Melissa Lee said.
A reunion dinner, also known as the Chinese New Year dinner is a large tradition for the new year. The dinner is held on Chinese New Year’s Eve and is a time for family gathering. “We had a bunch of family and friends over for a reunion dinner and received red envelopes for the new year. Chinese New Year is always super fun because of all the traditions and being able to see family,” junior Kevin Sun said.
Chinese New Year has been celebrated for 3,500 years, though the exact start date is unknown. Legends surround the New Year. One legend is that Chinese New Year is about a monster named Nian who would attack people at the start of each year. People would use firecrackers and the color red to scare away the monster. Ancestor worship is a tradition for the new year, “Even though my family does not do all the traditions, it’s still a cool thing to celebrate, especially because of all the history behind it,” Tai said.
