February 1: Celebrating Lunar Chinese New Year in China

Monday, January 31, 2022

This year, Chinese New Year celebration will be on February 1.  Towards the end of January, a palpable excitement takes hold in places like China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. The Chinese Lunar New Year 2022 celebrations are a time of great joy and precipitate the world’s largest annual human migration.  This year, most of the Chinese are traveling to their own hometowns for the Lunar New Year 2022, the country’s biggest family holiday, despite Chinese government plea to stay where they are as Beijing tries to contain coronavirus outbreaks. Beijing recorded its highest number of new Covid-19 cases for a year and a half on Sunday, as the Chinese capital gears up to host the Winter Olympics in five days.

The journey is joyous as people fill all manner of transport, eager to return home to see parents and children. This Lunar New Year is the cynosure to Chinese cultural life. This article defines how the Chinese citizens in China are celebrating this 2022 Lunar New Year and where they are travelling inside the country. This article also guides you the celebration of Lunar Chinese New Year in China.

Chinese New Year: A Gala Extravaganza

The people in China and the Chinese citizens around the world celebrate the Chinese Lunar New year. Before the advent of the Gregorian calendar, many cultures relied on the luni-solar calendars, which based the progress of time on observed astronomical phenomenon such as moon phases. The traditional Chinese calendar is an example of a modern day luni-solar calendar. Whereas modern China has adopted the Gregorian calendar for civic use, cultural events and holidays are still determined using the traditional calendar. Accordingly Chinese New Year falls on the first new moon to occur between January 21 and February 20. In 2022, Chinese New Year is Tuesday, February 1.

The Festivities

The Chinese New Year festivities begin just before the new moon when families gather together on Lunar New Year’s Eve, the holiday’s most important time. This is a time for eating, drinking, and celebrating with loved ones. The houses are decorated with auspicious Chinese characters, people wear the lucky color red, and then there are the firecrackers. It is according to the mythological legend, there is a monster named Nian, which is also the Chinese word for “year”. Nian would terrorize villagers each year around the same time. Only loud noises and the color red could scare him away. Today, Chinese celebrate by wearing red and lighting firecrackers in an effort to ward off bad fortune. Literally they pass over Nian and from one year into the next.

Langzhong Ancient Town, Sichuan Province

Langzhong Ancient Town is a historical town in China and it is the abode to more than 30000 residents. If you want to experience this New Year, with a nostalgic mood, there head on to Langzhong Ancient Town. In terms of places to experience Chinese New Year, it’s hard to beat the place where it’s said to have originated. Located well within China’s rural area, there is a strong New Year’s tradition here. During the festival, the city’s folk culture will be on full display. The streets are filled with rich and colourful activities. You will probably also catch a glimpse of the “Zhang Fei,” or the city guards standing watch at the gates. As you head inside this ancient town, you can have a real taste of famous Sichuan cuisine with its characteristic spiciness.

Luoping County, Yunnan Province

Luoping County is located in the eastern part of Yunnan province. While China’s northern reaches are remain locked in a sea of ice and battered by the Siberian winds, Luoping in southern Yunnan Province glows a golden with the annual rapeseed blossom. Coinciding with this Lunar Chinese New Year, the largest flower fields in China stretch before your eyes as the equally magical karst formations dot the landscape. Each year the golden colored fields signal an auspicious year ahead. Locals revel in the return of spring, adding an extra delight to Chinese New Year in this part of the country. Yunnan has long been regarded as a nature-lover’s paradise.

Xiahe County, Gansu Province

Xiahe County allures international travellers for its Labrang Monastery. Historically part of Tibet, Xiahe County in western China’s Gansu Province is home to the large and influential Labrang Monastery, an important repository for Tibetan Buddhism. On the 13^th day of the Chinese New Year celebrations, the monks hold a grand festival. A large collection of Buddhist statues is brought out for display and pilgrims will make long journeys to pay homage. Surrounded by hills, Xiahe is incredibly beautiful. Circumnavigate the monastery along the pilgrim trail and spin some of the countless prayer wheels along the route.

Taipei, Taiwan

Taipei is one of the popular tourist locations in China. It is filled with countless cultural treasures that help enhance Chinese Lunar New Year. The city’s residents will gather together at places like Lungshan Temple to burn incense and offer prayers for their ancestors. This is an important ritual for many and an integral part of Chinese New Year. As many people also travel, it’s a good time to take in some of the sights in the cities. The crowds thin and the pace slows, allowing one a bit of breathing room.

Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong

Chinese New Year in Hong Kong is very much spectacular among others. The city’s massive fireworks display in Victoria Harbour is nothing short of breathtaking. There are few places offer a better view than Victoria Peak, which overlooks Central on Hong Kong Island. To see the city lights below is wonderful at any time of year, but all the more so during Chinese New Year.

« Back to Page

• China launches new flights routes close to Taiwan

• Batik Air launches new flight route to Guilin, China

• China expects global tourism surge during May Day holiday

• China’s tourism market shows flourishing signs for May Day holiday

• Sanya becoming next-gen shopping destination after Dubai