Chinese Spring Festival

Chinese Spring Festival also knows as Chinese New Year is the most important and grandest traditional festival for Chinese people. The 2012 Chinese New Year starts on in January 22. It is the year of dragon.

Originating during the Shang Dynasty (16th - 11th century BC), Spring Festival, celebrates family reunion, is full of rich and colorful activities and new hopes, with the advent of spring and flowers blossoming. The festival falls on the first day of the first lunar month (usually in late January and early February), and ends with the Lantern Festival which is on the 15th day. People from different regions and different ethnic groups celebrate it in their unique ways.

To welcome the coming Chinese Spring Festival, all the families clean their houses, wash their clothes and bedding. Fresh new clothes and bedding commemorate the fresh New Year! Windows and doors are decorated with red paper-cuts and calligraphy couplets. Special New Year purchases are also important parts of upcoming New Year. In the city, they celebrate the New Year with art teams performing, various sketches, parties, and the big parks hold "temple fairs" to provide recreation, food and art. During the festival, people will cook a lot of delicious food to celebrate.

Chinese New Year is an official holiday in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. Most people will have 7 days off work at some point during the 14 days. In 2012 most people will be off work from January 22, 2012 to January 28, 2012.

The New Year period is the busiest travel time. If you choose to travel during this period, you need to make full preparations and have your trip arranged as early as possible. See New Year travel tips.