Chinese Spring Festival, also known as Chinese New Year, is a highly significant annual 15-day event held in China and in many other regions of the world that takes place according to the western calendar between January 21 and February 20. The celebrations continue up to the Lantern Festival of the Lunar New Year.
People honor their ancestors and heavenly deities, and they eat a lot of good food and visit their family members. Chinese people grant seven days off work each year during the spring festival. Traditionally, celebrations last for 16 days, from the eve of the Lunar New Year until the Lantern Festival. The event has a lot of importance to the people of China because it brings luck into their lives and ensures that everyone celebrates the Chinese spring festival.
Chinese universities organize a variety of activities for international students on the day of China’s New Year. Students make famous Chinese dumplings that resemble money pouches, and they symbolize prosperity and fortune in the upcoming year. In addition, it is a great way for teachers, families, and students to get together and enjoy the festival in the best possible way. At a Chinese New Year feast, traditional Chinese dumplings are served on the table. During this festival, foreign ex-pats and students take the opportunity to stay in China to explore more about Chinese culture. Before New Year celebrations start, Chinese families clean their houses and hang glowing lanterns in their homes and on the streets. On the eve of the Lunar New Year, people celebrate with fireworks, firecrackers, decorations, and red clothes. International students prefer to visit in different Chinese cities and enjoy parties with friends. They also watch the lion and dragon dances. On the first day of Chinese New Year, Chinese families invite foreign friends to their houses for dinner to enjoy Chinese food and explore cultural traditions.
At this event, people also give red envelopes to children and senior people who do not work. The red envelope is a kind of money that people distribute to children and children go to the shops and buy toys, firecrackers, dolls, fireworks, small robotic cars, and so on. Children love to play all day long during this amazing event.
Usually, people prefer to cook food in their homes so that everyone can enjoy a meal with family. It is hard to see an open restaurant at this particular time and also many shops are closed so it is better to manage everything before the start of the festival and give time to family members. Traveling during this period of the year is a little hard too especially if you are visiting another city because almost everyone visits and flights and train tickets are usually sold out online. To avoid these problems you should make sure to fix all these things about your travel before going anywhere. There are some mobile applications that you can use to book your tickets online. It is a very convenient way for International students as well because you can choose the service in English or Chinese language that helps you to get access easily.