Did you know that for over 4000 years, the Chinese Lunar New Year has been a cultural tradition with agricultural and family roots? The Chinese Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival (春节, Chūn Jié), has origins from ancient Chinese traditions and is deeply rooted in mythology, agriculture, and lunar calendar systems.
Table of Contents
The Chinese New Year story began as a synthesis of historical events, customs, and myths. Ancient Chinese ideals of community, camaraderie, and peaceful coexistence between people and the natural world are reflected in the event.
Moreover, the Chinese Lunar New Year has long been believed to represent common human ideals, such as the desire for a happy future, the final victory over adversity, and the need for physical affection. The beginnings of the Lunar New Year demonstrate how deeply a person’s existence is entwined with their culture, community, and shared past.
Mythological Origin
The earliest myth talks about Nian, a mystical creature that frightens rural residents throughout the New Year. The villagers who were fed up with this miserable situation got together. After a few days of talking to each other, the villagers found that Nian was noisy, with bright red and bright lights. They started to chase the demonic beast away with fireworks, red decorations, and lanterns. The New Year was associated with the liveliness and joy of such customs.
Agricultural Roots
The Spring Festival also has agricultural origins, which links to having a hard time in the winter and the new spring coming. Harvesting was a vital part of the ceremony, as was praying to both the gods and the ancestors for a prosperous year. This was a moment of reflection, overeating, and planning for the next agricultural season.
Lunar Calendar System
On the other hand, the Chinese New Year is a lunar calendar that is primarily based on a lunar calendar that consists of 12 animals representing the cycle for a year and respective years. One of the characteristics of the ancient Chinese New Year was that it was a celebration of the rice harvest.
The New Year marked the beginning of another agricultural calendar that was to last for the coming year. The period started with spiritual activities and ended with a feast. The calendar was followed by astrologers who read and studied the star charts.
Cultural Development
The Chinese Lunar New Year is a traditional holiday that has developed over thousands of years into a festival with vibrant customs, including family reunions and communal feasts—signifying the respect for ancestors and spirits; giving red packets (红包, hóngbāo) that contain money can bring good fortune— decorating the houses with red banners and symbols of good luck.
Now, it is not only celebrated in China but also all over the world where there are people with Chinese nationality. This culture is a mixture of old customs and up-to-date customs when people are having a good time.
Significantly, the practice of lighting lanterns and sharing a meal among families worldwide and in many cultures is an age-old custom that serves to unite generations and reinforce beliefs about the power of relationships and regeneration. ▲
(This article was developed with AI tools, including ChatGPT by OpenAI.)
OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT (January 2025 version) [Large language model]. Retrieved from https://chat.openai.com
Books
Eberhard, W. (1983). Chinese festivals. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Co.
Hsu, C. L. (2000). The history and traditions of Chinese New Year. Beijing, China: Cultural Press.
Journal Articles
Li, J., & Zhao, Y. (2015). The evolution of Chinese Spring Festival traditions: A cultural anthropology perspective. Journal of Chinese Cultural Studies, 12(3), 45-58.
Wang, H. (2018). Mythical origins and cultural significance of the Nian legend. Asian Folklore Studies, 75(2), 78-95.
Websites
China Highlights. (2023). Chinese New Year: History, customs, and traditions. Retrieved January 29, 2025, from https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-new-year
UNESCO. (n.d.). Intangible cultural heritage of humanity: Chinese Spring Festival. Retrieved January 29, 2025, from https://ich.unesco.org/en
Primary Sources
Confucius Institute. (2019). Excerpts from the Book of Rites: Traditional Chinese festivals. Retrieved from https://www.confuciusinstitute.com
Since 2011, Regel Javines has been writing online, sharing news and analysis on a range of noteworthy and urgent social issues. He completed his bachelor’s degree in office administration at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP)—Taguig Campus, where he also served as editor-in-chief of the official school newspaper. See Regel’s published articles here.