Spring Festival 2020: What you need to know

Chinese New Year, called Spring Festival in Chinese (春节 Chūnjié), is the largest and most important holiday of the year in China. The coming year is the Year of the Rat and marks the first year in a new cycle of 12 years. It’s a family holiday, and most celebrating on New Year’s Eve is done at home. In the 4-5 days afterwards, temple fairs – markets selling small gifts and food with traditional performances – are also a popular way to celebrate. 

Read on to find out key information if you plan to spend Spring Festival 2020 in Beijing!

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Spring Festival 2020: Allow Cultural Keys to help you host a Spring Festival to remember!

Spring Festival is the cultural highlight of the Chinese calendar, and it’s the perfect time to experience many traditional Chinese cultural treasures.  But as important as it is, not everyone has the time or insight to be able to put together a program that is perfectly designed to help participants get the most out of it. 

To address that, Cultural Keys has put together a special Spring Festival program for hotels, embassies, schools and companies, perfect for your staff, guests or clients, that introduces them to the history and traditions of Spring Festival and allows them to try one of a variety of cultural experiences for themselves.

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The history and traditions of the Lantern Festival

In 2019, the Lantern Festival (Yuánxiāo jié 元宵节)falls on February 19th, the fifteenth and final day of Spring Festival. Although it’s not a public holiday, it is still widely celebrated, especially in southern China and amongst the diaspora. What’s this holiday all about and how can you celebrate it?

Read on to find out!

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What to expect in the Year of the Pig

In China, the new year is calculated according to the lunar calendar (农历; Nónglì). Although the Gregorian calendar is standard, the lunar calendar dictates the dates of traditional Chinese holidays and helps people choose auspicious days for important life changes such as weddings, funerals, moving house or starting a business.

But there is a lot more to Chinese astrology than just the animals! Read on to find out what kind of energy the Pig will be bringing this year, and what you should definitely be aware of this year!

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What are the most important days of Spring Festival?

Spring Festival is much more than New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day! Starting from New Year’s Day, the entire festival actually lasts 15 days! Read on to find out more information about some of the most important days of the festival and the history and traditions to be aware of, as well as exactly which date they fall on in 2019! 

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