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The 2025 Spring Festival began on January 29, the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar. It marked the Year of the Snake, with family reunion, wishes for good fortune and community traditions at the heart of the celebration.
When was the 2025 Spring Festival?
The first day of the 2025 Spring Festival fell on Wednesday, January 29. The festival is also known as Lunar New Year; “Guonian,” a term used in the government guide, means “crossing the year.” The date and name describe the start of a new year in the Chinese calendar, not a celebration observed in exactly the same way by every community.
China’s ambassador to the United Nations, Fu Cong, called Spring Festival “the most important traditional celebration in China” in remarks dated January 16, 2025. Read the ambassador’s remarks.
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- 20 Pcs Chinese New Year Party Decorations: 12 pcs 9 designs Chinese hanging paper fans in 3 sizes, 12 pcs Chinese good luck character and pattern cutouts in 12 designs, 6 pcs Chinese red lanterns in 2 sizes, 1 Chinese Happy New Year Banner (14 pcs Chinese themed paper cutouts and 9.8' long red raffia string), 1 pc 5.9' long red and gold lucky paper circle garland, 100 pcs adhesive dots, 12 pcs clips. The paper fans ship flat and come with adhesive tapes to fasten and loop strings for hanging.
- Color: Chinese hanging fans feature red, gold, and black colors and offer prints of cheery blossoms, lanterns, and Chinese character "福" on both sides. The square and circle lucky cutouts feature "福", plum blossoms, lanterns, koi, and Chinese fans. Chinese red lanterns feature red ornament and gold tassel. The Chinese good luck banner in red with gold foil accents features the Chinese words "新年快乐" which means "Happy New Year" in the centre and 5 designs of Chinese lanterns on either side.
- Size: Chinese paper fans are available in 3 sizes, 7.9" (5 pcs), 11.6" (5 pcs), and 15.9" (2 pcs). Red Chinese hanging lanterns have 2 sizes, 11" W x 21.7" H and 9.4" W x 17" H. The lucky banner pieces measure about 7"-9" tall, the raffia string is 9.8 ft. long. The length of the Happy New Year banner can be adjustable from 6.6 feet to 9.8 feet depending on how far apart you want to space each banner piece. The Chinese New Year circle garland measures about 5.9 ft. long.
- Material: The hanging Chinese paper fans are made of sturdy paper and clearly printed with bright patterns on both sides, easy to unfold and fasten with the included adhesive tape and clips. The Chinese character and pattern cutouts are made of cardstock with gold foil accents and printed on one side. The red lanterns are made of plastic and come with fabric tassels. The Chinese New Year banner and lucky circle garland are made from 250 GSM (92 lb) paper and 180 GSM (76 lb) paper.
- Hang Chinese New Year decorations set from the ceiling, on a wall, window, tree branches, above the buffet table, or along a banister to fill the room with wishes of happiness and bliss. Hang them above the doorway to greet your guests and wish them good luck in the new year. They are perfect to create a festive mantel display or photo backdrop for your Chinese New Year party. Great addition to your home, office, store, restaurant, mall, etc. Copyright (c) Winlyn.
What does Spring Festival celebrate?
UNESCO inscribed “Spring festival, social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of traditional new year” on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2024. Its account emphasizes family reunion, good fortune, community harmony and the passing of practices across generations. This broad frame helps explain why the festival is both a family occasion and a shared community celebration, while leaving room for local and household differences.
UNESCO’s entry describes the heritage and its social practices: Spring festival on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
How do people celebrate Spring Festival?
Customs vary among families and places. The government and Xinhua guide describes examples that include cleaning and preparations, a New Year’s Eve reunion dinner, staying up late, exchanging greetings, visiting family, giving red envelopes and joining public festivities such as temple fairs and lantern shows. These are examples, not a checklist followed by every household.
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- Prepare for the new year: Cleaning and other preparations help mark the transition.
- Share a reunion dinner: Family members gather for a meal on New Year’s Eve.
- Welcome the new year: Staying up late and exchanging greetings are among the practices described.
- Visit and give wishes: Family visits and red envelopes are ways people share good wishes and good fortune.
- Celebrate in public: Temple fairs and lantern shows are among the public festivities in the guide.
Older generations typically give cash-filled red envelopes to younger people, according to the guide. The custom is one way to express New Year wishes; the amount and practice can differ. See the government guide to Spring Festival customs.
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What is distinctive about Shanghai’s New Year customs?
Shanghai’s municipal guide offers a city-specific illustration rather than a template for all Chinese communities. It describes a local reunion meal that may feature meatballs, egg dumplings and eight-treasure rice, visits to a married woman’s parents on the second day, and “Welcoming the God of Wealth” on the fifth day.
These details show how a shared festival can take on local forms. They should be read as Shanghai examples, not as customs universal to China or to everyone celebrating Lunar New Year. Read Shanghai’s guide to local traditions.
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- 🐉【Chinese Decorations for Party】: Bring a bold, festive look to your celebration with classic Chinese dragons, red lanterns, and a lucky dragon ball design. As Chinese party decorations, this set creates a bright traditional style that helps make birthday celebrations, Lunar New Year, Asian theme parties, cultural events, and festive displays feel more lively and memorable.
- 🏮【Complete Chinese Dragon and Lantern Set】: This Chinese dragon decorations set includes 2 plastic 3D Chinese dragons, each about 39.4" long, 1 dragon ball about 7.1" wide, and 20 red paper lanterns, each about 10" wide. Hang them on ceilings, walls, windows, entryways, dessert tables, photo backdrops, stores, schools, offices, and party venues.
- ✨【Eye-Catching 3D Chinese Dragon】: The vivid three-dimensional dragon shape adds strong visual impact to your party scene. Use these Chinese dragon decorations for Chinese party decor, Asian decorations for party, Chinese themed party decorations, Spring Festival, Lunar New Year, and Chinese New Year celebrations.
- 💧【Durable Plastic Material】: The 3D Chinese dragons, dragon ball, and red paper lanterns are made of lightweight plastic material that is waterproof, fade-resistant, and not easy to tear. Suitable for indoor and outdoor hanging decor, including homes, offices, classrooms, shops, patios, restaurants, and event spaces.
- 🎊【Assemble and Display with Impact】: While the 3D Chinese dragons require a few minutes to assemble, once set up they create a dynamic and eye-catching centerpiece for Chinese party decorations, instantly elevating the overall display with authentic festive flair.
What does the Snake symbolize in 2025?
In his January 2025 remarks, Ambassador Fu Cong said, “In Chinese culture, the snake symbolizes wisdom, smartness, and good fortune.” That is his attributed description, not a single interpretation that should be assumed to represent every person or tradition. Fu Cong’s remarks on the Year of the Snake.
How to say “Happy New Year” for Spring Festival
A warm, simple greeting is “Happy New Year” or “Happy Lunar New Year.” You can also say “Happy Spring Festival,” which names the celebration directly. Greetings are part of the season’s family visits and exchanges of good wishes; a sincere wish for happiness, health or good fortune is appropriate without assuming that every household follows the same customs.
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The festival’s practices have meaning both within families and in public life. In the government/Xinhua guide, Ljiljana Stevic, director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Banja Luka, said the practices reflect “the values of harmony, prosperity and renewal — values that resonate across cultures.” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres likewise offered a wish for peace, equality and justice in the guide’s account. Those comments speak to the festival’s wider appeal without erasing its particular Chinese cultural context.
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