Chinese New Year is ancient festival celebrated by the Chinese community all around the world – that’s millions of people!
For kids, it’s an especially exciting event as it brings lots of fun activities and traditions, such as dragon and lion dances, red envelopes stuffed with money, and of course, delicious food!
If you’re looking to learn more about Chinese New Year, here are some interesting Chinese New Year facts for kids.
1. Chinese New Year is 15 Days Long
Did you know that Chinese New Year is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar?
It starts on the first day of the first lunar month and lasts for 15 days. This 15 day period takes you from the new moon all the way to the full moon.
During this time, families come together to honor their ancestors, exchange gifts, and enjoy an abundance of delicious food and drinks.
2. Chinese New Year is Also Called Spring Festival
Another fun fact about Chinese New Year is that it’s also known as the Spring Festival. This is because the festival marks the end of winter and the start of spring, a time to begin anew.
As such, Chinese communities around the world decorate their homes and streets with brightly colored decorations, such as paper lanterns, red banners, and peach blossoms, to symbolize joy and good luck, and celebrate the beginning of Spring.
3. The Date of Chinese New Year Varies Each Year
Chinese New Year is based on the Chinese Lunar calendar, meaning that the chinese new year dates don’t come up on the exact same day of the Gregorian calendar each year.
Chinese New Year does not start on January 1st, It is celebrated from the first day of the lunar year, which usually falls between January 21 and February 20 each year.
4. The Story of the Chinese Zodiac
One of the most exciting and popular Chinese New Year facts for kids is the story behind the Chinese Zodiac.
According to legend, the Jade Emperor invited all of the animals to a race, and the first twelve to cross the finish line would be honoured with a year in the Chinese calendar, repeating on a 12 year cycle.
This is why the year is divided into twelve animal signs, and the animal that is assigned to a particular year determines the personality traits of someone born within that year.
For example, someone born in the year of the tiger would be brave, confident and unpredictable but those born in the year of the rabbit will be quiet, elegant, kind of responsible. And so it goes, for each different animal.
Check out our list of craft ideas to go along with all 12 of the Chinese zodiac animals
5. Red Envelopes Are Given
Another fun Chinese New Year fact for kids is the origin of the red envelopes. Red envelopes, known as ‘hong bao’ in Chinese, are given as gifts to children during Chinese New Year.
In the past, these envelopes were filled with money and meant to bring good luck and prosperity to the recipient. Today, red envelopes could also be filled with candy, sweets and small toys.
Use our tutorial to learn how to make red envelopes for Chinese New Year
5. The Color Red Is Used for Prosperity
The color red is an important part of Chinese New Year and is believed to bring good luck. That’s why the red envelopes filled with money are given to children and family members as a sign of prosperity, good fortune and good wishes.
Gold is another auspicious color (lucky color) often seen during the Chinese new year celebrations.
6. Fireworks Are Used to Scare Away Evil Spirits
Fireworks and firecrackers are also commonly used during Chinese New Year as they are thought to scare away evil spirits.
The ancient legend of the Nian monster tells of a dangerous monster who would come out and eat villagers and destroy their houses on New Year’s Eve, until the villagers realised that burning bamboo made a popping sound and loud noises that would scare the monster away. And from here the firecracker tradition originated.
Check out these fireworks coloring pages that you can use for chinese new year.
7. Chinese New Year Parades Happen All Over The World
Kids will enjoy learning about the famous Chinese New Year parade, which takes place in cities all over the world in major cities.
San Francisco has one of the biggest Chinese New Year parades outside of China, and in the United Kingdom you could visit the parade in London.
This is a great way for kids to learn more about Chinese culture and the different customs associated with the new year. The parade features lion and dragon dances, floats, and performers in traditional Chinese costumes.
8. Reunion Dinner Is An Important Family Tradition
One of the most important Chinese New Year traditions is the reunion dinner.
Families gather together on the eve of the New Year to enjoy a sumptuous feast and to welcome the new year with good wishes and fortune, sharing special gifts together.
9. Special Foods Are Eaten at Chinese New Year
Certain foods are traditionally eaten at Chinese New Year, and symbolise good luck.
Spring rolls are a very popular Chinese food to eat during Chinese New Year
Nian Gao which is a glutinous rice cake made from sticky rice, is eaten along with the phrase “getting higher year after year by year” which is a wish for improvements in your life, year on year.
Niangao is also known as New Year cake.
Fish is also commonly eaten as a symbol of good luck, and long noodles are eaten as a symbol of longevity or a long life.
10. The Lantern Festival Comes on The Last Day of Chinese New Year
Red lanterns are used for decoration and celebration, marking the end of the Chinese New Year.
After this day, which comes on the 15th day of the lunar new year, all of the red decorations are taken down and the Chinese New Year celebrations have come to an end.
Make a simple red lantern craft with the kids for Chinese New Year.
11. Chinese New Year Greetings Are Different in Cantonese And Mandarin
The way you say happy new year is different depending on the type of Chinese language you’re speaking. To wish happy new year, Chinese people most commonly say gong xi fa cai in Cantonese or Xin Nian Kuai Le in Mandarin Chinese language.
Mandarin is the language most commonly spoken in mainland China, while cantonese is spoken in Hong Kong.
Find out more about the chinese greetings for chinese new year here, with Chinese characters that you can print out.
12. Lunar New Year is Celebrated in Other Asian Countries
Lunar new year is celebrated in many East Asian countries including South Korea, Taiwan, Mongolia, and Vietnam.
Each country may have slightly different traditions for the new year celebrations.
13. It’s Traditional to Clean for Chinese New Year
Before the Chinese New Year comes, is a traditional time of year to do some thorough cleaning. The word for dust in Chinese sounds the same as the word for “old” so it’s symbolic of driving out bad luck and welcoming in a prosperous new year.
But, don’t clean anything on the first day of the new year itself! Good luck is believed to come when the clock strikes midnight on the first day of the lunar new year, and people don’t want to wipe it away.
14. Odd Numbers are Avoided for Chinese New Year
Odd numbers are said to bring bad luck, whereas even numbers bring good luck. So when giving money for Chinese New Year, odd numbers should be avoided.
We hope that you enjoyed these interesting facts all about Chinese New Year.
Check out our list of Chinese New Year books for kids, to find out even more.
Learning some of these Chinese New Year facts with the kids will make the celebration even more fun and exciting, as the children understand the meaning and significance behind some of the popular Chinese new year traditions.
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Thanks so much, happy new year!
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
love these fun Chinese new years fact for kids
Thank you for sharing! I learned a lot.