Chinese New Year 2022 key dates: How will it be celebrated?
CHINESE New Year, also known as Spring Festival and Lunar New Year, is a huge festival among Chinese communities across the world.
More than one billion people will celebrate with families, enjoy fireworks and pray for good fortune in the year ahead – and here are the key dates.
Chinese New Year 2022 key dates
The Chinese New Year lasts for 16 days, starting from Chinese New Year’s Eve to the Lantern Festival.
Each day of the festival has a name, including days for prayer, for visiting relatives, setting off firecrackers, and preparing for the Lantern Festival.
Here are the key dates:
- January 31 – Chinese New Year’s Eve
This is often viewed as the most important celebration as it includes the family reunion dinner, and staying up until midnight.
- February 1 – New Year’s Day
New Year’s Day is spent visiting family, and giving presents.
- February 15 – Lantern Festival
This day marks the end of the Chinese New Year when lanterns are lit and hung, and people watch dragon dances in the street.
How do people celebrate Chinese New Year?
Millions of people celebrate Chinese New Year across the world, bringing a period of colourful decorations and feasting.
The event is usually celebrated with parades and performances, with people in traditional costumes and plenty of fireworks.
In line with the introduction of the spring season, people plant harvests and eat lavish feasts.
Noodle soup is the traditional meal of choice as the noodles are believed to bring luck.
Communal hotpots are also a popular option for a feast as they are thought to represent the reunion of family members around the table.
The Lunar calendar has 12 Chinese zodiac animal signs and as 2022 will be a year of the Tiger, decorations related to ox will be commonly seen.
People deep clean their homes before the New Year as it is bad luck to sweep your home on the day itself in case good luck for the year is swept out of the house.
Money and presents are also given and received in red envelopes and packaging to ward off evil.
As a public holiday, Chinese people get seven days off work for the celebrations.
Businesses and schools shut down during the New Year period – like they do in the UK over the Christmas period – and many factories have a two-week shutdown.
Beyond China, families in Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, North Korea and South Korea also celebrate the event.
It is widely believed that more fireworks are set off across the world for this festival than any other.
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How will Chinese New Year be celebrated in 2022?
The ongoing pandemic means Chinese New Year will still feel a bit different in 2022.
Many Chinatowns will not be as busy because several huge public events have been cancelled including London’s famous Chinese New Year parade.
Families who are able to get together for the celebrations will still be able to share gifts, and cook a feast for the important family dinner.
Depending on where you are in the world, some celebrations will still go ahead.
Manchester’s China Town will, for example, host a full day of family-friendly activities on Sunday, February 6, including lion dancing, Chinese dancers, street food stalls and Chinese arts and crafts.
In China, the government has not imposed stringent travel restriction measures for the 2022 Chinese New Year as it did last year where travellers were required to take PCR tests and self-isolate for a specified period.
This year, it seems that residents will be allowed to travel across provinces during the holiday as long as their health codes are green.
Depending on the current coronavirus restrictions in each country, Chinese New Year celebrations will look a little different in each corner of the world.