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Eugenio Wu

Sandy Corey

Humanities LA

18 May 2021

Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year)

Brief Background

The Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year and Spring Festival, takes place on the first

day of a lunar year*. Over 2 billion, or about a quarter of the world’s population celebrates the holiday

every year according to Cindy from China Highlights. And despite the holiday being widely known as the

Chinese New Year, it is also celebrated in many countries outside of China. Many Asian countries

celebrate this holiday, including but not limited to North Korea, South Korea, Vietnam, and Indonesia;(1)

for this reason, it is more accurate to call the holiday Lunar New Year in formal occasions.

*Note: according to Bruce from EarthSky, a lunar year is based on the phase of the moon, one lunar

month is about 29 days, and each lunar year has 12 lunar months.(10)

Origin
Shang Dynasty

The Lunar New Year has a long history dating back to over 3800 years ago in the Shang Dynasty of

China; the foundation of the Lunar New Year was set by the Chinese people when they had started

worshipping gods such as the god of wellness, god of wealth, and god of agriculture.(2)
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The majority of Lunar New Years celebrated by Asian countries(such as the South Korean Lunar New

Year) are based on the early Chinese Lunar New Year.

Evolvement
Shang Dynasty(≈ 1500 - 1000 BCE)

The early Lunar New Year was missing the majority of the elements from the modern Lunar New Year; it

was infinitely less social, as there were neither festivals nor social or public celebrations; there were only

family worshipping of gods and ancestors. According to Travel China Guides, the early Lunar New Year

is also more religious/formal, it primarily served as a day to worship and give back what gods had given

to the people.(2)

Zhou Dynasty(≈ 1000 - 256 BCE)

The holiday had started to change slightly in the Zhou Dynasty; Lunar New Year was evolving to become

more social. In the Zhou Dynasty, the Lunar New Year is not just about worshipping gods and ancestors

privately, but also a time for the public to observe the agricultural achievements accomplished in the past

year.(2)

Han Dynasty(206 BCE - 220 CE)

The Lunar New Year had not been declared a holiday until a millennium after its roots were established;

around the 100 BCE, Emperor Wudi of Han declared the Lunar New Year as a national holiday. The

emperor also set the official date of the holiday to the first day of the Chinese lunar calendar; aside he also

funded many public celebrations* during his regime, his successors followed his paths.(2)
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*Note: Although there were public celebrations of the Lunar New Year in the Han Dynasty, it is

tremendously different than a festival you might see today; entertaining elements such as dragon dances,

lion dances, and fireworks were entirely missing. You can view the celebration as a time to buy traditional

goods and eat special delicacies that had been cut down in price by the government.

Tang Dynasty(618 - 906)

The celebration of the Lunar New Year had massive changes during the Tang Dynasty — the golden age

of old (dynastic) China. During the Tang Dynasty, China had entered a new world; there were huge

innovations in agriculture, literature, art, and technology. Cindy from China Highlights suggests that the

innovation in literature and art likely changed the philosophy of the people, thus causing them to question

whether the Lunar New Year should be just a religious worship, or also a celebration. There in the Tang

Dynasty emerges the entertaining elements of the Chinese Lunar New Year, including dragon dance,

fireworks, and lion dance.(3)

Late 1900s to the 2020s

Electronic Devices

As technology advanced, it further shaped how people celebrated the Lunar New Year; in the late 20st and

the early 21st century, with new innovations such as computers and mobile phones, new activities were

added to the Lunar New Year celebration list. Spring Festival Gala TV shows are among one of the most

popular celebrations that emerged from the early electronic era.(4)

Transportation

Another technology that shaped the Lunar New Year immensely was transportation. As airplanes,

high-speed railways, and other sources of transportations had become more widely available, travelling

had almost become a tradition of the modern Lunar New Year. The largest annual migration in the world
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takes place in the week prior to the Lunar New Year in China; there, over 400 million people solely in

China were expected to migrate during that period of time* according to the South China Morning Post.(8)

*Note: the period before Lunar New Year, in which the largest annual migration in the world happens, is

called Chun Yun, or Spring Festival Traffic. There in Chun Yun, many young workers take the high-speed

railway to their homes in order to reunite with their families.

Celebration

The Lunar New Year is celebrated around the world between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20 of each year in the

Gregorian calendar. Different countries/regions have slightly different celebrations, the following are

among the most popular:

International

Firework

Firework is arguably the most popular celebration of the Lunar New Year, although its popularity has

decreased due to government action against it in several countries, including China and the United States.

According to BCC, the US had discouraged people from using firework due to air pollution and accidents

(e.g. wildfires), whereas China had banned individuals from accessing large scale fireworks in certain

cities.(6)

Chun Yun and Family Gathering

Another popular celebration of the Lunar New Year is family gathering. Family gathering is among the

oldest and most important traditions that is practiced on the Lunar New Year. This tradition is especially
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important in modern Chinese and Korean society, since it is highly probable that Lunar New Year (and the

following 7 days) is the only chance for a son/daughter to reunite with his/her family in an entire year.

According to Gerhmann from Nation Online, Chun Yun, or Spring Festival Traffic starts about a week

prior to the Lunar New Year, where over 400 million people (mostly young workers) would take the

high-speed railway or road to go home and reunite with their families.(7) After reuniting, families would

prepare for the [lunar] New Year’s Eve Reunion, which takes place the day before Lunar New Year; there

families would eat a dinner* and celebrate the New Year together.

*Note: the [lunar] New Year’s Eve Reunion Dinner is not just a normal dinner. In that dinner, some of the

most luxurious food, whether traditional or non-traditional, were eaten, symbolizing fulfillness.

China

Dragon Dance and Lion Dance

One of the most symbolic celebrations of the Lunar New Year is the dragon dance, in which a group of

performers use wood sticks to control a dragon. According to Chinese legends, the longer the dragon, the

more luck it will bring to the community it danced in.(5)

Lion dance is slightly related to dragon dance, both intend to bring wellness to the place it danced in.

Lions resemble happiness according to Chinese legends, so lion dances’ purpose is to bring happiness to

the place the lion danced; the more realistic and cheerful the lion danced, the more happiness it will bring

and the longer the happiness will last.(9)

Firecrackers

Firecrackers emerged around the time of fireworks(when gunpowder was invented). Firecrackers were

made to scare away the evil spirits with its loud noise. The firecrackers also faced the controversies
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fireworks faced — air pollution; according to LiveScience, the Chinese government had tried to

limit/manage firecracker use like how they did with fireworks; meanwhile the firework limitation was

successful, they haven’t had any luck with the more traditional/popular firecracker.(4)

Effects
Economic Impacts

The Lunar New Year had a huge impact on the economics around the world. Every Lunar New Year, a

vast amount of money is spent on new clothings, celebrations, travelling, and traditional goods by those

who celebrate it. According to the South China Morning Post, Mainland Chinese people alone had spent

over 74.4 billion USD on tourism/travelling, and 9.3 billion USD on buying New Year themed

items(including traditional goods, new clothing, decorations, and special cuisines) in the Lunar New Year

of 2019.(8)

Migration

The Lunar New Year also creates the largest human migration in the world each year. According to the

South China Morning Post, 440 million passengers are expected to flood the high-speed rail stations in

China every Chun Yun; the whole process happens throughout the week before Lunar New Year. (8)

Conclusion
The Lunar New Year has a long and complex history. The holiday itself is shaped by what the country it is

celebrated in is being through; so when a country that celebrates the holiday is in its golden age, more

entertaining elements will emerge, and if a new technology is invented, the tradition might get new
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celebrations based on that piece of technology. Furthermore, the Lunar New Year also had a huge impact

on modern society. First, it is celebrated by over 2 billion people, or over a quarter of the Earth’s

population. Second, it has an immense economic impact on countries around the world, especially China

— where its people spend over 80 billion USD each year to celebrate the holiday. Lastly, the holiday

causes the world’s largest annual migration — Chun Yun, in which over 400 million people, in China

solely, travel to reunite with their family in order to celebrate the Lunar New Year; this holiday(and the

following 7 days) is one of the few times migrant workers are able to reunite with their family. The

holiday is a tradition marked in many people’s heart.

Resources
Cindy. “Chinese New Year Facts: 22 Things You Should Know.” China Highlights, 18 Mar. 2021,

www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/festivals/new-year-facts.htm.(1)

Travel China Guide Editors. “Chinese New Year History.” Travel China Guide, 15 Apr. 2019,

www.travelchinaguide.com/essential/holidays/new-year/history.htm.(2)

Cindy. “The Origin and History of Chinese New Year.” China Highlights, 18 Mar. 2021,

www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/festivals/chinese-new-year-history.htm.(3)

Bradford, Alina. “Chinese New Year: Celebrate the Coming of Spring.” LiveScience, Purch, 15 Feb.

2018,

www.livescience.com/61773-chinese-new-year.html.(4)

Gehrmann, Valeska. “Dragons and the Dragon Dance.” Nation Online,

www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/Chinese_Customs/dragon_dance.htm.(5)

BBC Editors. “The Importance of Firework in Chinese New Year.” BBC News, BBC, 7 Feb. 2013,

www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-china-21363524.(6)

Gehrmann, Valeska. “Chinese New Year Festivities: New Year's Eve.” Nation Online,

www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/Chinese_Customs/cny-new-years-eve.htm.(7)

Lee, Amanda. “The Economic Importance of China's Lunar New Year.” South China Morning Post, 17

Feb. 2020,

www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3047282/explained-economic-importance-china

s-lunar-new-year-year-rat.(8)

Cam, Lisa. “Lunar New Year: Lions Aren't Native to China, so Where Did the Lion Dance Come from?”

South China Morning Post, 20 May 2021,

www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3047386/lunar-new-year-lions-arent-native-c

hina-so-where-did.(9)

McClure, Bruce. “Lengths of Lunar Months 2021.” EarthSky, 1 Jan. 2021,

earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/definition-what-are-lunar-months.(10)