Fun facts about Lunar New Year

Holidays
Lunar New Year
Rate this topic

Free. One surprising fact at a time, by email or push. No app needed.

Did you know? Even though it is the Year of the Dragon, the holiday is sometimes called the Spring Festival because it marks the end of the coldest part of winter and the start of the planting season.

Fact 1 of 29

29 facts about Lunar New Year

  1. 1
    While many people associate the holiday with fireworks, in some rural traditions, it is considered bad luck to sweep the floor because you might accidentally sweep your good luck out the door.
  2. 2
    In ancient times, people used to burn green bamboo stems to create a popping sound, which served as the very first version of firecrackers before gunpowder was even used.
  3. 3
    During the festivities, you might see people gifting pomelos, which are like giant, heavy cousins of the grapefruit that look like they belong in a cartoon.
  4. 4
    People often display the Chinese character for luck, 'Fu', upside down on their doors because the phrase for 'upside down' sounds just like the phrase for 'luck has arrived'.
  5. 5
    It is a tradition to avoid using scissors or knives on the first day of the year, as people jokingly fear that using sharp objects might accidentally cut their own threads of luck.
  6. 6
    While the lion dance is famous, the dancers actually manipulate the blinking eyes and moving ears of the lion head using complex internal strings and levers.
  7. 7
    During the celebrations, it is considered very lucky to find a lucky coin hidden inside a dumpling, turning dinner into an edible treasure hunt.
  8. 8
    In some regions, people believe that washing your hair on New Year's Day is bad luck because it effectively washes away your good fortune for the coming year.
  9. 9
    Some families participate in a tradition called 'opening the door to fortune' by throwing open all the windows and doors at midnight to let the old year out and the new one in.
  10. 10
    Oranges and tangerines are popular gifts because their names sound like the words for luck and wealth, making them the classic fruit of the season.
  11. 11
    The dragon dance requires a team of people to hold up the long, fabric body, and if they trip, they have to try very hard not to turn the dragon into a tangled noodle.
  12. 12
    In ancient times, people believed that cleaning the house before the New Year was necessary to clear out the old year's dust, but doing it on the day itself was dangerous.
  13. 13
    People think the Spring Festival is only about the color red, but gold is also widely used because it represents wealth and prosperity.
  14. 14
    The holiday does not end on the first day; it officially concludes fifteen days later with the Lantern Festival, which marks the first full moon of the year.
  15. 15
    Eating long noodles is a must because they represent a long and healthy life, so biting them in half while eating is strictly discouraged.
  16. 16
    In some traditions, you should not give clocks as gifts because the phrase for giving a clock sounds almost identical to the phrase for attending a funeral.
  17. 17
    The Lunar New Year causes the largest human migration in the world, as hundreds of millions of people travel home to be with their families.
  18. 18
    Some believe that if you owe money to a friend, you must pay it back before the New Year starts, or you will be stuck in debt for the next twelve months.
  19. 19
    The lion dance is performed to chase away bad spirits, but the dancers have to be incredibly athletic since they spend the whole time jumping and balancing in a heavy costume.
  20. 20
    There is a myth that the festival is just about celebrating the new year, but it is actually a deeply agricultural tradition rooted in honoring ancestors and praying for a good harvest.
  21. 21
    People often wear brand new clothes from head to toe to signify a fresh start and to symbolically leave all the troubles of the past year behind.
  22. 22
    The specific date of the holiday changes every year because it is based on the lunar calendar, which tracks the phases of the moon rather than the solar cycle.
  23. 23
    People avoid eating porridge for breakfast on the first day because it was historically seen as a meal for the poor, and starting the year that way might lead to poverty.
  24. 24
    Children often receive money in red envelopes, but they are sometimes warned not to open them in front of the giver because it is considered rude.
  25. 25
    During the festival, many people avoid using scissors or knives because cutting is believed to sever your connections and ties with family and friends for the year ahead.
  26. 26
    In some regions, people hang red decorations upside down because the Chinese word for upside down sounds like the word for arrival, suggesting good luck is arriving at their home.
  27. 27
    In many traditions, it is considered bad luck to wash your hair on the first day of the New Year because the word for hair sounds like the word for prosperity, and washing it is seen as washing your wealth away.
  28. 28
    If you sweep your floor on the first day of the Lunar New Year, you are believed to be sweeping away your own good luck and wealth for the coming year.
Keep exploring

More in Holidays

Juneteenth
Rate this topic
Holidays
Juneteenth

Although the Emancipation Proclamation was issued in 1863, it did not legally end slavery in the border states that remained in the Union; it took the ratification of the 13th Amendment later in 1865 to constitutionally abolish slavery nationwide.

Kwanzaa
Rate this topic
Holidays
Kwanzaa

The name Kwanzaa comes from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, which means first fruits, referring to the traditional celebrations of the first harvest of the year.

Labor Day
Rate this topic
Holidays
Labor Day

Labor Day was established as a national holiday in 1894 to honor the contributions of American workers and traditionally marks the end of the summer season.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Rate this topic
Holidays
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

In the early years of the parade, the giant balloons were released into the sky at the end of the event; they were equipped with return addresses and offered rewards to anyone who found and mailed them back.

Mardi Gras
Rate this topic
Holidays
Mardi Gras

Although people often associate Mardi Gras with the entire two-week season, the term actually refers specifically to Fat Tuesday, which is the final day of celebration before the fasting season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Rate this topic
Holidays
Martin Luther King Jr. Day

In the early 1980s, the musician Stevie Wonder released a song called Happy Birthday to help campaign for the holiday, and it became an anthem that helped convince lawmakers to finally sign the bill into law.