春节 (Chūnjié)(설날) ~에서 🇨🇳 중국

Chunjie (Spring Festival) is China's most important and longest public holiday, a period of approximately 15 days that triggers the largest annual human migration on Earth. Chunyun, the Spring Festival travel season, sees billions of passenger trips as workers return to their hometowns for the nian ye fan (New Year's Eve reunion dinner), the most important meal of the year.

The reunion dinner features dishes loaded with symbolism: whole fish (yu, a homophone for surplus), dumplings (jiaozi, shaped like ancient gold ingots), tangyuan (glutinous rice balls for family unity), nian gao (sticky rice cake for prosperity), and spring rolls (resembling gold bars). In the south, dishes like steamed chicken, char siu, and turnip cake dominate the table.

Red is everywhere: red envelopes (hongbao) containing money are given by elders to children and unmarried relatives, red lanterns hang from every doorway, red couplets (chunlian) are pasted on door frames, and red firecrackers fill the streets with noise and smoke. The colour red is believed to ward off Nian, a mythical beast.

The CCTV Spring Festival Gala (Chunwan), broadcast on New Year's Eve, is the world's most-watched television programme, drawing hundreds of millions of viewers. WeChat red envelopes (digital hongbao) have added a modern layer, with billions exchanged during the holiday. The Lantern Festival on the 15th day marks the official end of celebrations.

The most important traditional Chinese festival marking the beginning of the lunar new year, celebrated with family reunions, red envelopes, fireworks, dragon dances, and elaborate feasts.