New Festive Events for Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year, Spring Festival, or Chunjie – whatever you call it - is the most important traditional festival of the year for the Chinese people. This festival takes place on the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar, and last until the 15th day with the Lantern Festival. Over centuries, many traditions have been passed down for the New Year celebration, like family reunions, New Year greetings, and red envelopes, etc. Nowadays new events come out around the time of the festival to live up to the age-old traditions. Perhaps some you already know, others not.

Chunyun, the world's largest annual human migration

Chunyun, also known as Spring Festival travel rush, is probably the largest human migration of the world, with one-sixth of the world's population on the moves. If you happen to visit China during Chunyun period, you may get impressed by the spectacular sight of "people mountain, people sea" at the airports, train stations, or bus terminals, as there are huge numbers of people going home for family reunions or go sightseeing.

The waiting room of Lanzhou Train Station is crowded with passengers during Chunyun period

What is Chunyun?

The increased passenger transportation around the time of Chinese New Year by land, plane or sea is called Chunyun, which usually begins 15 days ahead of Lunar New Year's Day and 25 days after, lasting for 40 days. The start and end dates of Chunyun vary slightly between years, as the festival comes according to the Chinese lunar calendar. The term "Chunyun", literally the Spring Movement in Chinese, is thought to have been first used in the 1980s to describe the massive migration. Since the reform and opening up in 1978, more and more people work and study outside of their native provinces and hometowns almost all the year around, and thus an annual travel peak occurs around the biggest Chinese festival of the year, which is the most important occasion for family reunion. Now Chinese authorities adopt it as the formal term to announce the number of passenger-journeys over the 40-day period before and after Chinese New Year. In 2019, an estimated 2.9 billion trips will be made during the Chunyun period from January 21 to March 1.

Who travels during Chunyun period?

During the Chunyun period, hundreds of millions of Chinese people are making their trips across the country by road, rail, air, and sea in all types of vehicles. Among them, the main passengers are university students and migrant workers, who return to their hometowns for the festival. Migrant workers make their way home - usually from cities to rural areas - for family reunions, as their elderly parents mostly live in rural villages; and for many of them, the festival could be one of the few times, and possibly the only one, when they are able to return home for family reunions. When the festival celebration is over, the direction of the flow is reversed. Since winter break is timed around the festival, university students who often study in far urban areas head home or go back to school almost at the same time. Besides, increasing numbers of people choose to travel with their families around this time, as Spring Festival is one of two week-long public holidays (the only other being the National Day Golden Week in October).

As the festival occurs every year just like Christmas, there is no way of avoiding the massive Chunyun. This annual event places a severe test on China's transport system. Great to know there is a growing phenomenon that parents are invited to spend the festival with their children in the cities, known as "reverse Chunyun". This welcome trend is projected to relieve, to a certain extent, the pressure on the transportation system.

Xiangqin, Chinese-style blind date

Traditionally Chinese New Year is a time for family reunion. Chinese people look forward to it - perhaps except for those unwed young adults. In occasions of families gathering, they may have to face a barrage of questions from their parents and relatives: "Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?" If the answer is no, the inquiry continues with "Why not? Don't be too picky! You are not that young anymore and should find someone soon and get married." Usually at this time of the year, singletons are expected to go on "Xiangqin", the Chinese equivalent of a blind date.

The festival now is an annual peak period for parents to arrange blind dates for their single adult children, since it's a week-long national holiday and nobody works. Most young people who work outside of their hometowns will go back home and hence there is a convenient time for both parties to meet up. A popular Chinese-style blind date usually involves two single people meeting in a coffee shop, restaurant or park. What's more, thanks to the festival's tradition "Chuanmen", Chinese people would pay new year visits to the houses of extended family and friends; and if the parents have talked about a potential match for their daughter and son, they may arrange a special visit for matchmaking.

Parent-arranged blind dates

In Chinese society, the family lineage is crucial, and an unmarried man/woman is still often regarded as "incomplete". As such, seeing their adult children single worries Chinese parents very much, and they feel it is their duty to find him/her a suitable partner, secure the family unit and give them grandchildren, especially if he/she is the only child of the family. Considering that the younger generation today is more focused on work and don't have opportunities to meet the opposite sex, these anxious parents may turn to relatives, friends and even matchmaking service providers so as to speed things along.

Single adult children's reactions towards blinds dates

Some single people hold a positive attitude toward blind dates. Of course, if someone can find Mr or Mrs Right on one's own, it is still seen as the best way for the parents to see. But, if that fails, meeting people via introductions can be a good alternative. It is a fast and effective way to sort out potential partners from the people that meet every day; and as the dates have been selected and vetted by the parents in advance, marriage gets approval from both sides of the family at the very start.

On the contrary, there are those who believe that love can never be arranged. Instead of matchmaking, they would like to look for partners on their own. Blind dates are thought to be compulsive and goal-oriented. To escape such dates, some simply choose not to go home to visit their families in other cities; and for those returning home during the festival, they may resort to renting a temporary girlfriend or boyfriend online and bring back home during the festival to appease their parents.

Hongbao Carnival

What is the most anticipated activity during Chinese New Year celebrations (well, except for eating)? The answer is "Hongbao", commonly known as red envelopes, red packets or lucky money. Unquestionably, it is an iconic symbol associated with Chinese New Year. Every Spring Festival season, there are hundreds of millions of Chinese people participating in the Hongbao carnival offline and online.

A digital red envelope is ready to be opened. Click the Chinese character "open" inside the circle, and the recipients will see the amount of money received.

Red envelope with cash inside

It's a tradition to give and receive hongbaos during the festival as tokens of good fortune and blessing in the new year, which can date back hundreds of years. Money wrapped in red paper; they are traditionally presented by married couples to their parents, unmarried sisters/brothers, and children when families gather together to celebrate. And when visiting relatives and friends, be prepared with hongbao to hand out in every household; as soon as the children wish you "Happy New Year" or anything along those lines, that's the right time for your hongbao gifting. Even if you just stay home, you still need to prepare hongbao for guests' arrival.

Digital red envelopes online

As payment has gone "cashless" over the years, digital red envelopes have developed based on the tradition of hongbao. Alibaba first launched digital red envelopes in 2012, but the idea didn't catch on until Tencent introduced it on its popular messaging app Wechat. Just like sending an emoji or a photo, Wechat red envelopes can be sent as online money transfers through a regular chat message.

There are two types of 'red envelopes' offered by the app. An individual envelope refers to a directed envelope posted in a one-to-one chat; and when sending, all the sender need to do is to select a person and an amount of money. As for group envelopes, Users in a group chat have to rush for one red envelope, if the sender has specified the number of receivers is less than the number of group members. And to add more fun, the senders often choose to have the app randomize the amount sent to different receivers. To grab a group envelope, it is a contest of speed and luck.