Chinese New Year’s Eve 2026: Guide to Traditions, Foods & Celebrations

Written by Veronica | Updated July 25,2025

Chinese New Year’s Eve is a great moment to reunite with family and say good bye to the old. People, all in high jubilation, get together to have reunion dinner and usher in the new.

No festival is more boisterous than the Spring Festival throughout China. The New Year’s Eve is top priority of Chinese New Year. To know why, the best way is to travel with us to China and personally experience this most bustling festival in China.

Here is a guide to learn Chinese traditions, foods and celebrations. Keep reading to find something for everyone.

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• What is the Chinese New Year’s Eve?
• When is Chinese New Year’s Eve in 2026?
• How Chinese People Celebrate the Chinese New Year’s Eve?
• Top Food on Chinese New Year’s Eve
• Chinese New Year’s Eve Traditions and Taboos
• How to Say and Send Greetings for Chinese New Year’s Eve
• FAQs

What is the Chinese New Year’s Eve?

Chinese Lunar New Year’s Eve refers to the last day of the twelfth lunar month, which marks the end of the past year and beginning of New Year. The date is not fixed, but often falls between January and February each year. It is different from the New Year’s Eve of Gregorian calendar that regularly falls on December 31. In most of countries, people will rejoice with wild excitement and start the countdown to New Year.

Chinese New Year’s Eve is one of the most important days during the Spring Festival, with numerous traditions, and customs observed on this day. It is not only a critical juncture to take leave of something old and embrace something new, but also the prime of celebration activities.

As a miniature of Chinese traditional culture, on Chinese New Year’s Eve people will get rid of evils, maintain sacrificial inheritance, and pray for blessings.

The meal on Chinese New Year’s Eve is known as the family reunion dinner. It is the most important family party throughout the year. In spite of diverse dietary habits due to regional differences, this meal uncompromisingly aims at enhancing kindred.

When is Chinese New Year’s Eve in 2026?

Chinese New Year’s Eve in 2026 falls on February 16 on Chinese New Year calendar. The Chinese zodiac sign is Horse. Here is a table of Chinese New Year in four years to come for your reference.

Year	Chinese New Year’s Eve	Gregorian New Year	Chinese Zodiac Sign
‌2027‌	February 5	January 1	Goat
‌2028‌	January 25	January 1	Monkey
‌2029‌	February 12	January 1	Rooster

How Chinese People Celebrate the Chinese New Year’s Eve?

Celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year’s Eve is a complete and meaningful ceremony. In spite of regional differences, there is still a main trend.

Family Reunion Dinner

The highlight on Chinese New Year’s Eve is family reunion dinner. The whole family sits around the table to enjoy delicious food. At this moment, food is not only to satiate most appetites but also conveys emotional connection.

Dishes for Chinese New Year’s Eve are always various and convey auspicious meaning. Now you can find a wide range of food on the dining table, ranging from pork, beef and lamb to sea food, snacks and fruits. Fish is a must-have dish swaying the whole nation because it means a surplus year after year.

Regional differences give rise to dietary preferences. In north China, dumplings are indispensable dish. People will have coins wrapped up in dumplings to pray for good fortune. In south China, Niangao (New Year cake) and Tangyuan (glutinous rice balls) are favored because they indicate reunion and promotion.

Chinese New Year’s Eve Countdown

To celebrate the Chinese New Year, modern society is not limited to traditions any more. The countdown on December 31 each year has come into vogue in recent years.

Shougang Park in Beijing, Baoshan Riverside Park in Shanghai and Tianxin Pavilion in Changsha are classic landmark of countdown. You can put them into your attraction list of China tour. These sites have light show, drone performance and fireworks show to offer.

Besides, you are recommended to visit other special cities. Shenzhen will have romantic firework show in Victoria Harbor. In Guiyang, you can admire the light show of twin tower and stay with tens of thousands of visitors to count down from 10 to 1.

The Spring Festival Gala

The Spring Festival Gala, firstly created in 1983, is a television program integrating opera, song, dance, cross-talk, short sketch and others. Although this is not a tradition carrying on from ancient times, it has been developed into a custom since then.

The majority of Chinese families get accustomed to watch the gala on Chinese New Year’s Eve after the family reunion dinner. Today you may find Chinese people don’t emphasize the gala because it more serves as background music while playing mahjong and creates a festival atmosphere. But, this exactly proves that this gala has an indispensable role to play.

Fireworks and Red Decorations

To celebrate the Chinese New Year’s Eve, people will make preparation in advance. Putting up Spring Festival couplets and pasting up the character of Fu is one of important festival ceremonies. In north China, many families will decorate their houses with paper-cut for window decoration. In addition to that, people will buy a large number of huge fireworks in advance to set off at 12:00 midnight.

If you have a trip in China during the Spring Festival, streets and buildings festooned with lanterns and colorful streamers will impress you most.

New Year Money

Legend has it that the New Year money was a tool to drive out devils in ancient times. It can protect children against diseases and bad lucky. Later, the New Year Money is evolved into a carrier of affection. Seniors generally put brand-new currency into red envelop before distributing it to juniors. This is the way to express blessings.

Send Chinese New Year’s Greetings and Wishes

Sending Chinese New Year’s greetings and wishes is an important part. Today the technological development enables people to have more ways to exchange greetings and express wishes. Call and video can maintain the intimacy of human interaction wherever you are. Today people often express blessings online at 12:00 midnight on Chinese New Year’s Eve to embrace a new year.

Ancestor Worship

Offering sacrifices to ancestors is a pivotal ceremony during the Spring Festival. It is to show respect for the older generation and recall their contributions. People will prepare fresh flowers and meals, and burn hell money. In consideration of regional differences, the date and way to worship ancestors vary from region to region. However, the core meaning of ancestor worship during the Spring Festival remains unchanged.

Top Food on Chinese New Year’s Eve

Chinese New Year’s Eve has a wide range of lucky foods to offer. Chinese people believe that lucky food will bring good fortune. In spite of differences, they generally indicate treasure, reunion and fortune. Below are some of the most popular lucky foods for Chinese New Year.

Dumpling (饺子, jiǎo zi)

Dumpling is a wheaten food stuffed with meats and vegetables. With the appearance of shoe-shaped gold ingot, dumpling is thus taken as an auspicious mark. It means family harmony and reunion. Eating dumplings on Chinese New Year’s Eve more prevails in north China. People often put a coin into dumpling. Anyone who eats the dumpling is believed to have a good fortune in the coming year.

Chicken (鸡, jī)

In Chinese language, “鸡” (chicken) phonetically sounds like “吉” and means auspicious. “鸡冠” (chicken comb) and “官” (official position) are pronounced in the same way, which indicates promotion. In addition to that, chicken feet mean “get rich”. Chicken bones mean “come to the fore”.

On the other hand, chicken can be cooked in various ways, such as poached chicken, soy sauce chicken and spicy chicken and so on.

Good taste and favorable meaning are exactly the reasons why chicken becomes a popular dish during the Spring Festival.

Fish (鱼, yú)

“鱼” (fish) has the same sound of “余” (surplus) in Chinese. It conveys the general wish that people will have extra treasure and grain in the coming year. For family reunion dinner, people get used to fish head and tail complete so as to pray for a beginning and an ending.

Besides, fish is a common food ingredient throughout the country. It can be steamed in clear soup or boiled with pickled cabbage and chili. Due to different taste preferences, you can find more surprising flavors of fish on your China tour.

New Year Cake (年糕, nián gāo)

“糕” and “高” have the same pronunciation. It indicates promotion in career and life year after year. It conveys simple wishes of happiness, pleasure and reunion.

Chinese Rice Cake is made from glutinous rice. It tastes sticky and soft, with a strong scent of rice. People will fry the New Year Cake with butter, or boil it with vegetables. Its cooking methods vary due to regional habits.

Other Foods with Favorable Meanings

Auspicious foods on the Chinese New Year’s Eve go further than that above mentioned. In terms of food ingredients, people prefer lettuce, chives and dried bean curd sticks. Their pronunciation sounds like “生财”, “久财” and “富足” in Chinese language. Its meanings are mostly related to treasure.

Chinese New Year’s Eve Traditions and Taboos

When people keep some traditions alive on Chinese New Year’s Eve, there are some taboos to be avoided.

Must-do Traditions on Chinese New Year’s Eve

Putting up Spring Festival couplets, offering sacrifices to ancestors and staying up late are must-do traditions on Chinese New Year’s Eve. These three traditions are almost the same throughout the country, which is hardly changed due to regional differences.

Superstitions and What to Avoid

On Chinese New Year’s Eve, people abstain from Chinese characters, such as death, poverty and disease. The married daughter is not permitted to visit the parental home. Smashing bowls and dishes, pouring sewage, taking out the trash, having your hair cut or wash, having a quarrel or crying are traditionally taken as ominous signs.

However, the development of social civilization has taken these stereotyped taboos as superstitions. For example, daughter is not limited to visit the parental home any more on that day when she got married. Breaking bowls and dishes is just an accident.

You don’t have to mind these taboos while traveling to China.

Related reading: Chinese New Year Taboos and Superstitions

How to Say and Send Greetings for Chinese New Year’s Eve

It is common to say something to express blessings and greetings for Chinese New Year’s Eve. You may need some Chinese benedictions.

Saying Happy Chinese New Year (新年快乐, xīn nián kuài lè) to everyone is appropriate.

If you greet the elders, you can say “May you live as long as the Southern Mountain” (寿比南山, shòu bǐ nán shān).

If you are a merchant, you can say “May you be happy and prosperous” (恭喜发财, gōng xǐ fā cái ) to your partners.

If you place hope on children, you can say “May your studies bear rich fruit” (学业有成, xué yè yǒu chéng).

In addition to that, “everything goes well” (万事如意, wàn shì rú yì), “May all your wishes come true” (吉祥如意, jí xiáng rú yì) and “May your family be happy (合家欢乐, hé jiā huān lè) are widely suitable for greeting colleagues and friends.

There will the year of the horse in 2026. You can say “gain an immediate victory upon horse arrives” (马到成功, mǎ dào chéng gōng) to your family relatives and friends on Chinese New Year’s Eve.

FAQs

Is It Okay to Travel on Chinese New Year’s Eve?

Traveling on Chinese Lunar New Year’s Eve cannot stay up late at home and offer sacrifice to ancestors. It is not suitable for Chinese tradition and will weaken the emotional connection of Chinese people. But, some people also shackle off traditions and set off for their journey on Chinese New Year’s Eve.

As foreign tourists, you don’t have to mind it. Traveling on Chinese New Year’s Eve can avoid the crowded people and admire special regional traditions and customs.

Is It a Workday on Chinese New Year’s Eve?

Chinese New Year’s Eve is not a workday. The legal holidays of Spring Festival lasts eight days, from the Chinese New Year’s Eve to the 7^th day of the first lunar month.

People can schedule various activities during this time, such as returning to the native place, paying New Year’s call, admiring lanterns, having a short tour, and so on.

If you have a China tour during this time, you are likely to experience traffic congestions. But, this is absolutely an unforgettable experience because the Spring Festival is also known as the large-scale population migration.

What Time Do Families Start the Dinner on Chinese Lunar New Year’s Eve?

The last meal on Chinese New Year’s Eve is generally taken as the family reunion dinner. There is no mandatory rule about the time to have this meal. As long as all family members are gathered, the dinner can start.

Do All Chinese Families Watch the Spring Festival Gala?

The answer to this question is uncertain. Whether watch the Spring Festival Gala is determined by such factors as regional culture, personal preference, entertainment methods and others.

But, the gala remains the choice of more than 400 million Chinese families. Its value is not performance but cultural identity and emotional connection.

Learn more interesting things to know about Chinese New Year.