China rings in Lunar New Year as COVID rules lifted
January 22, 2023
It is the first Lunar New Year celebration since China's communist leadership lifted the country's strict measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
People flocked to Hong Kong's Wong Tai Sin Temple to offer prayersImage: Bertha Wang/AP/picture alliance
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People across China rang in the Lunar New Year on Sunday, celebrating the arrival of the Year of the Rabbit with fireworks, family gatherings and temple offerings.
This year's festivities, the biggest since the start of the pandemic, are taking place after the government decided to ease the country's strict coronavirus restrictions.
For many people in China, it was the first time in three years that they were able to travel to their hometowns to visit family without the stress of quarantine or getting stuck in lockdown.
The Lunar New Year, which started at the stroke of midnight, is the most important annual holiday in China. Each year gets its name from one of the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac in a repeating cycle. This year's sign, the rabbit, symbolizes harmony and longevity in Chinese mythology.
In the capital, Beijing, worshippers waited in queues stretching about one kilometer (half a mile) to offer morning prayers at the iconic Lama Temple. The Tibetan Buddhist site was shut last year due to the pandemic but this year is allowing up to 60,000 visitors a day.
Crowds of people also flocked to the Qianmen area near Tiananmen Square to sample traditional snacks from food stalls.
Visitors burn incense to mark the first day of the new year at the Lama Temple in Beijing Image: Mark Schiefelbein/AP/picture alliance
In Hong Kong, revelers gathered at the city's largest Taoist temple, the Wong Tai Sin Temple, to burn the first incense sticks of the new year — a popular ritual that was suspended for the last two years.
In Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, crowds prayed for good fortune at the historic Longshan Temple.
But despite the return of celebrations, the pandemic still cast a shadow.
Customs and traditions of Chinese New Year
In 2023, Chinese New Year falls on January 22, starting a year of the Rabbit. Get to know some of the traditional customs of Chinese New Year.
Image: China Foto Press/IMAGO
Lion dance
The traditional lion dance is based on the myth of a monster called Nian. According to the legend, it attacked a village every year on New Year's eve. The villagers decided to make a puppet lion to scare off the beast. A dancer supports the head while the other moves the tail of the lion. Accompanied by drums, symbols and gongs, the lions battle each other. The dance brings good luck and fortune.
Image: China Foto Press/IMAGO
Yusheng salad tossing ritual
Yusheng is a radish salad with raw salmon. Yusheng means "raw fish" but the term is a homophone for "rise in abundance." While shouting celebratory phrases, the salad is tossed collectively using chopsticks. According to the belief, the higher it is tossed, the more abundance one will have. The ritual is practiced in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Image: DW/M. Chua
Meat as a sign of prosperity
Meat consumption has been associated with the increasing wealth of the growing middle class. In China, people consumed an average of 22.7 kilograms of pork meat per person in 2020. Pork is an important ingredient in many Chinese New Year dishes, including dumplings — a symbol of wealth. The meat can also be roasted and braised to make other special Chinese New Year delicacies.
Image: Megan Chua
Chinese sticky rice cake: Nian gao
"Gao" in Chinese is a homophone for "cake," but also "high." "Nian gao" translates to "year high" and the Chinese believe that eating this sticky rice cake during Chinese New Year will increase their income, lead to a promotion at work or contribute to the financial growth of children. "Nian gao" brings the promise of a bright future. The desert has equivalents in Japan (mochi) and Korea (tteok).
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M.-F. Alquinto
Golden fruit
The mandarin orange is a symbol for gold and money. Mandarines are presented as gifts during home visits as a sign of respect, courtesy and returning good favors. Since the Chinese believe that good things come in pairs, people give each other an even number of the oranges. They are also used as decoration.
Image: picture-alliance/robertharding/L. Tettoni
Red envelopes
Arguably the best part of Chinese New Year for all youths: receiving red envelopes of cash. Also known as "hong bao," or red packet, these envelopes contain anywhere between $3-15 each. Married people are obliged to give red packets and only un-married people are allowed to receive them. The closer one is to the giver, the more money they will receive. It pays off to have many married relatives!
A symbol of happiness and luck for the Chinese, the loud raucous of fireworks and firecrackers was traditionally meant to scare off Monster Nian and contributed to the festive atmosphere. However, due to the risks of injuries and death, fireworks have been banned in China during Spring Festival. According to statistics from 2018, they were banned in 444 cities, and restricted in many more.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/
Celebrated around the world
The Chinese diaspora, counting their descendants, is estimated at about 60 million, according to the International Organization for Migration. Chinese New Year is a four-day public holiday in some countries like Singapore, where the Chinese make up 75% of the local population. Singapore celebrates Chinese New Year with festival lights and games against the backdrop of the Marina Bay skyline.
Some health experts expect that more than a million people will die from the disease in China this year. They have also raised concerns about the mass movement of people traveling during the holiday period.
According to state-run CCTV, 26.23 million trips were made on the Lunar New Year's eve via railway, highway, ships and airplanes, half the pre-pandemic levels, but up 50.8% from last year.
The coronavirus situation appears to have stabilized in major cities such as Shanghai and Beijing following an initial spike in infections in December. But there are fears about people living in the countryside, where health care facilities are poor and vaccination rates among the elderly are low.
Wu Zunyou, the chief epidemiologist at the Center for Disease Control, said Saturday that a second COVID-19 wave is unlikely in China in the near term because 80% of people have already been infected.
