Holiday Schedule
Please note that the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival period) is a company holiday for our Chinese colleagues:
Our purchase team is off from January 18 to January 28 inclusive; meaning no purchases will be made during this period;
Our logistic team is off from January 18 to January 28 inclusive; meaning no parcels will be processed or shipped during this period;
All orders placed during the holiday will be processed as soon as possible once we are back from the holiday. Orders will be purchased in order of payment received.
Our support team operates during reduced hours to help with all your inquiries.
Chinese New Year: 8 Fun Facts
Chinese take great pride in celebrating cultures and traditions. One of the most important Chinese holidays is the Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival. For many centuries Chinese people have carried on lots of interesting traditions and customs. Parcel Up team has put together eight of the most striking and interesting facts about the Chinese New Year celebration.
- The date always differs!
The date of the Chinese New Year changes yearly. As it is defined by the lunar calendar, the lunar New Year usually falls between January 21 and February 20. In 2023, the Chinese New Year will come on January 22.
- New Year – the beginning of a new Chinese zodiac sign
This is an ancient custom – to name the year after one of the twelve animals of the zodiac calendar.
2023 is the year of the Water Rabbit. The sign of Rabbit is a symbol of longevity, peace, and prosperity in Chinese culture. 2023 is predicted to be a year of hope.
The Year of the Rabbit 2023 is expected to be a time of professional success and advancement, but it will require hard work and dedication to achieve these goals. Luck may be on your side, and you may find that you can accomplish your goals more easily. Business partnerships may also be beneficial.
This is also expected to be a financially successful year, which may make it easier to earn money. However, it is important to stay focused and not let yourself be distracted by less important tasks. You can read more about what to expect in 2023 here.
- Chinese New Year preparations
The days before the lunar New Year celebration are filled with special traditional activities. One of the biggest events is to carry out spring cleaning at home. It is believed that cleaning sweeps up all the failures of this year and prepares the house for new good luck. It is also common to pay all debts for the year before New Year’s eve.
People try to make amends to others, make peace and renew old relations. It is also very common for the Chinese to buy new clothes and decorate their homes in preparation for the New Year.
- New Year’s Eve
All family members are coming home at this festive time. This is especially important for those whose family members have moved out and live separately, as it keeps the family bonds alive. New Year’s Eve dinner is of great importance for the Chinese on this day. The celebratory dinner usually includes fish or dumplings because these two dishes symbolize prosperity. Most Chinese people have New Year’s Eve dinner at home, not in restaurants.
At midnight, the arrival of the New Year, fireworks are launched, which symbolizes the onset of the New Year and the expulsion of evil. It is believed that people who start New Year’s fireworks will have good luck in the coming year.
- People exchange billions of red envelopes
Traditionally, red envelopes/red pockets with money are presented by the older generation to the younger and bosses to their subordinates, as New Year wishes bring good luck and wealth. The sum of money should be even (the numbers 6 and 8 are considered to be especially lucky), and the banknotes are preferred to be freshly printed since everything should be new for New Year.
In addition to red envelopes, it is customary to give small gifts like fruits (usually oranges, which symbolize good luck, or apples for a safe and smooth life, but definitely not pears as they sound phonetically close to separation in Chinese), pies, biscuits, chocolates, sweets and many more.
- The New Year holidays in China are called the “Spring Festival”
Although the Chinese New Year is celebrated in winter, the Chinese call it “Spring Festival” (春节 chūnjié). It is because the Lunar New Year is usually close to the “beginning of spring” (立春), and people are prepared to say goodbye to the cold winter and welcome the vivid spring where new lives thrive. Hence, Spring Festival represents Chinese people’s good wishes for the beginning of a new year. The festival usually refers to the period when winter will end soon, giving way to the warm and beautiful spring season.
- Chinese New Year – a holiday for one-third of the Earth’s population
In China, Hong Kong, Macau, and nine other Asian countries, New Year means a week of vacation, similar to that in Western countries, the period between Christmas and New Year. Schools and universities are closed for about a month. Nowadays, this time in China is also the peak of the tourist season. According to statistics, there are about 3.5 billion trips made these days in China.
- Chinese Lantern Festival concludes 16-day celebrations
On the 15th day of the New Year, the first full moon is celebrated. This is the First Full Moon Festival, which is also known as the Lantern Festival.
In the evening, families get together and have dinner, and then go out to the street to admire the fireworks and Chinese lanterns. Lanterns are hung as decorations, launched into the sky, or sent to flow along the river.
“Happy New Year” in Chinese
新年快乐! (Xin Nian Kuai Le!) Happy New Year! Now you know how to make new year wishes in Chinese!
May a wonderful year of Water Rabbit reward all your efforts and make all your dreams come true! We also would like to thank our Chinese colleagues for their year-round handwork and wish them and everyone warmth, pleasure, and sincere happiness for the New Year!
新春大吉！恭喜发财! (xin chun da ji！gong xi fa cai!)
Happy New Year! Good luck and good fortune!
Thank you for being with us!
Parcel Up Team.