The Spring Festival: A Tradition of Harmony, Family, and Cultural Identity

Today, we’ll talk about the Spring Festival, which has been inscribed onto UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, recognizing its rich cultural traditions, social significance, and contribution to family values.

Transcript

The Spring Festival: A Tradition of Harmony, Family, and Cultural Identity

Today, we’ll talk about the Spring Festival, which has been inscribed onto UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, recognizing its rich cultural traditions, social significance, and contribution to family values.

Today is Chinese Lunar New Year’s Eve, and all of us here at The Context want to wish you and yours good luck in the Year of the Snake. Recently, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, commonly referred to as UNESCO, has inscribed the Spring Festival, which celebrates the Chinese New Year, onto its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This decision was made during the 19th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, which was held in Paraguay in the first week of December last year. With this addition, China now boasts 44 cultural elements recognized by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

According to UNESCO’s documentation, the traditional knowledge and customs associated with the Spring Festival are passed down informally within families and communities, as well as formally through the education system. The craftsmanship and artistic skills tied to the festival are transmitted through apprenticeships, fostering family values, social cohesion, and peace, while strengthening cultural identity. The committee also emphasized that the Spring Festival exemplifies the harmonious relationship between humans and nature, contributing to sustainable development in areas such as food security and education, and playing a vital role in raising environmental awareness.

From the 8th day of the last month of the lunar year to the 15th day of the first month, Chinese people enter a very peaceful state, joyfully celebrating the Spring Festival. Of all the traditional festivals celebrated in China, the Spring Festival is by far the most profound in meaning, the most content-rich, the most widely participated in, and the most influential. According to statistics, about one-fifth of the global population celebrates the Spring Festival in different ways. The values represented by the festival such as family harmony, social inclusivity, and the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature have gained widespread recognition.

The Spring Festival we are talking about today refers to a period around the end and beginning of the year, which can be traced back at least 3,000 years in China. According to legend, there was a wild beast called “Nian” (年), which was very ferocious and would appear at the end of each year, bringing disasters to the people. To drive away the “Nian” and protect their homes, people would conduct sacrificial activities at the end of the year, praying for peace and good fortune in the coming year. Over time, these sacrificial activities gradually evolved into the Spring Festival as we know it today.

Celebrating the New Year on the first day of the lunar month began during the Han Dynasty. In the first year of Emperor Wu of Han’s reign in 104 BCE, the first month of the lunar calendar was officially established as the beginning of the year. Though the calendar has been revised and changed over the ensuing 2,000 years, the timing of the New Year’s start in the first month has remained the same. The new year starts on the first day of the first lunar month, and the government must hold grand sessions in court, while ordinary citizens clean their surroundings, honor their ancestors, and visit relatives and friends to offer New Year’s greetings.

The custom of staying up on New Year’s Eve to usher out the old year and welcome the arrival of the new year is known as “Shou Sui” (守岁) or “Ao Nian”(熬年), and it began during the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties, lasting from 220 to 581 AD.

But what exactly is the point of people staying up on this night? Again, it has to do with the legend of the “Nian.” It was said that a giant mythical beast, the “Nian”, would devour anything – birds, livestock, even humans – so people were naturally terrified of it. According to legend, when the “Nian” appeared, the trees withered, plants would cease to grow, and the world would become covered in gloom. But once “Nian” had passed, everything would thrive, flowers would bloom and grass would grow across the land. The whole world would be full of prosperity.

Over time, people gradually understood the pattern of the “Nian’s” movements: it would come wreaking havoc every 365 days, usually at nightfall, then vanishing by the time the rooster crowed at dawn. Although people had figured out when “Nian” would strike, they still had no way to defeat it, so they began to treat this terrifying night as a critical point – called “Nian Guan”, or the “Nian” threshold.

To overcome this danger, people came up with ways to survive “Nian Guan”: On the evening of New Year’s Eve, families would prepare dinner early, then extinguish the fire, lock all the livestock in the pen, seal the doors and gates, and finally gather inside to eat the “New Year’s Eve dinner.” Because the outcome of the night was uncertain, this meal was prepared more lavishly. Besides having the whole family gather together to symbolize harmony and unity, there was also the custom of offering sacrifices to ancestors before the meal, praying for their protection and for a peaceful passage through the night.

No one dared go to sleep on that night; everyone sat together, eating, drinking, and chatting noisily to bolster their courage in case of an attack by the “Nian” beast. Over time, this practice gradually evolved into the “Shou Sui” custom of staying up on New Year’s Eve. The tradition not only expressed people’s sentimental attachment to the passing year but also embodied their hopes for a better new year to come.

During the Sui and Tang dynasties, lasting from 581 to 907 AD, the Spring Festival became an official holiday, typically lasting seven days. On the first day of the new year, the imperial court would hold a grand ceremony in the morning to celebrate the arrival of the new year. On this day, families would also reunite and hold feasts to celebrate. While times have changed, and the ways of celebrating the Spring Festival have evolved, the core remains the same: the festival is about spending quality time with family, cherishing moments of togetherness and warmth.

During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, lasting from 907 to 960 AD, the emperor of Later Shu, Meng Chang, wrote the earliest known “chunlian”, or Spring Festival couplet. Later Shu was a regional power in southwestern China, and its second emperor, Meng Chang, was known for his whimsical nature. One year on New Year’s Eve, he decided to have the imperial academicians, including the scholar Xin Yinxun, write auspicious couplets for him to hang on the doors of his palace. 

After much difficulty, the scholar came up with two lines, but Meng Chang felt that they were poorly balanced and rejected them. When others were too afraid to write, Meng Chang decided to write the couplets himself: “Xin nian na yu qing; Jia jie hao chang chun” (新年纳余庆；嘉节号长春), which roughly means, “May the new year bring abundant blessings; may the joyous occasion signal eternal spring.” Despite being an inept emperor, Meng Chang’s reign, though brief, was marked by this event. Later Shu fell to the Song Dynasty in the second year of Meng Chang’s rule. He was captured, made the Duke of Qin, and died seven days later. While Meng Chang’s life was filled with misfortune, the custom of pasting Spring Festival couplets on the sides of doorways has been passed down to this day, remaining one of the most enduring and recognizable traditions of the festive season.

During the Song and Yuan dynasties from 960 to 1368 AD, several other customs became popular during Spring Festival, including eating dumplings, setting off firecrackers, visiting relatives, sending New Year’s greeting cards, and attending temple fairs.

Dumplings evolved from wontons and have existed since at least the Han Dynasty. One popular legend is that the “sage of medicine,” Zhang Zhongjing, invented dumplings. Initially, they were filled with medicinal herbs to prevent and treat diseases, probably because of the bitterness of Chinese herbal medicine. Over time, this food has been known by different names in different regions and periods. During the Song Dynasty, they were called “jiaozi,” which may be the origin of the name “dumplings” we use today. In the Yuan Dynasty, they were referred to as “bianshi,” a term still used in many parts of Shanxi and Henan provinces to describe dumplings, and even today, the Mongolian people call them “bianshi.” The name “bianshi” is believed to have come from the dumpling’s shape. On New Year’s Eve, as the old year transitions into the new, families gather together to eat dumplings. The steaming hot dumplings are brought to the table, and everyone eagerly digs in, creating a lively atmosphere. Among these dumplings, one contains a coin. Whoever finds it is considered especially lucky, as it is believed to signify that they will have plenty of money throughout the year.

Today, people associate setting off firecrackers with creating a festive atmosphere and it is seen as an entertaining activity that brings joy and good luck. However, if we trace the origin of firecrackers, they are also linked to the legend of driving away the “Nian.” People, in their attempt to ward off “Nian,” thought of using fire and the cracking sound of bamboo to scare it away. After gunpowder was invented, people began filling bamboo tubes with it, and later used paper tubes, which gradually evolved into what we know today as firecrackers. From the night of New Year’s Eve until early morning on the first day of the new year, the sound of firecrackers continues to fill the air, creating a burst of noise to expel the old year and welcome the new.

During the Ming Dynasty, lasting from 1368 to 1644, various other customs became popular, including whipping the Spring Ox, worshipping the Kitchen God, pasting New Year pictures, eating spring pancakes, and solving lantern riddles.

In ancient times, oxen played an important role in spring plowing, but they often resisted work during winter and needed to be coaxed. Since oxen were valuable assets, people were reluctant to actually whip them. Instead, they created a mock ox out of clay or paper and used willow branches to “whip” it. After this symbolic whipping, people would also carry out symbolic plowing to mark the beginning of the new farming season. Today, China no longer relies on oxen for plowing, but the tradition of whipping the Spring Ox remains a popular and entertaining custom in many parts of China during the Spring Festival.

The Kitchen God, sent by the heavenly court as the head of the household, is believed to ascend to the Jade Emperor, the supreme deity, every year on the 23rd or 24th day of the twelfth lunar month to report on the events of the year. Before his departure, the family holds an elaborate ceremony to honor him and bid him farewell. During the worship of the Kitchen God, specific foods are offered, such as “zao tang”, a type of soup with sugar, rice wine, and fruit. Among these, zao tang, made from malt sugar, is an essential offering during the ceremony. Its sweet, sticky nature is intended to “stick” the Kitchen God’s mouth, so when he ascends to the heavens, he will speak only of good things to the Jade Emperor, avoiding any negative reports. Similarly, rice wine, a sweet alcoholic beverage made from fermented glutinous rice, is also crucial. It is offered in the hope that the Kitchen God will become tipsy and thus remain silent about bad things. In addition, sugarcane and fruits such as apples and oranges are also presented. Sugarcane symbolizes the hope that life will improve year by year, whereas apples represent peace and safety, and oranges represent a wish for good fortune and prosperity.

New Year pictures, a unique form of Chinese art, have become a popular and beloved tradition. These pictures are characterized by simple lines, bright colors, and a lively atmosphere. Pasting New Year pictures during the Spring Festival not only decorates the environment but also carries auspicious and celebratory meanings.

Spring pancakes, which are thin pancakes made from flour, are often filled with shredded radishes and other spicy vegetables. Eating spring pancakes during the Spring Festival symbolizes the welcoming of spring and the hope for a bountiful harvest in the coming year.

Guessing lantern riddles has become another popular activity during Spring Festival, where people write riddles and paste them on colorful lanterns for others to solve. This activity stimulates intelligence while enhancing the festive atmosphere. For the Chinese, lanterns symbolize hope, and the riddles represent a wish for unity and smooth life in the coming year.

During the Qing Dynasty from 1644 to 1911, dragon and lion dances, opera performances, and parades flourished as important traditional activities during the Spring Festival, further enhancing the festive spirit.

Dragons and lions are considered auspicious creatures in Chinese culture, and during the Spring Festival, people perform dragon and lion dances as a way to celebrate and express their wishes for the removal of disasters and the arrival of good fortune.

In the Chaoshan region of Guangdong Province and the Zhangzhou area of Fujian Province, a folk dance called Yingge Dance (英歌舞) is performed. This dance blends Southern martial arts, local theater, and other regional arts. Dancers hold short wooden sticks in each hand and strike them together in various directions with vigorous and powerful movements, accompanied by a strong rhythm. The leader of the dance also traditionally performs a snake dance, which is rooted in the local people’s reverence for snakes.

After the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which overthrew the Qing Dynasty and established the Republic of China, the Gregorian calendar was introduced, separating official holidays from traditional folk festivals. In 1912, Sun Yat-sen, upon becoming the provisional president in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, officially announced the adoption of the Gregorian calendar across the provinces. In 1914, the Ministry of the Interior of the Beijing government approved the proposal to designate the first day of the lunar new year as the official Spring Festival, formally renaming the traditional lunar new year’s beginning.

In 1949, with the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the Gregorian calendar became the official system for dates. In the 12th meeting of the State Council’s Political Bureau, the “National Holidays and Commemorative Days Regulations” were approved, officially designating the Spring Festival as a statutory holiday. Since the 1980s, as the reform and opening-up policy progressed, there has been a resurgence of traditional festivals with the Spring Festival gaining increasing popularity and importance among the Chinese people.

As one of the most important traditional festivals in Chinese culture, the influence of the Spring Festival is expanding globally. According to incomplete statistics, nearly 20 countries and regions now recognize the Spring Festival as an official holiday, and Spring Festival customs have reached almost 200 countries and regions, becoming a major cultural event that brings joy to people around the world. In 2025, during the Year of the Snake, we will also celebrate the first “World Intangible Cultural Heritage” version of the Spring Festival.

Well, that’s the end of our podcast. Our theme music is by the famous film score composer Roc Chen. We want to thank our writer Lü Weitao, translator Wang Yuyan, and copy editor Pu Ren. And thank you for listening. We hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, please tell a friend so they, too, can understand The Context.