Meaning and traditions of the Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year has always been a festival of togetherness, abundance and renewal.
Yet as life changes, so too does the way we celebrate it.
This year, Chinese New Year (February 17-March 3) feels different for me – quieter in some ways, but no less meaningful.
Reunion dinner
For many families, the joy of reuniting with loved ones is at the heart of the festival. Traditionally, Chinese New Year’s Eve is marked by a reunion dinner, which is considered the most important meal of the year. In my family, we used to enjoy a steamboat dinner with my parents and sisters. After moving to England, I have continued my mum’s tradition of serving steamboat, celebrating with my husband Jon, our son Daniel and Daniel’s godparents. The round pot of stock simmering at the centre of the table symbolises wholeness and unity. We would cook the marinated meats and seafood, dumplings, vegetables and noodles in the stock, eating them with rice and various dipping sauces while laughing and chatting.
As Daniel is away at university this year, we will celebrate over Zoom. We’ll order the same takeaway dishes and share the meal across the miles.
Living abroad
I grew up in Singapore where the festival begins weeks before the first day of the Lunar New Year. There was a buzz in the air: markets were filled with decorations, snacks and gifts; families spring-cleaning their homes; shelves stacked with pineapple tarts, love letters (paper-thin waffle biscuits), bak kwa (barbecued pork) and other festive goodies and treats, ready to welcome guests for the 15 days of celebration.
Living abroad does add a sense of distance. I haven’t returned to Singapore to celebrate Chinese New Year with my parents for many years and this year is especially poignant. Both my mum and dad have now passed and for the first time, I won’t be calling them to exchange auspicious greetings, to wish them good health, longevity and peace. Those calls were part of the rhythm of the festival, a simple ritual that anchored the celebrations in love and respect.
In their absence, I feel an even stronger responsibility to uphold our traditions, particularly for Daniel. Although he is growing up in England, I want him to maintain his heritage and for Chinese New Year to mean more than just a date on the calendar.
Celebrations in England
Chinese New Year is very much alive in the UK. Larger cities host vibrant celebrations, complete with lion and dragon dances, lanterns and firecrackers, Chinese New Year variety shows and street markets. In smaller towns like Bury St Edmunds, the scale is inevitably more modest. There are no bustling markets on every corner, no last-minute dashes for decorations and no sense that the whole country is counting down together. Feasts are smaller and traditions simplified and some ingredients adapted to what is available locally.
I do miss the thrill of watching lion dances with their crashing cymbals and pounding drums, and the belief that noise and movement chase away bad luck and usher in prosperity. I might just have to bang a few pots and pans together and dance around my kitchen!
The meaning behind the customs
Beyond food, Chinese New Year is rich in symbolism woven into everyday actions. Red is especially significant during this time, not just because it is considered lucky, but also because it represents vitality, protection and joy. Bold and celebratory, red is meant to ward off negativity. Red decorations are embraced, and red envelopes with money are given as gifts to bring happiness and luck for the new year.
Cleaning before the New Year is another meaningful ritual. On New Year’s eve, we sweep outwards towards the front door to remove bad luck. Traditionally, in Chinese culture, sweeping stops on New Year's Day and is typically avoided for the first few days of the Lunar New Year. This is to avoid sweeping away the good luck, wealth and fortune that have arrived with the new year!
Celebrations at home
To keep my traditions alive and to share them with others, we host Chinese New Year parties, and it’s become one of my favourite ways to celebrate! Everyone dresses in Chinese or Chinese-inspired clothing, and each person brings a dish to share. One or two of the dishes might not be totally authentic, but the research, creativity and effort that go into them are incredible. My friends never fail to impress and what really matters is the love and curiosity poured into each dish.
We share stories, explain customs and laugh together. It’s a celebration not just of Chinese New Year, but of friendship and community. Food becomes a language, a way to pass on culture, memory and meaning. These moments remind me that traditions don’t disappear when circumstances change – they just take on new forms. I’m especially pleased that Daniel is making an eight-hour round trip to honour his heritage and join us for the party.
Celebrating this way teaches us how to hold on to what is important. As long as we mark the occasion with intention, generosity and love, the spirit of Chinese New Year will continue to thrive.
For more stories and to see what auspicious food is served, check out my write-ups from the last two years on suffolknews.co.uk
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