Chinese New Year Celebrations Around the World

The Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, will be celebrated on Tuesday, February 5th and festivities will take place throughout the month. Celebrated by almost a quarter of the world’s population, the Chinese New Year is the most important social and economic holiday in the Chinese Calendar. In China, this is when families come together and celebrate the upcoming year. Cities and homes across the countries dazzle with red and gold decorations. With strong Chinese communities scattered around the world, the Spring Festival can now be celebrated virtually anywhere.
 

Shanghai, China

If you want to experience the Chinese New Year through both a modern and traditional lens, look no further than Shanghai. There, the festival is celebrated for two weeks with most of the traditional rituals and events taking place in Yu Garden, one of the oldest and most popular areas of the city. Other areas of celebrations include the Bund and many of the city temples.  On February 19th, visitors will enjoy Yuyuan Garden’s famous lantern show.

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San Francisco, USA

The Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco is ranked among the top 10 parades in the world. The event started being celebrated in the city back in the mid-1800s, when many immigrants from China arrived in the U.S. looking for work. Today, the city boasts one of the largest Chinese community outside of Asia. The celebration stretches across two weeks and includes flower market fairs, a basketball jamboree, the Miss Chinatown USA pageant and a Community Street Fair that includes traditional dancing, drumming, acrobats and so much more.

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Paris, France

The Spring Festival is one of the city’s biggest annual events. Several arrondissements organize parades throughout February, but the heart of the celebrations will take place in Paris’ 13th arrondissements, aka Chinatown. There, celebrations will take place over 2-weeks of entertainments.

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Abu Dhabi, UAE

The Waterfront Promenade at Al Maryah Island will transform into a celebration of Chinese New Year with themed activities, workshops and performances, as well as a spectacular choreographed fireworks display on February 1.

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Australia, Sidney

Australia’s strong ties with the Chinese culture will be immensely celebrated during the Spring Festival, especially in Sydney. Visitors will be able to watch a Dragon Boat Races in Darling Harbor where 12-metre-long boats, housing up to 20 paddlers each, battle it out to beating drums. To honor this year’s animal, a spectacular Pig lantern will light up the western boardwalk of the Sydney Opera House from February 1st.

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London, UK

This year’s Chinese New Year Parade in London will take place on Sunday, February 10th. The London Parade is a sizeable and colorful celebration, taking place throughout Chinatown and Trafalgar Square. It is known to be the biggest Chinese New Year celebration outside of Asia.

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Don’t matter where you celebrate the Chinese New Year in 2019, don’t forget to wear red – a lucky and happy color closely tied to the festival.

Posted: 2/1/2019 4:03:47 PM