research about chinese new year

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Chinese New Year Traditions

By: History.com Editors

Updated: March 19, 2021 | Original: October 23, 2009

Chinese New Year celebrations were born out of fear and myth. Legend spoke of the wild beast Nian (which also is the word for “year”) that appeared at the end of each year, attacking and killing villagers. Loud noises and bright lights were used to scare the beast away, and the Chinese New Year celebrations were born. Today, the 15-day New Year festivities are celebrated with a week of vacation in metropolitan areas of China. Much like the Western New Year (January 1st), the biggest celebration is on the eve of the holiday. At the turn of the new year, firework displays are put on throughout the city.

Aside from New Year’s Eve, there are other important days of the 15-day Chinese New Year Festival, including:

JIE CAI CENG: Welcoming the Gods of Wealth and Prosperity On the fifth day of New Year’s, it is believed that the gods of prosperity come down from the heavens. Businesses will often participate in setting off firecrackers as they believe it will bring them prosperity and good fortune for their business.

YUAN XIAO JIE: Festival of Lanterns The 15th day of the New Year is known as the Festival of Lanterns and marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations. All types of lanterns are lit throughout the streets and often poems and riddles are often written for entertainment.

There are also paper lanterns on wheels created in the form of either a rabbit or the animal of the year (Dog for 2018). The rabbit lantern stems from a Chinese myth or fairytale about a female goddess named Chang E who jumped onto the moon.

So she wouldn’t travel alone, she brought a rabbit with her to keep her company. It is said that if your heart is pure enough, you can see the goddess Chang E and her rabbit on the moon on this day.

Red envelopes Called “hong bao” in Mandarin, the red envelopes filled with money are typically only given to children or unmarried adults with no job. If you’re single and working and making money, you still have to give the younger ones the hong bao money.

The color red denotes good luck/fortune and happiness/abundance in the Chinese Culture and is often worn or used for decoration in other celebrations.

Dragon The dragon is present in many Chinese cultural celebrations as the Chinese people often think of themselves as descendants of the mythical creature. On the fifth day of the New Year when many people have to start going back to work, they will also have dancing dragons perform in the front of the office building.

On the 15th day of the New Year (Yuan Xiao Jie), they may also have a lot of dancing dragon performances. The dragon represents prosperity, good luck and good fortune.

Traditional Foods

The Chinese New Year’s Eve meal is the most important dinner of the year. Typically, families gather at a designated relative’s house for dinner, but these days, many families often celebrate New Year’s Eve dinner at a restaurant. Many restaurants require reservations months in advance.

There are also some families that hire a professional chef to come cook at their house. Chefs are often busy running from one home to another cooking dinners for different families on New Year’s Eve.

Chinese New Year is a 15-day celebration and each day, many families rotate celebrations between homes of their relatives. The festivities are day-long and sometimes, a family ends up cooking two meals for their relatives, once at lunch and once at dinner.

These dishes used to be all made from scratch, but now people can easily buy them prepackaged at the supermarkets.

• Eight Treasures Rice, which contains rice, walnuts, different colored dry fruit, raisins, sweet red bean paste, jujube dates, and almonds
• “Tang Yuan” – black sesame rice ball soup; or a won ton soup
• Chicken, duck, fish and pork dishes
• “Song Gao,” literally translates to “loose cake,” which is made of rice which has been coarsely ground and then formed into a small, sweet round cake
• “Jiu Niang Tang” – sweet wine-rice soup which contains small rice balls

READ MORE: Chinese New Year History

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• Chinese New Year

History of Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival,   is China’s most important festival. It is also the most important celebration for families and includes a week of official public holiday.

The history of the Chinese New Year festival can be traced back to about 3,500 years ago. Chinese New Year has evolved over a long period of time and its customs have undergone a long developmental process.

When is Chinese New Year?

The date of the Chinese New Year is determined by the lunar calendar. The holiday falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice on December 21. Each year the New Year in China falls on a different date than on the Gregorian calendar. The dates usually range sometime between January 21 and February 20.

Why is it called the Spring Festival?

Even though it is winter, the Chinese New Year is popularly known as the Spring Festival in China. Because it starts from the Beginning of Spring (the first of the twenty-four terms in coordination with the changes of Nature), it marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring.

The Spring Festival marks a new year on the lunar calendar and represents the desire for a new life.

Legend of the Origin of Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is steeped with stories and myths. One of the most popular legends is about the mythical beast Nian (Year). He ate livestock, crops, and even people on the eve of a new year.

To prevent Nian from attacking people and causing destruction, people put food at their doors for Nian.

It’s said that a wise old man figured out that Nian was scared of loud noises (firecrackers) and the color red. So, people put red lanterns and red scrolls on their windows and doors to stop Nian from coming inside. Crackling bamboo (later replaced by firecrackers) was lit to scare Nian away.

Chinese New Year’s Origin in the Shang Dynasty

Chinese New Year has a history of about 3,500 years. Its exact beginning date is not recorded. Some people believe that Chinese New Year originated in the Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 BC), when people held sacrificial ceremonies in honor of gods and ancestors at the beginning or the end of each year.

Chinese Calendar “Year” Established in the Zhou Dynasty

The term  Nian  first appeared in the Zhou Dynasty (1046–256 BC). It had become a custom to offer sacrifices to ancestors or gods, and to worship nature in order to bless harvests at the turn of the year.

Chinese New Year Date Was Fixed in the Han Dynasty

The date of the festival, the first day of the first month in the Chinese lunar calendar, was fixed in the Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD). Certain celebration activities became popular, such as burning bamboo to make a loud cracking sound.

 In the Wei and Jin Dynasties

In the Wei and Jin dynasties (220–420 AD), apart from worshiping gods and ancestors, people began to entertain themselves. The customs of a family getting together to clean their house, having a dinner, and staying up late on New Year’s Eve originated among common people.

More Chinese New Year Activities from the Tang to Qing Dynasties

The prosperity of economies and cultures during the Tang, Song, and Qing dynasties accelerated the development of the Spring Festival. The customs during the festival became similar to those of modern times.

Setting off firecrackers, visiting relatives and friends, and eating dumplings became important parts of the celebration.

More entertaining activities arose, such as watching dragon and lion dances during the Temple Fair and enjoying lantern shows.

The function of the Spring Festival changed from a religious one to an entertaining and social ones, more like that of today.

In Modern Times

In 1912, the government decided to abolish Chinese New Year and the lunar calendar. It adopted the Gregorian calendar instead and made January 1 the official start of the New Year.

After 1949, Chinese New Year was renamed the Spring Festival. It was listed as a nationwide public holiday.

Nowadays, many traditional activities are disappearing but new trends have been generated. CCTV (China Central Television) Spring Festival Gala, shopping online, WeChat red envelopes, and overseas travel make Chinese New Year more interesting and colorful.

Here are two good website if you would like to read more, see charts, and get the answers to many questions about Chinese New Year: https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/special-report/chinese-new-year/ Chinesenewyear.net

The History of Chinese New Year

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The most important holiday in Chinese culture around the world is undoubtedly Chinese New Year, and it all started out of fear.

The centuries-old legend of the origins of the Chinese New Year celebration varies from teller to teller, but every telling includes a story of a terrible mythical monster preying on villagers. The lion-like monster’s name was Nian (年), which is also the Chinese word for “year."

The stories include a wise old man who counsels the villagers to ward off the evil Nian by making loud noises with drums and firecrackers and by hanging red paper cutouts and scrolls on their doors, because Nian is scared of the color red.

The villagers took the old man’s advice and Nian was conquered. On the anniversary of the date, the Chinese recognize the “passing of the Nian,” known in Chinese as guo nian (过年), which is synonymous with celebrating the new year.

Lunar Calendar

The date of Chinese New Year changes each year because it's based on the lunar calendar. While the western Gregorian calendar is based on the Earth’s orbit around the sun, the date of Chinese New Year is determined according to the moon’s orbit around the Earth. Chinese New Year falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice. Other Asian countries such as Korea, Japan, and Vietnam also celebrate the new year using the lunar calendar.

While Buddhism and Daoism have unique customs during the New Year, Chinese New Year is far older than both religions. As with many agrarian societies, Chinese New Year is rooted in a celebration of spring, like Easter or Passover.

Depending on where it's grown, the rice season in China lasts roughly from May to September (north China), April to October (Yangtze River Valley), or March to November (Southeast China). The New Year was likely the start of preparations for a new growing season.

Spring cleaning is a common theme during this time. Many Chinese families clean out their homes during the holiday. The New Year celebration could also have been a way to break up the boredom of the long winter months.

Traditional Customs

On Chinese New Year, families travel long distances to meet and make merry. Known as the "Spring movement" or Chunyun (春运), a great migration takes place in China during this period as many travelers brave crowds to get to their hometowns.

Though the holiday is actually just a week long, traditionally it's celebrated as a 15-day holiday when firecrackers are lit, drums are heard on the streets, red lanterns glow at night, and red paper cutouts and calligraphy hang on doors. Children are also given  red envelopes  containing money. Many cities around the world hold New Year parades complete with dragon and lion dances. Celebrations conclude on the 15th day with the Lantern Festival .

Food is an important component of the New Year. Traditional foods to eat include nian gao  (sweet sticky rice cake) and savory dumplings. 

Chinese New Year vs. Spring Festival

In China, New Year celebrations are synonymous with Spring Festival (春节 or chūn jié), which is typically a week-long celebration. The origins of this renaming from "Chinese New Year" to “Spring Festival” are fascinating and not widely known.

In 1912 the newly formed Chinese Republic, governed by the Nationalist Party, renamed the traditional holiday "Spring Festival" to get the Chinese people to transition into celebrating the Western New Year. During this period, many Chinese intellectuals felt that modernization meant doing all things as the West did.

When the Communists took over power in 1949, the celebration of New Year was viewed as feudalistic and steeped in religion, not proper for an atheist China. Under the Chinese Communist Party , Chinese New Year wasn't celebrated some years.

By the late 1980s, however, as China began liberalizing its economy, Spring Festival celebrations became big business. Since 1982, China Central Television has held an annual New Year’s Gala which is televised across the country and via satellite to the world.

Over the years, the government has made several changes to its holiday system. The May Day holiday was increased and then shortened to one day, and the National Day holiday was made three days instead of two. More traditional holidays, such as the Mid-Autumn Festival and Tomb-Sweeping Day, are emphasized. The only week-long holiday that was maintained is Spring Festival. 

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Chinese New Year - statistics & facts

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Number of movie screenings during Spring Festival in China from 2016 to 2024 (in millions)

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Distribution of box office revenue during Spring Festival in 2024, by city tier

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It's the Year of the Dragon. Here's your guide to the Lunar New Year

Many Asian countries celebrate new year at this time, including Vietnam and Korea. Lunar New Year, often called the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year, is the most important holiday in China and and many other Asian communities. It is an annual 15-day festival that begins with the new moon between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20 in Western calendars. The festival lasts until the following full moon. The holiday began as a time for feasting and to honor household and heavenly deities, as well as ancestors.

How long are the Chinese New Year festivities?

Chinese New Year in 2024 falls on Feb. 10 and ends with the Lantern Festival on Feb. 24. Celebrations last up to 16 days; the Chinese public holiday lasts from Feb. 10 to Feb. 17.

What is the Chinese Zodiac?

The Chinese zodiac, or Sheng Xiao (生肖), is a repeating 12-year cycle of animal signs and their attributes, based on the lunar calendar.

The Lunar New Year marks the transition from one animal to another. The Year of the Rabbit, which began Jan. 22, 2023, ends on Feb. 9. Feb. 10 begins the Year of the Dragon . The Year of the Dragon last came in 2012.

Before the Lunar New Year

In preparation for the Lunar New Year, houses are thoroughly cleaned to drive away any bad luck from the previous year. It is also advised that you pay off any debts ahead of the new year, in part to close the books at the end of the year and start another year fresh.

Some additional traditions preparing for the lunar new year include putting spring festival couplets on doors or windows and buying new clothes.

New Year's Eve

On the morning of New Year’s Eve, people sweep the tombs of their ancestors, then return home. When they finish hanging Spring Festival couplets and red lanterns, it’s time for the big family reunion dinner. This banquet is believed to be the most important dinner of the year. Big families of several generations come together and enjoy delicious and lucky dishes.

In China, the foods served at these dinners vary from north to south. Northern Chinese cuisine tends to have dumplings and noodles; southern Chinese meals rely heavily on rice cakes. Traditionally, people give out red envelopes with money and light fireworks after dinner.

Chinese New Year traditions

Festival of lanterns.

The last day of the New Year is known as the Festival of Lanterns and marks the end of Chinese New Year celebrations. All types of lanterns are lighted throughout the streets, and poems and riddles are often written for entertainment.

CONTRIBUTING Dian Zhang

SOURCE USA TODAY Network reporting and research; ChineseNewYear.net, History.com

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This guide had been created for the lunar new year celebration sponsored by the International Student Services Office, the Office of Multicultural Affairs, and First Year Experience and Family Programs of CWRU.

The Gregorian calendar is followed and solar new year is an official holiday in Asian countries. But lunar new year is still the most important festival in several Southeast and Northeast Asian countries, especially among those of Chinese descent. Lunar new year marks the ending of the old and the beginning of the new year. It is on the first day of the first lunar month. In the Gregorian calendar, the festival falls somewhere between January 21 and February 19. Let's take a look at how this most important holiday is observed in different countries.

China (Spring Festival, Xin Nian)

Celebration starts from the beginning of the twelfth lunar month through the 15th day of first lunar month, the Lantern Festival. Legend tells that in ancient times, a horrible monster called "nian" (same word for "year") appeared at the end of the year, attacked people and livestock, but the villagers could not defeat it. Finally, the villagers found out the monster would be terrified by the color red and noise. People set off firecrackers, wore red clothes, hang red lanterns, and painted their homes red at the end of the year. The beast panicked and ran away. The cheerful bright red color is the most popular color for the Spring Festival.

Traditional Spring Festival events include: 

Twelfth lunar month:

Day 8: Offering of Soup of the Eighth Day (Laba Gruel). Laba gruel is a thick porridge consisting of "various whole grains and/or rice with dried fruits and nuts such as dates, chestnuts, pine seeds, and raisins."

Day 23: Sending off the Kitchen God. The Kitchen God is the agent of the heavenly authority and spends the whole year with the family. On the 23rd of the last month of the lunar year, he ascends to heaven and makes a report of the family. Family present offerings, hoping the deity will speak of good things. A paper horse is set on fire as the god's steed to ascend to heaven.

Day 30: New Year's Eve (Chu xi). Fierce door Gods (Men shen) are pasted on the center panels of doors, auspicious spring scrolls/couplets (Chun lian) on each side of the front door. People sweep the house to send off misfortune. Offerings to gods and ancestors are made. Family reunion meals take place. People stay awake to safeguard the year.

First Lunar Month:

Day 1: New Year's Day. Set off firecrackers. People change into new clothes and visit elders. Elders pass out red envelopes (Hong bao) containing "lucky money" (Ya sui qian). Burn incense and worship deities in temples.

Days 1-5: Relatives/friends visits. Traditional new year food includes meat dumplings (Jiao zi), fish and sweet steamed glutinous rice pudding (Nian gao). Fruits, nuts and seeds are popular snacks, conveying "wishes for fertility and long life." Especially in the south part of China, flowers such as lotus, camellia, hand citron and narcissus are used to decorate home.

Day 15: the Lantern Festival Day (Deng jie) or the Feast of the First Full Moon (Yuanxiao jie). A wild variety of lanterns are displayed. People go to the streets and view processions of stilt walkers, lions dances, dragon parade and opera performances. Sweet-tasting glutinous rice flour balls called Yuan xiao, is consumed in every household.

• Chang, Mei-Yen. "Lunar New Year In Taiwan." International Journal Of Education Through Art 6.1 (2010): 41-57.
• Stepanchuk, Carol and Wong, Charles. Mooncakes and Hungary Ghosts: Festivals of China. San Francisco: China Books & Periodicals, 1991.

Vietnam (Tet Nguyen Dan or Tet)

Tet is the most important annual festival in Vietnam, both culturally and spiritually. It is marked by a four-day public holiday. But the preparation for Tet starts a full month ahead and continues until the seventh day of the new year. About ten to fifteen days before Tet, people begin shopping for the holiday. Square or hexagonal cardboard candy box bearing "Happy New Year" is a must-have for every household on its ancestral altar. A great variety of calendars are available in the market and hung in every house as an ornament. Calendars have almost replaced the old custom of hanging couplets in Chinese calligraphy. Flowering branches and small trees are brought into homes during the holidays. The favorites are peach branches and small potted mandarin trees. The apricot blossom or mai flower is very popular in the South.

In tradition, Tet commences on the twenty-third day of the twelfth month when the Kitchen Gods, the three Ong Tao, are worshiped and travel to heaven to give an annual report of the family they inhabit. A bowl of three small carps is offered to be ridden by the gods for their journey  to see the Heavenly King. Rice cake is an essential food to Tet for offering on ancestral altars and giving as gift exchanges between kins and friends. Cylindrical rice cakes (Banh tet) are popular in the South, while square rice cakes (Banh chung) are popular in the North. In the past, it was a tedious task to make rice cakes as people boiled the cakes ten to twelve hours over fires in a large open space. Today rice cakes can be bought in shops or ordered in advance. "Five-fruit tray" (Mam ngu qua) is another common offering on the ancestral altar, which symbolizes the "good fortune and prosperity hoped for" in the new year.

On the twenty-fifth or twenty-sixth day of the last lunar month, ancestral graves are visited and tidied. In the late afternoon of the last day of the old year or the first day of the new year, families hold a ceremony to "honor the ancestors and invite them to enjoy Tet with the living family." The ancestors will protect the family throughout the new year. Family will visit father's or mother's lineages on the first and second days, and visit teachers or former teachers on the third day of Tet.  On the first day of the new year, temples and shrines are full of people. Religious activities also take place at certain sites dedicated to former national or regional heroes.

In rural area, a neu tree, "a long bamboo pole with a pineapple at the top, decorated with a bell, lantern, and flags," would be raised outside the house once the Kitchen God has been sent off.  Taking down of the neu tree marks the ending of the celebration on the seventh day of the first lunar month.

• Nguyen, Van Huy. "Tet holidays: ancestral visits and spring journeys." Vietnam: Journeys of Body, Mind, and Spirit. 71-91. Berkeley, CA: U of California P, with American Museum of Natural History, New York; Vietnam Mu
• McAllister, Patrick. "Religion, The State, And The Vietnamese Lunar New Year." Anthropology Today 29.2 (2013): 18-22.
• McAllister, Patrick. "Connecting Places, Constructing Tết: Home, City And The Making Of The Lunar New Year In Urban Vietnam." Journal Of Southeast Asian Studies 43.1 (2012): 111-132.

Lunar new year celebration starts on the first and ends on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Home is cleaned and tidied for the new year. On new year's eve, family will enjoy a festive meal together. On New Year's Day, younger generation will visit elders and elders will distribute cash in red envelopes. Visitors will bring two mandarin oranges as new year's gifts, since the name of orange sounds like "good fortune" and "gold (financial wellbeing)." In return, guests will get back two oranges when they leave, conveying blessings for the new year. Streets in Chinatown are beautifully and lavishly lit, and lanterns are hang up. Dragon dance, lion dance, fireworks and fire-eating performance are popular activities.

• The official site of Singapore Tourism Board: Chinese New year. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
• Chinese Encyclopedia Online: Singapore Lunar New Year Rites. Retrieved January 24, 2019 (Translated by the author).

Korea (Seollal)

Seollal (Korean New Year) is a three-day national holiday and focuses on family. People spend a lot of time shopping for ancestral rites and gifts. Thousands of travelers are heading for their hometowns and transportation can be time-consuming. 

The day before Seollal, family members gather together to prepare the holiday food. Tteokguk (rice cake soup) is the most important food for both ancestral rites and the New Year meal (Sechan). Rice cake (Tteok) used for tteokguk is prepared by "steaming non-glutinous rice flour, pounding the dough with a mallet until it is firm and stick, and then shaping it into the form of a rope." The shape of a long rope signifies an expansion of good fortune in the new year. Seollal food preparation requires long hours of work. Nowadays, ready-made food can be purchased or delivered to home. 

On the morning of Seollal, people dress in new clothing, especially Korea's traditional costume (Hanbok). Then the families gather to perform ancestral rites to pay respect to ancestors and pray for good fortune in the new year (Charye ritual).  It is believed that ancestors will return to enjoy the holiday food. After the ancestral rites, family share the holiday food together.  According to Korean tradition, eating tteokguk on Seollal adds one year to your age. After the meal, the younger generations will bow deeply to the elders to show respect. In return, the elders will offer good wishes along with gifts of money (Sebaetdon). Family members play traditional folk games and share stories. The most common activity is Yutnori, a board game that involves throwing four wooden sticks.

• Paik, Jae-eun. "Tteokguk, Rice Cake Soup." Koreana 21.4 (2007): 76-79.
• The Official Site of Korean Tourism Organization: Learn Traditional Culture to Celebrate Seollal! Retrieved January 24, 2019.
• The Official Site of Korean Tourism Organization: Celebrating Seollal in Korea: A Glimpse of Local Customs. Retrieved January 24, 2019.

Lunar new year is the most important holiday for Chinese Malaysians. The celebration starts from Winter Solstice and and lasts until the fifteenth of the first lunar month. Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur is decorated with red color lanterns and crowded with shoppers. On New Year's Eve, a family reunion dinner will be held. People will stay awake to safeguard the year and light fireworks. On New Year's Day, Chinese Malaysians open their homes for visits from friends of other religions and races. Sweeping the floor on New Year's Day is forbidden as good fortune will be swept away. Bad language and unpleasant topics are strictly discouraged. Relatives and friends will visit each other from the second day of the new year.Yee Sang is a special dish that is only served during Chinese New Year, conveying wishes for prosperity, health and good luck in the new year. Dragon and lion dances are held in Chinatown and there are many prayers in temples. On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month (Chap Goh Mei, known as Chinese Valentine's Day), young unmarried women will throw tangerines into the sea, wishing to find  a good husband. 

• Wonderful Malaysia, "Chinese New Year in Malaysia." Retrieved January 24, 2019.
• How the Spring Festival is Celebrated in Singapore and Among Chinese Malaysians." Retrieved January 24, 2019 (Translated by the author).
• Lim, Audrey. "Chap Goh Mei." Retrieved January 24, 2019.
• NPR: Yusheng: A Dish To Toss In The air To Celebrate The Chinese New Year.

On New Year's eve, Thai Chinese will hold ancestral rites, offer fruits, taro, sweets and other dishes on the altar, and burn incense. After ancestral worship, family will enjoy reunion meal together. On New Year's Day, Thai Chinese will pay pilgrimage to temples and pray for favorable climatic weathers and good wellbeing in the new year. Chinatown in Bangkok is decorated with lanterns, and dragon parades and lion dances are held.

• "How Thai Chinese Celebrate the Spring Festival." Retrieved January 24, 2019 (Translated by the author).
• Bao, Jiemin. "Chinese in Thailand." Encyclopedia of Diasporas : Immigrant and Refugee Cultures around the World. New York ; London : Kluwer Academic/Plenum, 2004, p. 757.

Philippines

Lunar New Year was announced as a  public holiday in 2012 in the Philippines. Lunar new year is the most prominent celebration for Chinese Filipinos. People participate in dragon and lion dances in Chinatown and enjoy Chinese opera performance. Tikoy (sticky rice cake) giving is a tradition and is only available for purchase in stores around Lunar New Year time. Red envelopes containing luck money (Ang pao) are distributed to children.

• Ang See, Teresita. "Chinese in the Philippines." Encyclopedia of Diasporas : Immigrant and Refugee Cultures around the World. New York ; London : Kluwer Academic/Plenum, 2004, p. 767.
• "Chinese New Year Celebrated in the Philippines." Asia Society. Retrieved January 24, 2019.

Japan (Shogatsu, 正月)

Since 1873, the official and cultural Japanese New Year has been celebrated on January first based on the Gregorian calendar. Kadomatsu, the bouquet of pine and bamboo which stands for longevity and righteousness, stand before entrance as new year's decoration. Twisted straw rope (Shimenawa) is put over doors of the house to "bring good luck and keep evil out." New crops and mochi (rice cakes) are offered to gods in thanks and people pray for good harvests in the new year. Osechi is a special cooking for new year prepared in a four-tiered lacquered box. From new years's eve to the seventh day of January, Japanese people pay their first pilgrimage of the year to shrines or temples and pray for good fortune in the new year (Hatsumode). Children receive pocket money (Otoshidama) from parents and kins. Kite-flying is a popular play for boys, and battledore and shuttlecock for girls.

• Japan. Kokusai Kankokyoku. Annual Events in Japan. Tokyo Board of Tourist Industry: Japanese Government Railways, 1938.
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• Last Updated: Sep 28, 2023 2:12 PM
• URL: https://researchguides.case.edu/lunar-new-year

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10 Facts You Should Know about Chinese New Year

Top 10 facts about chinese new year.

The festival date changes every year.

It is also called Spring Festival.

Chinese new year starts a new animal’s zodiac year., the celebration lasts for 15 days till lantern festival., one sixth of the world’s people celebrate it., it is the longest public holiday and the whole country is on the move., reunion dinner is a ritual..

The reunion dinner on Chinese New Year's Eve is a big feast to commemorate the past year. This is the most important time to be with families. After the reunion dinner, families sit together to watch the CCTV New Year's Gala while chatting. As the most watched TV program, the gala collects various well-selected performances, targeting audiences of different generations.

Then comes the annual largest usage of fireworks on the planet.

Fireworks are an indispensable part of the celebration to liven up the air of Spring Festival. All families set off fireworks to celebrate the festival. The biggest firework show is on Lunar New Year's Eve.  

The celebration decorations are mostly in red.

“guo nian hao” is one of the most used greetings., fun facts about chinese new year for kids, everyone wears new clothes..

Kids are especially happy to show their beautiful new clothes to their little friends and others.  

Kids receive red envelopes as gifts.

Instead of wrapped gifts that western nationalities give at Christmas, children get red envelopes stuffed with lucky money from grandparents, uncles, aunts and other elders who have started to earn their way. The happy fact is that kids are allowed to spend the money as they like.  

They can eat various delicious foods.

Everyone gets one year older..

It is like a national birthday and it doesn’t matter when you were born. For kids, it means they are able to do more things on their own.

More Chinese New Year Facts

Chinese New Year explained for students

The New Year is celebrated on January 1 for those following the Gregorian calendar, but for some cultures following the lunar calendar, New Year’s could fall on a different day. Chinese New Year — which has been celebrated for millennia — falls on February 1 this year.

Although its origins are not certain , it is believed that it originated sometime during the Shang Dynasty in 1600 to 1046 B.C., where folks held sacrificial ceremonies to honour their ancestors and gods at the start of a new year.

The current day Chinese New Year has evolved over the years and is observed in many countries, from the UK to the US and Malaysia. Today, lion dance performances, fireworks, feasts, mandarin oranges and offering gifts to friends and families are important hallmarks of the celebrations.

If you’re curious about what Chinese New Year entails, keep reading.

Before you barge into a Chinese household, you will need to learn some of the lingoes to greet them properly. Source: Sam Yeh/AFP

Chinese New Year lingoes

Before you barge into a Chinese household, it’s useful to learn some phrases to greet your hosts! While it’s not necessary, going the extra mile to learn some phrases could mean a lot to them.

So, here are some phrases you could practice and impress your Chinese friends in both Mandarin and Cantonese:

 新年快乐 – Happy Chinese New Year

Mandarin:  xīn nián kuài lè

Cantonese: sun nin fai look

春节快乐 – Happy Spring Festival

In mainland China , instead of saying Chinese New Year, they prefer to call it the Happy Spring Festival.

Mandarin: chūn jié kuài lè

Cantonese: tsun zit fai look

身体健康 – Good Health

Wishing someone good health is incredibly important, especially for elders.

Mandarin:  shēn tǐ jiàn kāng

Cantonese:  sun tai gin hong

恭喜发财 – Wishing You Prosperity and Good Fortune

This is a common greeting you can expect to hear throughout the Chinese New Year. There is a misconception that it means “Happy New Year”, but in actual fact, the direct translation is, “I hope you get rich”.

Mandarin: gōng xǐ fā cái

Cantonese:  gong hei fat choy

Within Chinese culture, superstitions are common among some. Certain actions that you do within the festive season is believed to either carry good or bad luck. Source: Philip Fong/AFP

Chinese New Year do’s and don’ts

Within Chinese culture, superstitions are common among some individuals or families. This means certain actions that you do within this festive season is believed to either carry good or bad luck.

Whether you believe in them or not, it’s best to respect the culture and tradition of others by following these do’s and don’ts:

Cleaning the house before Chinese New Year

With spring cleaning, it’s out with the old and in with the new.

Ideally, any cleaning of the house should be done before the first day of the Chinese New Year. Family and friends may come together as a sort of reunion to clean every wall, window and corner.

New year shopping

It’s customary to buy new clothing, bedsheets, cabinets or anything you like for Chinese New Year. Buying new things symbolises welcoming new things into your life and having a fresh start to the year.

This is particularly true when it comes to clothing as the Chinese often buy their articles in advance so they can wear them on the first day itself.

Reunion dinners

Chinese New Year is the time to have the greatest of feasts with your family and friends. Relatives from all over would head back to their respective hometowns to celebrate with their loved ones during this festive season.

If you or your friends can’t go back home to celebrate the Chinese New Year, you can always create your own feast with your friends, since the whole point of reunion dinners is to bring everyone together again.

Giving or receiving red envelopes

These red envelopes, better known as 紅包: hóng bāo,  are customarily given to unmarried children or adults that symbolises luck and blessings given to the recipient.

If you’re already married, it is customary for you to give these red envelopes to your unmarried friends or children you know. If you’re not married, you’re going to have a field day collecting hóng bāo from your Chinese friends and family.

Lion/dragon dances

These traditional performances have been the centre of Chinese New Year entertainment. It was originally served as a ritual to purge any ghosts or spirits lingering around with loud music and dancing mythical creatures.

Modern-day lion or dragon dances have evolved to intricate performances, including dancing to music and acrobatics. Annual competitions are held to pit the best troupes against each other.

If you’re not in an Asian country such as China, Taiwan, Malaysia or Singapore, where these performances are done almost everywhere, you should try heading to your nearest Chinatown to witness this beautiful dance.

Don’ts

Cleaning or washing anything during chinese new year.

It’s a bad omen to wash your hair, clothes and your house during the first three days of the new year. Cleaning and washing symbolise getting rid of the good luck that you have received during the auspicious season.

Wearing black or white clothing

These colours are considered inauspicious as they are often used during times of mourning the dead.

Inauspicious numbers or odd numbers for red envelopes

Adding odd numbers or inauspicious numbers to your red envelopes carries a bad omen, believing that all good things come in doubles. The number four is an incredibly inauspicious number for the Chinese as the language for “four” closely resembles the word death. The best numbers you should use is six and eight, as these numbers are deemed auspicious.

Lending or borrowing money

On new year’s day, you should not borrow or lend money as it symbolises that all debts have been paid before the year begins. If someone owes you money, you should not demand repayment from anyone as it is said that you will be unlucky all year if you do so.

Eating porridge for breakfast

This sounds incredibly random but it relates to your prosperity and fortune. Eating porridge for breakfast is considered a meal for the poor as they may not be able to afford to eat steamed or boiled rice.

As odd as it sounds, this is a big deal for the Chinese as this causes bad omens ruining your fortune and prosperity throughout the year. Yes, even poor people that follow these traditions have no choice but to eat steamed or boiled rice or other alternatives to fit the symbolism.

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How to Celebrate Chinese New Year

Last Updated: March 3, 2024 Approved

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 86 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 86% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 624,496 times. Learn more...

Chinese New Year, also called Lunar New Year or the Chinese Spring Festival, holds the most significant position among all Chinese festivals and holidays. It lasts for the first fifteen days of the Chinese lunar calendar, which on the Western calendar begins sometime between January 21 and February 21, varying from year to year. The celebration includes decorations, parades, folk traditions, and a wonderful feast. If you want to participate in the celebrations, there are many things you can do to join the festivities and to pay homage to Chinese traditions.

Preparing for the Holiday

• Keeping fresh and hygienic is also an important part of celebrating; even a new haircut will do.
• Don't clean your home after the New Year has started. To do so is to "sweep away" the good luck you've just received. Over the following fifteen days, or at least the first few if you can't wait that long, you are relieved of cleaning duties.

• Paste paper cutouts onto the window. These elaborate cutouts usually depict scenes from rural life or Chinese mythology, and are traditionally put up on south and north facing windows. [2] X Research source
• Display Chinese New Year paintings and artwork. Traditionally, these contain images of health and bounty, including animals and fruit. You could include a "door god" image on your door, traditionally to fight off evil spirits and bless your house. [3] X Research source
• Hang up couplets as decoration. You can write spring-themed couplets yourself or buy Chinese calligraphy printed on red paper.
• Decorate with paper lanterns. These are made of red paper and are one of the most common decorations during Chinese New Year.
• Paint your door, doorframe, or window panes red for a real change of pace!

• Place flowers through the house, such as lotuses. Lotus flowers symbolize rebirth and new growth.
• Place mandarin oranges in bowls throughout the house. Mandarins with their leaves still intact are the fruits of happiness for the New Year. Use an even number and eat in pairs for good luck. [4] X Research source
• Set out a tray of eight candies. Eight is a lucky number. You can use any treats for your tray, or traditional Chinese candies made from lotus seeds, longan, peanuts, coconut, red melon seed, or candied melon.

• In some areas, people traditionally prepare bean curd or tofu two days after honoring the kitchen god and eat the unpleasant residue to demonstrate thrift when the Jade Emperor comes to check up on the Kitchen God's report. You can substitute this tradition with tastier portions of tofu if you like!

Celebrating Chinese New Year

• Avoid wearing too much black during the celebration period. Black symbolizes bad luck and even death. This is a time of good fortune and life!

• You can find the tube of fortune sticks near the entrance to the temple. Ask a question and shake the tube until a numbered stick falls out. One of the fortune tellers can interpret it for you. [5] X Research source

• Many people continue to set off fireworks for the entire fifteen days, or at least the first four to eight days before they have to return to work. Expect a lot of noise and excitement if you're living in a Chinese community!
• Personal fireworks are banned in some countries and regions, but you may be able to watch an official fireworks display.

• Visit your family and friends often to share the New Year with them. Discuss what happened in the previous year, your plans for the coming one, and just overall enjoy your time together.
• Greet other celebrants with "Gong Xi," pronounced "gōng zee" or "gohng shee". This means "Congratulations!" Longer greetings include Gong Hei Fat Choi or Gong Xi Fa Chai in Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese respectively.

Eating Traditional Food

• Jiu, a traditional hard liquor, and daikon, the Chinese radish, symbolize longevity.
• Red chilies mean good luck.
• Rice ensures harmony.
• Fish, chicken, or other small animals are often served whole and cut at the table. This reminds us of our unity and prosperity.

• Any type of dumpling can play a special role during Chinese New Year because of their shape, which resembles ancient Chinese gold or silver ingots.

• Cook Chinese dumplings . Use generous portions of cabbage or radish to celebrate prosperity. If you like, you can hide a coin or other object in one of the dumplings for someone lucky to find. [7] X Research source
• Make your own spring rolls. Spring rolls are named after the Spring Festival, so this is an excellent time to eat them! [8] X Research source
• Serve plenty of fish . Fish are a sign of prosperity. Serve the fish whole and make enough to have leftovers -- it's good luck!
• Fry your own pot stickers . Pot stickers are a type of dumpling, and any dumpling is welcome at a Chinese New Year feast.
• Serve Chinese noodles in peanut sauce. Long, uncut noodles are another symbol of longevity and can be served with any sauce.
• Cook shrimp with Chinese lobster sauce. This is one example of a Chinese entrée, but there are many recipes you could use, ranging from traditional Chinese cooking to Chinese American inventions.
• Create decorated "tea eggs". These have no special connection with New Year, but are a unique Chinese treat that serves as decoration and appetizer at the same time.

Watching a Parade

• Remember your camera, and dress warmly if you live in an area that has to celebrate the Spring Festival in the wintertime!
• You're in luck if you live near San Francisco: its annual Chinese New Year parade is said to be the largest and oldest outside of Asia.

• The dragon dancers skillfully synchronize their dancing in one line, holding poles supporting a long, vibrant dragon. Dragons are common in Chinese mythology, in which they are revered symbols of the nation and people.
• Two lion dancers share a single costume depicting a large, stylized lion. The lion is a powerful, majestic character in Chinese mythology, but the dance often includes comic elements, such as a silly monk who helps the lion track down a lettuce. [9] X Research source
• Both dances are accompanied by traditional Chinese drumming.

• Many people write riddles onto the lantern for children to solve.
• Now is the time to eat traditional sweet dumplings filled with all kinds of ingredients. These are called tangyuan.
• Put candles up on this day to guide good spirits home.

Community Q&A

• The many decorative themes used in China include fish, lanterns, lions, dragons, fortune gods, and the new year's zodiac sign. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
• If you have a religion, pray. This includes praying to the dead and the various Chinese gods. Certain days are traditionally dedicated to prayer. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 2
• There are many ways to celebrate Chinese New Year, from specific folk rituals associated with each day of the festival to local traditions from a specific region in China. Don't be surprised by variations; try to learn more about the different methods of celebrating as you come across them. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• If setting off firecrackers is illegal in your country, don't risk trouble with authorities or others. Countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Kenya and the United States have laws that partially, or completely ban the use of firecrackers. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ Barnabas and Anabel Kindersley, Nos fêtes préférées dans le monde entier (Our favorite celebrations worldwide), p. 8, (1997), ISBN 2-07-051310-6
• ↑ http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/festivals/chinese-new-year-celebration.htm
• ↑ Jeremy Cressman, Celebrate Chinese New Year, Hong Kong style, http://www.gadling.com/2010/03/15/celebrating-chinese-new-year-hong-kong-style/
• ↑ http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-food/chinese-new-year-food.htm
• ↑ http://www.dragonliondance.com/about.htm
• ↑ http://www.chinahighlights.com/festivals/lantern-festival.htm

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Why China Celebrates New Year in January or February

Chinese New Year is one of the most important holidays celebrated in China and across various Asian communities.

The unique new year comprises an annual 15-day festival which starts with the new moon between January 21 and February 20 in western calendar.

In 2024, the Chinese New Year falls on February 10 and ends on February 24 with the Lantern Festival.

Welcoming the Year of the Dragon, this special event follows the Chinese zodiac (Sheng Xiao) tradition, attributing each year to one of the twelve animals: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.

The animals are rotated in sequence based on a fable about them racing and the order in which they finished.

It is thought that any year that falls under the sign a person was born can hold bad luck for them.

Why it is  Called the Lunar New Year

While commonly known as ‘Chinese New Year’ in the West, this celebrated date extends its joyous reach to Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, and beyond.

More accurately labeled as the ‘Lunar New Year’, the festivities align with the traditional Chinese calendar, measured by the Moon’s position rather than the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, as in the Gregorian calendar.

In China, these jubilant celebrations are often referred to as the ‘Spring Festival’.

How Does the Chinese Calendar Work?

Chinese New Year differs from the ‘standard’ western New Year’s Day because it is based on the traditional Chinese calendar rather than the Gregorian one

While the Gregorian calendar, now a global norm that governs daily life, a few nations like Ethiopia, Nepal, and Iran still maintain their unique calendars.

Also Read: New Year Gift for 3,000 Workers as Company Announces 16% Pay Rise

Furthermore, the traditional Chinese calendar is based on a mixture of lunar and solar phenomenon, days still begin and end at midnight, but months begin on the day of the full moon and years begin on the second new moon after the winter solstice.

This is what then places the New Year as beginning on the day of the first new moon that falls between 21 January and 20 February.

Of note is that, the year of the rabbit which began on January 22, 2023, comes to an end on February 9. Therefore, paving way for the new year (year of the dragon) starting February 10.

Also, the year of the dragon was last seen in 2012.

UN Nairobi Hosts the Unique New Year Celebrations

The Chinese Embassy in Kenya marked the Chinese Lunar New Year 2024 at the United Nations Headquarters in Nairobi.

The event, held on Wednesday, January 31, saw more than 200 attendees, including UN staff members and diplomats r epresenting countries like China, Russia, Malaysia, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Iran.

Chinese New Year Listed as UN Floating Holiday

In a historic move, the UN General Assembly officially designated the Lunar New Year as a floating holiday for Kenya on December 22, 2023.

During the celebratory event at the UN, Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Zhou Pingjian emphasized the Lunar New Year’s role in fostering diversity and inclusiveness globally.

“The festival has become a global cultural event bringing joy to people around the world. We are delighted to celebrate the Lunar New Year with the UN and the world. We hope all civilizations will coexist harmoniously and prosper together,” Ambassador Zhou said.

“The festival symbolizes joy, harmony, peace, unity, and prosperity in Chinese culture. It offers a valuable opportunity to understand China and its people,” added the diplomat.

Also Read:  Gachagua Gives Chinese Contractors Orders to Employ Kenyans

Zainab Bangura, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) , expressed that these celebrations play a pivotal role in cultivating international unity among nations.

She, however, pointed out that celebrations in Nairobi come ahead of the official UN-designated day on February 10.

Chinese scientists cure diabetes using stem cells in world first

• The 59-year-old patient of 25 years received a transplant of pancreatic cells derived from his own stem cells in 2021. He is now insulin independent.
• This marks the world’s first successful use of stem cell-derived islet transplantation to cure diabetes .
• The achievement, published on Cell Discovery on April 30, comes after over a decade of research at Shanghai Changzheng Hospital.
• Diabetes is a major health threat, affecting 422 million people worldwide. While there is still no known cure for diabetes, methods of management include insulin injections and other medications.
• The patient reportedly suffered a significant decline in pancreatic islet function, which regulates blood sugar, after undergoing a kidney transplant in 2017. Since then, he had been dependent on daily multiple insulin injections. 
• In July 2021, a team at the hospital led by researcher Yin Hao used the patient’s own blood cells to create stem cells, which were then converted into pancreatic islet cells.
• The transplant successfully eliminated the patient’s need for external insulin within 11 weeks. Oral medication was also gradually reduced and ultimately discontinued a year later.
• Follow-up exams showed restored pancreatic function and normal kidney function, suggesting that the patient has been cured .
• In 2023, the FDA approved a similar cell therapy  treatment by a Chicago-based startup for type 1 diabetes.
• The Chinese researchers say more research is needed to confirm the long-term efficacy and broaden applicability of this treatment.

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Chinese Zodiac Years - 12 Chinese New Year Animals Chart

Chinese zodiac years are represented by 12 animals . Each Chinese lunar year has a Chinese zodiac sign animal. The Chinese zodiac year's stsarting date is a little different from the Gregorian year. It starts from Chinese New Year .

The Chinese zodiac years chart below is provided to help you find out the exact starting and ending dates of the Chinese zodiac years . (This is especially useful for finding the Chinese zodiac signs of people born in January or February.)

Content Preview

• Chinese Zodiac Years Chart from 1960 to 2031

What is my Chinese Zodiac Year Animal?

Chinese zodiac years chart from 1948 to 2031.

Chinese people associate each animal sign with certain characteristics . It's believed that people born in a given year have the personality of that year's animal .

For example, if you're born after January 27 in 1998, your Chinese zodiac sign is the Tiger as 1998 was a year of the Tiger (beginning at Chinese New Year).

Use the Chinese zodiac calculator below to quickly and accurately know what your zodiac sign is, what is lucky for that sign, and a brief horoscope prediction for this year.

• Personality :
• Lucky numbers :
• Lucky colors :
• Lucky flowers :

Click a picture below to check out a zodiac animal sign's horoscope, personality, love compatibility, etc. in detail.

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UF employee, students implicated in illegal…

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Uf employee, students implicated in illegal plot to ship drugs, toxins to china.

Records stated the plot was to fraudulently buy thousands of biochemical samples of dangerous drugs and toxins that were delivered to a campus lab then illicitly shipped to China over seven years.

While the court records do not name the UF employee or students, Fresh Take has identified one student tied to the scheme as the president of UF’s Chinese Students and Scholars Association — Nongnong “Leticia” Zheng. The group openly protested a state law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis last year that limits universities from recruiting students and faculty from China — and bans employing such students in academic labs without permission.

Zheng confirmed Friday in an interview that a federal prosecutor notified her last year she was the target of a grand jury investigation and the Justice Department was preparing to seek criminal charges against her. She said she’s been assigned a federal public defender, Ryan Maguire of Tampa. She said government agents have threatened to imprison or deport her.

It wasn’t clear if the UF research employee or other students — identified in court records as co-conspirators — have been charged or arrested. The UF employee worked in the stockroom of a research lab, prosecutors said.

Materials smuggled to China included what the government described as purified, noncontagious proteins of the cholera toxin — which causes a diarrheal infection — and pertussis toxin — which causes whooping cough.

Other materials smuggled to China included analytical samples of highly purified drugs — fentanyl, morphine, MDMA, cocaine, ketamine, codeine, methamphetamine and others, court records showed. The samples would generally be used for calibrating scientific or medical devices and can’t legally be exported to China.

Prosecutors described one student involved as a Chinese citizen majoring in marketing last year who agreed to change her UF email signature to falsely represent she was a biomedical engineering student to purchase items without raising suspicions, court records showed. One line across hundreds of pages of court documents cited an excerpt of an email that showed her first name was “Leticia.”

Fresh Take Florida, a news service of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, identified “Leticia” as Zheng using biographical clues in university records unique to her. Zheng, a senior marketing major, was enrolled as recently as this spring, university records showed.

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Zheng, who lived most of her life in China, said in the interview Friday she was deceived and victimized by the plot’s organizers, who solicited help finding paid interns from the Chinese student organization.

“This case seems to be really big,” she said. “What I was doing was, like, just a little work, and I didn’t get paid that much.”

Zheng said in hindsight she noticed red flags such as lack of paperwork or consistent payments for her work. She said she wasn’t familiar with the substances she ordered. She said the man described as ringleader — who pleaded guilty — reassured her and she didn’t realize she was in trouble until the Justice Department contacted her.

The scheme’s organizers paid other students to use their UF email addresses to order substances, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said organizers also used email addresses of two UF researchers who had left the university by 2015. They were not described as co-conspirators.

The university said in a statement it has been cooperating with the Justice Department for weeks but declined to answer directly if anyone has been fired or kicked out of UF.

“We will have more details to share regarding UF’s administrative actions as the DOJ’s criminal case unfolds,” spokesman Steve Orlando said.

The scheme ran July 2016 to May 2023, the government said. Former Nebraska Republican Sen. Ben Sasse — a leading China hawk on Capitol Hill — became university president in February 2022.

The man prosecutors identified as ringleader, Pen “Ben” Yu, 51, of Gibsonton, near Tampa, pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine when sentenced Aug. 2.

Yu provided the student Fresh Take identified as Zheng with a credit card to place dozens of fraudulent orders last year, the Justice Department said. At Yu’s direction, she wrote the biomedical company that she was “working in collaboration with other researchers” and requested “a good price since we will be purchasing these items routinely,” court records showed.

After biomedical orders arrived at UF, the research employee would provide them to Yu, who shipped them to China, prosecutors said. The UF researcher in charge of the lab was not described as a co-conspirator in legal filings.

It wasn’t clear whom Yu was working for in China. In intercepted messages, the government said he referred to his superior only as his boss. Yu and his defense lawyer, Robert Earl Zlatkin of Orlando, did not immediately return a phone message.

A sales executive for Massachusetts-based Sigma-Aldrich, which sold the samples, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Gregory Muñoz, 45, of Minneola, west of Orlando, was set to be sentenced July 23. Muñoz sold products from the company to several universities in Florida including UF, court records said.

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Yu emailed Muñoz in 2020 and said his employer needed 10 boxes of cholera toxin, which he acknowledged was a substance heavily regulated by the U.S. government. Muñoz discovered in December 2022 his employer was investigating him and warned Yu, who continued to place new orders to ship to China in 2023, court records said.

Muñoz and his lawyer, Fritz J. Scheller of Orlando, did not immediately return a phone message.

A third person, Jonathan Rok Thyng, 47, who lived at the same address as Yu in Gibsonton, agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit a federal crime and faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Prosecutors said Thyng ordered some of the biomedical substances and shipped some packages to China. He was expected to enter his plea June 18.

Thyng and his lawyer, Bjorn Erik Brunvand of Clearwater, did not immediately return a phone message.

Prosecutors said U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized a shipment in April 2023 that Thyng sent from Tampa to China containing biomedical items ordered by the UF marketing student and others.

The Justice Department said orders placed through UF qualified for significant discounts — the scheme’s organizers paid $4.9 million for $13.7 million worth of biomedical supplies.

Prosecutors said in court records they’d recommend leniency for Yu, Muñoz and Thyng because they promised to cooperate and accepted responsibility for crimes. Prosecutors said all are American citizens.

The scheme unraveled when the company — MilliporeSigma, a subsidiary of Merck KGaA of Germany — discovered the ruse involving UF and reported its involvement to the U.S. government. Under Justice Department rules, companies that self-report export violations and cooperate can escape prosecution. The company said Friday it fired Muñoz.

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How Would a New BRICS Currency Affect the US Dollar? (Updated 2024)

May 09, 2024 — 05:00 pm EDT

Written by Melissa Pistilli for Investing News Network  ->

The BRICS nations, originally comprised of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, are looking to establish a new reserve currency backed by a basket of their respective currencies.

The potential BRICS currency would allow these nations to assert their economic independence while competing with the existing international financial system. The current system is dominated by the US dollar , which accounts for about 90 percent of all currency trading . Until recently, nearly 100 percent of oil trading was conducted in US dollars; however, in 2023 one-fifth of oil trades were reportedly made using non-US dollar currencies.

Central to this ongoing situation is the US trade war with China, as well as US sanctions on China and Russia. Should the BRICS nations establish a new reserve currency, it would likely significantly impact the US dollar, potentially leading to a decline in demand, or what's known as de-dollarization . In turn, this would have implications for the US and global economies.

Let's look at the potential for a BRICS currency and its possible implications for investors.

​Why do the BRICS nations want to create a new currency?

The BRICS nations have a slew of reasons for wanting to set up a new currency. Recent global financial challenges and aggressive US foreign policies have prompted the BRICS countries to explore the possibility. They want to better serve their own economic interests while reducing global dependence on the US dollar and the euro.

When will a BRICS currency be released? There's no definitive launch date as of yet, but the countries' leaders have discussed the possibility at length. During the 14th BRICS Summit , held in mid-2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the BRICS countries plan to issue a "new global reserve currency," and are ready to work openly with all fair partners.

In April 2023, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva showed support for a BRICS currency, commenting, “Why can’t an institution like the BRICS bank have a currency to finance trade relations between Brazil and China, between Brazil and all the other BRICS countries? Who decided that the dollar was the (trade) currency after the end of gold parity?”

Later last year in the lead up to the 2023 BRICS Summit in August, there was speculation that an announcement of such a currency could be on the table. This proved to be wishful thinking, however.

"The development of anything alternative is more a medium to long term ambition. There is no suggestion right now to creates a BRICS currency," Maasdorp told Bloomberg at the time.

South Africa's BRICS ambassador, Anil Sooklal, has said as many as 40 countries have expressed interest in joining BRICS. At the 2023 BRICS Summit , six countries were invited to become BRICS members : Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. All but Argentina officially joined the alliance in January 2024.

Some experts believe that a BRICS currency is a flawed idea, as it would unite countries with very different economies. There are also concerns that non-Chinese members might increase their dependence on China's yuan instead. That said, when Russia demanded in October 2023 that India pay for oil in yuan, India refused to use anything other than the US dollar or rupees. Russia is struggling to use its excess supply of rupees.

​Will BRICS have a digital currency?

BRICS nations do not as of yet have their own specific digital currency, but a BRICS blockchain-based payment system is in the works, according to Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov in March 2024. Known as the BRICS Bridge multisided payment platform, it would connect member countries' financial systems using payment gateways for settlements in central bank digital currencies.

The planned system would serve as an alternative to the current international cross-border payment platform, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) system, which is dominated by US dollars.

“We believe that creating an independent BRICS payment system is an important goal for the future, which would be based on state-of-the-art tools such as digital technologies and blockchain. The main thing is to make sure it is convenient for governments, common people and businesses, as well as cost-effective and free of politics,” Ushakov said in an interview with Russian news agency TASS.

​What would the advantages of a BRICS currency be?

A new currency could have several benefits for the BRICS countries, including more efficient cross-border transactions and increased financial inclusion. By leveraging blockchain technology, digital currencies and smart contracts, the currency could revolutionize the global financial system. Thanks to seamless cross-border payments, it could also promote trade and economic integration among the BRICS nations and beyond.

A new BRICS currency would also:

• Strengthen economic integration within the BRICS countries.
• Reduce the influence of the US on the global stage.
• Weaken the standing of the US dollar as a global reserve currency.
• Encourage other countries to form alliances to develop regional currencies.
• Mitigate risks associated with global volatility due to unilateral measures and the diminution of dollar dependence.

​How would a new BRICS currency affect the US dollar?

For decades, the US dollar has enjoyed unparalleled dominance as the world's leading reserve currency. According to the US Federal Reserve, between 1999 and 2019, the dollar was used in 96 percent of international trade invoicing in the Americas, 74 percent in the Asia-Pacific region and 79 percent in the rest of the world.

According to the Atlantic Council , the US dollar is used in approximately 88 percent of currency exchanges, and 59 percent of all foreign currency reserves held by central banks. Due to its status as the most widely used currency for conversion and its use as a benchmark in the forex market, almost all central banks worldwide hold dollars. Additionally, the dollar is used for the vast majority of oil trades .

Although the dollar's reserve currency share has decreased as the euro and yen have gained popularity, the dollar is still the most widely used reserve currency, followed by the euro, the yen, the pound and the yuan.

The potential impact of a new BRICS currency on the US dollar remains uncertain, with experts debating its potential to challenge the dollar's dominance. However, if a new BRICS currency was to stabilize against the dollar, it could weaken the power of US sanctions, leading to a further decline in the dollar's value. It could also cause an economic crisis affecting American households. Aside from that, this new currency could accelerate the trend toward de-dollarization.

Nations worldwide are seeking alternatives to the US dollar, with examples being China and Russia trading in their own currencies, and countries like India, Kenya and Malaysia advocating for de-dollarization or signing agreements with other nations to trade in local currencies or alternative benchmarks.

While it is unclear whether a new BRICS currency would inspire the creation of other US dollar alternatives, the possibility of challenging the dollar's dominance as a reserve currency remains. And as countries continue to diversify their reserve holdings, the US dollar could face increasing competition from emerging currencies, potentially altering the balance of power in global markets.

Ultimately, the impact of a new BRICS currency on the US dollar will depend on its adoption, its perceived stability and the extent to which it can offer a viable alternative to the dollar's longstanding hegemony.

​How would a BRICS currency impact the economy?

A potential shift toward a new BRICS currency could have significant implications for the North American economy and investors operating within it. Some of the most affected sectors and industries include:

• Oil and gas
• Banking and finance
• Commodities
• International trade
• Tourism and travel
• The foreign exchange market

A new BRICS currency would also introduce new trading pairs, alter currency correlations and affect market volatility, requiring investors to adapt their strategies accordingly.

​How can investors prepare for a new BRICS currency?

Adjusting a portfolio in response to emerging BRICS currency trends may be a challenge for investors. However, several strategies can be adopted to capitalize on these trends.

• Diversify currency exposure by investing in assets denominated in currencies other than the US dollar, such as bonds, mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
• Invest in commodities like gold and silver as a hedge against currency risk.
• Gain exposure to BRICS equity markets through stocks and ETFs that track BRICS market indexes.
• Consider alternative investments such as real estate or private equity in the BRICS countries.

Prudent investors will also weigh these strategies against their exposure to market, political and currency fluctuations.

In terms of investment vehicles, investors could consider ETFs such as the iShares MSCI BIC ETF (ARCA: BKF ) or the Pacer Emerging Markets Cash COW 100 ETF (NASDAQ: ECOW ). They could also invest in mutual funds such as the T. Rowe Price Emerging Markets Equity Fund, or in individual companies within the BRICS countries.

Simply put, preparing for a new BRICS currency or potential de-dollarization requires careful research and due diligence by investors. Diversifying currency exposure, and investing in commodities, equity markets or alternative investments are possible options to consider while being mindful of the associated risks.

​Investor takeaway

While it is not certain whether the creation of a BRICS reserve currency will come to pass, its emergence would pose significant implications for the global economy and potentially challenge the US dollar's dominance as the primary reserve currency. This development would present unique investment opportunities, while introducing risks to existing investments as the shifting landscape alters monetary policy and exacerbates geopolitical tensions.

For those reasons, investors should closely monitor the progress of a possible BRICS currency. And, if the bloc does eventually create one, it will be important watch the currency's impact on BRICS member economies and the broader global market Staying vigilant will help investors to capitalize on growth prospects and hedge against potential risks.

FAQs for a new BRICS currency

​is a brics currency possible.

Some financial analysts point to the creation of the euro in 1999 as proof that a BRICS currency may be possible. However, this would require years of preparation, the establishment of a new central bank and an agreement between the five nations to phase out their own sovereign currencies; it would most likely also need the support of the International Monetary Fund to be successful internationally.

The impact of its war on Ukraine will continue to weaken Russia's economy and the value of the ruble, and China is intent on raising the power of the yuan internationally. There is also a wide chasm of economic disparity between China and other BRICS nations. These are no small obstacles to overcome.

Would a new BRICS currency be backed by gold?

While Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested hard assets such as gold or oil, a new BRICS currency would likely be backed by a basket of the bloc's currencies.

That said, speaking at this year's New Orleans Investment Conference, well-known author Jim Rickards gave a detailed talk on how a gold-backed BRICS currency could work . He suggested that if a BRICS currency unit is worth 1 ounce of gold and the gold price goes to US$3,000 per ounce, the BRICS currency unit would be worth US$3,000, while the dollar would lose value compared to the BRICS currency as measured by the weight of gold.

Importantly though, he doesn't see this as a new gold standard, or the end of the US dollar or the euro.

“(With) a real gold standard, you can take the currency and go to any one of the central banks and get some gold,” Rickards said at the event. “With BRICS they don’t have to own any gold, they don’t have to buy any gold, they don’t have to prop up the price. They can just rise on the dollar gold market

​How much gold do the BRICS nations have?

As of Q1 2024, the combined central bank gold holdings of the original BRICS nations plus the five new additions accounted for nearly 17 percent of all the gold held in the world's central banks. Russia, India and China rank in the top 10 for central bank gold holdings .

Russia controls 2,332.74 metric tons (MT) of the yellow metal, making it the fifth largest for central bank gold reserves. China follows in the sixth spot with 2,262.39 MT of gold and India places ninth with 822.58 MT. Brazil and South Africa's central bank gold holdings are much smaller, coming in at 129.65 MT and 125.44 MT, respectively. New BRICS members Egypt and UAE gold holdings are equally pauce, at 126.46 MT and 74.5 MT. Saudi Arabia's come in at 323.07 MT. The remaining two new member nations Ethiopia and Iran do not hold gold reserves.

Don't forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time news updates!

Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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• Joe Biden used Sandy Hook Memorial to meet with the Chinese to set up a $10 million/year deal for his family

May 27, 2024 | Corruption , Joe Biden

The Bidens were using the Sandyhook Memorial as cover to secure his family $10 million per year from the Chinese.

‘Can you meet this evening early,’ Hunter wrote. ‘My father will be in New York also and he wants me to attend the Sandyhook memorial service with him and I would like him to meet you along with my uncle [Jim Biden] and then you and I can talk let me know if that works.’ . ‘No problem,’ Yadong replied. ‘Pls let me know where and when to meet.’ . The texts to set up a meeting with Joe came after months of negotiation about the Biden family’s involvement in the deal with the Chinese government-linked company, in exchange for $10 million a year. . . . Josh Boswell, “oe and Hunter Biden used a visit to Sandy Hook memorial service to set up secret meet with Chinese over $10m-a-year deal, new emails reveal,” May 27, 2024

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