In Mandarin Chinese, the New Year greeting is “gong xi fa cai,” which means “congratulations on the fortune.” Here at the ESD, we feel FORTUNEate to have you on our team!

Here are some fun facts about Chinese New Year, that we found on this site:

  1. Chinese New Year is celebrated by more than 20% of the world. It’s the most important holiday in China and to Chinese people all over.
  2. 2019 is the Year of the Pig, which is one of 12 zodiac animals. If you are a pig–watch out–your zodiac year is bad luck! You can fight off bad luck by wearing red.
  3. There’s no set date for Chinese New Year, since it follows a lunar calendar. It can range from January 21 to February 20. This year it is February 5.
  4. It’s the longest Chinese holiday, lasting 16 days.
  5. During the holiday, Chinese people spend twice as much on shopping and eating out than Americans spend on Thanksgiving.
  6. The Spring Festival causes the largest human migration in the world. The most important part of Chinese New Year is the family reunion. Everyone should come back home for the New Year’s Eve dinner. But since in modern China, most elderly parents live in rural villages while their children work in the cities. The migration back home and to go on vacation is called chunyun, or Spring Migration.
  7. There are many taboos around good luck at Spring Festival. Most hair salons are closed during the entirety of Chinese New Year because hair cutting is taboo.