Chinese New Year For Kids

Chinese New Year for Kids shares the most important facts for kids about the major event in the Chinese cultural calendar.

Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year is celebrated around the world by about 2 billion people which is almost 20% of the world population.

Chinese New Year (CNY)
Lunar New Year Facts for Kids

Lunar New Year

Chinese New Year is also referred to as Spring Festival by the Chinese communities around the world. Many countries and cultures also call this major annual event "Lunar New Year" to describe the celebration of the New Year.

Why Lunar New Year?

The celebrations for the new year begin on the new moon. They traditionally also mark the end of winter. In 2026, the new moon appears on 17 February, so the New Year celebrations start on this day.

The term "lunar" comes from the Latin word for "moon". The Chinese calendar is based on the phases of the moon and not on the Sun like the calendar we usually use.

The Lunar New Year celebrations last for fifteen days and end with the Lantern Festival.

Zodiac Signs

There are twelve zodiac signs in the Chinese lunar calendar. Read the legend about the zodiac signs here.

Dragon

Snake

Horse

Goat

Monkey

Rooster

Dog

Pig

Rat

Tiger

Rabbit

Chinese Calendar

The Chinese calendar years are linked to the zodiac animals as follows:

Year of the Dragon: 2024, 2012, 2000
Year of the Snake: 2025, 2013, 2001
Year of the Horse: 2026, 2014, 2002
Year of the Goat: 2027, 2015, 2003
Year of the Monkey: 2028, 2016, 2004
Year of the Rooster: 2029, 2017, 2005
Year of the Dog: 2030, 2018, 2006
Year of the Pig: 2031, 2019, 2007
Year of the Rat: 2032, 2020, 2008
Year of the Ox: 2033, 2021, 2009
Year of the Tiger: 2034, 2022, 2010
Year of the Rabbit: 2035, 2023, 2011

Please remember, that Lunar New Year is usually celebrated between late January and mid-February, because the date depends on the lunar calendar.

If you want to find out your Chinese zodiac animal, you need to know the exact date of Chinese New Year in your birth year, because the dates change every year.

For example: You were born on 2 February 2016, this means, you were born in the "Year of the Goat" as the "Year of the Monkey" began only on 8 February in that year!

The Chinese calendar is about one month behind our (so called Gregorian) calendar and has between 30 and 50 day more per year.

The Chinese zodiac calendar has a cycle of 12 years.

Typical Symbols of Chinese New Year

Tangerines

Tangerines or mandarin oranges are considered a symbol of luck. In Chinese, the sound of the word for tangerine is similar to the word 'luck' and the word 'orange' sounds like the word 'success'. Because of this, citrus trees are often used for decorations.

Red Envelope

Red envelopes also referred to as "red packets" are common gifts by adults and married couples to unmarried young people and children. The envelopes are filled with money, bank notes in even numbers. This gift is a symbol for wealth and luck.

Lucky Bamboo

Bamboo is considered to bring strength. As such bamboo is a common gift in the Chinese culture. Lucky bamboo is a plant that is well received throughout the year.

Dumplings

Dumplings are traditionally eaten during the Chinese New Year celebrations. Often golden coins are hidden in the centre of the dumplings. This tradition symbolises prosperity.

Red and yellow clothes

The dress code for the Chinese New Year celebrations is to wear something red as the colour is considered to scare away evil spirit.

Fireworks

Evil spirits are also chased away by lighting fire crackers in the streets. Fire crackers are packed in red paper, but are now mostly forbidden in many regions. Public fireworks displays are lit in many places instead.

Lucky colours

In general, the lucky colours are red, yellow and gold. In Chinese culture red is the main colour for the celebrations. In the Year of the Horse, red, pink and purple are considered lucky colours.

Lucky 8

Lucky numbers vary according to the zodiac sign, but Chinese culture appreciate even numbers 2, 4 and 8. The number eight is usually considered to luckiest. For the Year of the Horse, 2 and 7 are considered lucky numbers.

Chinese New Year for Kids
Traditions

Playing Mahjong

Mahjong and other games are played by family and friends after the Chinese New Year reunion dinner. This game with 144 tiles for up to 4 players is popular especially in China, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Prosperity toss

The 'Lo hei' or 'prosperity toss' is a tradition at any Chinese New Year reunion.

Lion dance - image by windmoon/ shutterstock

Lion dances or dragon dances are popular events during the Lunar New Year celebrations. Dragons and lions are said to chase away bad spirits.

Lantern festival

The Lantern Festival marks the end of the Lunar New Year festivities and takes place on the fifteenth day of the celebrations. Families walk with lanterns through the streets or release lanterns in the sky.

Lunar New Year
Celebrations around the World

The fifteen day long Lunar New Year celebrations around the world are all about new beginnings, family, respect and good luck, but the event is celebrated in different ways in different regions.

In China, Chinese New Year is an important family event and people travel long distances or return home from other countries to celebrate with their wider family. Some of the most important foods are dumplings, fish and noodles.

Tet in Vietnam

In Vietnam, Lunar New Year is called Tết. Families clean their homes to sweep away bad luck and homes are decorated with flowers, such as peach blossoms. Special square sticky rice cakes, called bánh chưng or Chung cakes, are prepared. New Year festivities mainly include visiting the temples and remembering the ancestors.

Seollal in Korea

In Korea, Lunar New Year is about respecting elders. Lunar New Year here is called Seollal and the Korean people wear traditional clothes, called hanbok. The most important dish is a rice cake soup called tteokguk.

In Singapore and Malaysia, families gather for the important New Year event and wish each other "Gong Xi Fa Cai" which means "Wishing you to be prosperous".

Families visit the temples and take part in large celebrations where they enjoy tossing lucky noodles for good fortune in the year ahead. The traditional dish called Yusheng, or prosperity toss, is especially popular in Singapore and Malaysia.

In many countries around Asia and the world, Lunar New Year is celebrated with similar traditions but food and customs can differ in the different regions. However, the same family values, colourful parades and decorations with flowers are important everywhere.

Dos and Don'ts
Celebrating Lunar New Year with Respect

Celebrating Lunar New Year respectfully is really about being careful and respectful. You don’t need to be perfect but thoughtful.

Here is our practical guide for celebrating Lunar New Year:

Greetings: Say "Lunar New Year" unless you are specifically celebrating Chinese New Year or Seollal or Tết. Remember these celebrations take place across many cultures and each celebration comes with its own traditions. A simple "Happy Lunar New Year" is always safe.
Decorations: If you start doing your own decorations, remember that the celebrations usually last several days, not just one night and that each year is linked to a specific zodiac animal. Consider that the Chinese words on the banners or cards might refer to an animal (that might not be the zodiac animal of the year!) Red and gold symbolise good fortune and joy. And while lanterns, flowers such as plum blossom, peach blossom or orchids) are widely used, avoid random symbols.
Food: Sharing food is central across cultures and dumplings, noodles, rice cakes, spring rolls, tangerines and fish often symbolises luck, longevity or prosperity. Always ask friends which special foods are meaningful to them according to their family traditions.
Don’ts: Avoid costumes, jokes or decorations that mock the culture and do not mix traditions carelessly. Don’t assume everyone celebrates the same way and remember that customs vary by country and family. Don’t hand out red envelopes unless it is appropriate: Red envelopes are traditionally given only by (married) adults to children. And lastly do not treat the celebrations like a party theme only: Lunar New Year is a meaningful celebration about family, respect and new beginnings.

Find out more about Chinese New Year Customs and Traditions on another page here: Chinese New Year Facts

Worksheets & Quizzes

Please find our Lunar New Year worksheets below. On a special page, you will also find our Chinese New Year Quiz just for you. Have fun and enjoy!

Lunar New Year Worksheet 1: Maze (age 8+)
Lunar New Year Worksheet 2: Wordsearch (age 10+, ESL friendly)
You can find the answer key for the Wordsearch worksheet here.

You can also click on the images below for the pdf worksheets and then download them.

Lunar New Year Worksheet 1: Maze

Lunar New Year Worksheet 2: Wordsearch

If you would like to try our Chinese New Year Quiz, please visit our separate page; simply click on the image below.

Chinese New Year For Kids

Chinese New Year for Kids Resources

Andrew Koay. "The Surprising Origins of Singapore's Chinese New Year Traditions, Explained. Mothership.sg. 25 January 2020. Last accessed 10 February 2026
The Chinese Language Insitute. "The Origins of the 12 Zodiac Animals." StudyCLI. Last accessed 10 February 2026
Sophie Song. "Year of the Horse." ChineseNewYear.net. Last updated 1 February 2026. Last accessed 10 February 2026

Image Credits: Macao and Singapore: Sean Pavone/shutterstock.com

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