If you have ever bitten into a warm, pillowy glutinous rice ball and felt the rich black sesame filling ooze out like sweet lava, you already know why tangyuan holds a special place in Chinese food culture. If you haven’t — you are about to learn how to create that […]
Asia
What to Write on a Sky Lantern: 50+ Meaningful Wishes and Quotes for Every Occasion
You’re standing in a field at dusk. A paper lantern sits in your hands, warm and ready to fly. Someone passes you a marker. “Write a wish,” they say. And suddenly your mind goes blank. If you’ve ever frozen in that moment, you’re not alone. Choosing what to write on […]
The Lantern Festival: History, Meaning, and Traditions
Every year, as the first full moon rises after Chinese New Year, the night sky across East Asia transforms. Red and gold lanterns sway above narrow lanes. Children clutch paper lanterns shaped like rabbits and goldfish. Families sit around steaming bowls of sweet rice balls. The air cracks with fireworks […]
Fun Family Games for Chinese New Year’s Eve Night: 20+ Ideas to Keep the Whole Family Laughing Until Midnight
The clock is ticking toward midnight. The table is still covered in dumpling crumbs and fish bones. Grandma is cracking watermelon seeds between her teeth. Your cousin is already reaching for the mahjong tiles. Outside, the first firecrackers are popping in the distance. This is Chinese New Year’s Eve—or 除夕 […]
Celebrating Chinese New Year’s Eve Abroad: Travel Tips
The sound of firecrackers. The glow of red lanterns strung across narrow streets. The warmth of a reunion dinner table where every dish tells a story. Chinese New Year’s Eve — known as chúxī (除夕) — is the emotional heart of the entire Spring Festival. It is the night when […]
50+ Heartwarming Chinese New Year’s Eve Greetings and Wishes for 2026
Chinese New Year’s Eve — known as Chúxī (除夕) — falls on Monday, February 16, 2026 this year. It is the single most important evening on the Chinese calendar. Families across China, Southeast Asia, and Chinatowns around the world will gather for the annual reunion dinner (年夜饭, Nián Yè Fàn), […]
Easy DIY Decorations for Chinese New Year’s Eve
On the evening of February 16, 2026, families across China and Chinese communities around the world will gather for one of the most meaningful nights of the year — Chinese New Year’s Eve (除夕, Chúxī). By the time midnight strikes and firecrackers split the winter silence, a new lunar year […]
Superstitions and Taboos to Avoid on Chinese New Year’s Eve
Chinese New Year’s Eve — known as 除夕 (Chúxī) — is the single most important evening on the Chinese calendar. In 2026, it falls on Monday, February 16, the night before the Lunar New Year ushers in the Year of the Fire Horse. Across China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Chinatowns […]
How to Host a Memorable Chinese New Year’s Eve Reunion Dinner
February 16, 2026. That is the date circled in red on hundreds of millions of calendars across China and beyond. It is Chinese New Year’s Eve — the night of the 年夜饭 (nián yè fàn), the Reunion Dinner, the single most important meal of the entire year. And in 2026, […]
History and Significance of Chinese New Year’s Eve
Chinese New Year’s Eve, known as Chúxī (除夕) in Mandarin, is the single most important night on the Chinese calendar. Every year, over 1.4 billion people across mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and Chinese communities worldwide gather for this one evening. It is a night of homecoming, feasting, remembrance, […]