More than Red Packets! China’s Regional Vibes in the Chinese New Year Celebration
- Michelle Tse
- Feb 13
- 6 min read
Introduction
With the turn of the year, the world has welcomed the 2026 Chinese New Year, which brings in the Year of the (Fire) Horse, a Chinese zodiac sign that represents passion, vitality, and success (Yeromiyan, 2026), which last visited us in 1966, when China’s Cultural Revolution began.
It’s likely that some of you are already familiar with the festivities of the Chinese New Year in China or among the overseas Chinese communities. What comes to mind when you first hear about the Chinese New Year, if you never had a chance to participate in it? Fireworks, dumplings, or red envelopes? While these are indeed common symbols of the Chinese New Year festival, also known as the Spring Festival or 春節 (Chūnjié), there is no single, set way of celebrating, even within China.
Each province and region celebrates the event in ways that vary according to its geographical and ethnic features. Among the many differences, one that significantly stands out is the variance between Northern China and Southern China. From the icy, chilly north to the (relatively) cozy, comfy south, from cities and towns to villages and minority communities. You can often notice people “competing” over which region’s version of celebrating the New Year is the best on the Internet and in reality.
Diverse Traditions and Festivities across China
With the growth of various social media platforms like Instagram and Tiktok in recent years, on one hand, this echoes with the recent trend of Chinamaxxing which allows people from all over the world to learn about the celebration variations across China. On the other hand, this heats up the debate between the North and the South, particular with the national Spring Festival Gala, which is a national variety show held annually on Chinese New Year’s Eve, as the programmes in the show are primarily representing the celebration in the North (such as eating dumplings and sketch comedies) and with Northern accent and dialects, while cultural representation of the South is always missing or even said to be oppressed (China Digital Times, 2025).
"Bread is the staff of life" (民以食為天 - Mín yǐ shí wéi tiān) as the Chinese old saying goes, though it is not a staple dish for the majority of Chinese people. One of the debates between the North and the South is what should be put on the dinner table on New Year's Eve. In the northern areas of China like Beijing, Tianjin and Jilin, winters are considered severe and residents typically rely on wheat-based staples.
A primary example is 饺子 (jiǎozi - dumplings), which are shaped like ancient gold ingots to symbolise wealth. Families will spend hours making, cooking, and eating them together as these are believed to strengthen family bonds and ward off evil spirits. Eating 饺子 (jiǎozi) at midnight means "bite off the old year and welcome the new" (France Médias Monde, 2019).
Around 3,400 miles from the North, the climate typically favours rice cultivation in China's southern provinces like Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian. Dining tables are likely to feature typical homemade dishes such as fish and chicken, alongside less common specialties which are less commonly found in the north.
One of them is 湯圓 (tāngyuán), which is a sweet, sticky rice ball filled with red bean, peanut, or sesame paste. They symbolise wholeness and family reunions, and their sticky consistency represents the family staying together in the coming year. 湯圓 (Tāngyuán) is sometimes served in a sweet soup, giving it a dessert-like feeling (Duncan, 2024). Furthermore, 年糕 (niángāo), a steamed or fried rice cake, is also a speciality in the South, and it is served when relatives visit during New Year celebrations. It represents good fortune because its name translates to "higher year" (Tang, 2023).
The festival's events and performances also show the differences between the North and the South. In Northern China, temple fairs, which are sizable outdoor events held primarily at historic temples and include street cuisine, lantern riddles, stilt walking, Yangge dancing, traditional folk arts, and performances, are more common and foster a joyous sense of community throughout the winter months (Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, 2022).
On the other hand, flower markets in most of Southern China are well-known not only for selling flowers but also for signature street food and other unique items related to the year's animal (Nanfang Network, 2025). Additionally, lion dance, popular in southern provinces such as Guangdong and Fujian, will be performed by groups dressed as colourful lions, accompanied by gongs, cymbals, and thundering drums.
To provide good fortune and fight off evil, the lion (usually only one, but sometimes there will be two) will leap, roll and 'pluck greens' (采青 - cǎiqīng), a performance in which actors use the lion's lips to 'eat' a head of lettuce (symbolising good fortune) and spit it out, meaning to share the prosperity to the audience (Lee, 2024).
Merging Traditions in the Joy of Chinese New Year
Nevertheless, do not allow the inability to possess both simultaneously discourage you, as it is not always the case! A combination of lion dances in the north and temple fairs in the south is becoming more common, as these events and performances have become essential to Chinese New Year celebrations. At temple fairs in the South and lion dances in the North, you might observe regional and cultural variations in how people organise fairs and perform dances, similar to differences in food!
In addition to the North and South, the 56 ethnic groups each have their own special way of celebration. For example, the Tibetans in Tibet (and its neighbouring provinces) will celebrate with butter sculptures and cham masked dances, while the Zhuang in Guangxi will perform bronze drums, the Uyghur in Xinjiang celebrate with naan flatbread, lamb dishes, and various dances; and the Mongolians living in Inner Mongolia celebrate with their hand-torn mutton dishes and folksongs.
Globally, these geographical factors impact luxury brands' Chinese New Year collections, diaspora festivities, and international content producers that innovate and disseminate the customs. The United States Consulate General in Shenyang, William M. Coleman, posted a video on Weibo featuring him and his colleagues dressed in characteristic Northeastern clothing, singing an Internet hit song to celebrate the festival with the locals (Lu, 2026). Not to mention the Chinese New Year celebrations organised by overseas communities in Europe which often blend traditions from the North and the South (Travel and Tour World, 2026).
In the end, in China, different regions and ethnic groups celebrate the New Year in their own ways, which is often shown on media like TikTok and national TV programmes, highlighting the variation. Chinese New Year, as a time to celebrate family reunion and harmony, is a time for the Chinese to gather and send best wishes for the New Year, though there are sometimes debates over cultural dominance from the North.
May I also take the chance to wish everyone a New Year that brings happiness, health, and a joyful year!
This article represents the views of contributors to STEAR's online digital publication, and not those of STEAR, which takes no institutional positions.
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