Having reunion dinners, eating dumplings, staying up, setting of firecrackers and other activities are the most popular customs in Chinese Spring Festival. Besides, visiting relatives, exchanging gifts are also regular activities during the first days in the New Year.

Eating Dumplings (饺子Jiǎozi)
The indispensable food during spring festival is the dumplings ( jiaozi). Made with flours and stuffed with different fillings, dumplings are usually eaten on the Eve of Spring Festival. Because its shape resembles the Chinese Yuanbao (a kind of money used in ancient times), eating dumplings means wealth in the coming year. Also because different symbols for luck can be wrapped in them, great hope can be expressed. People wrap coins, candy, peanuts, or chestnuts in some of the dumplings. People who eat one with special stuffing will be blessed with different wishes, such as a coin for wealth, candy for sweet life, peanuts for health and longevity, and chestnuts for vigor. Besides, the New Year’s Eve, it is a custom to eat dumplings on Jan. 1st and Jan. 15th of lunar month for many places in China.

Staying Up(守夜Shǒuyè)
Staying up all the night is a custom dating back to Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-289). In ancient time, after the reunion dinner, families members chat around the stove with each other waiting for the arrival of a new year. In modern life, this custom remians but the form change a little. They chat and watch CCTV New Year’s Gala to wait for the new year’s arrival.

CCTV New Year Gala(春节联欢晚会Chūnjié liánhuān wǎnhuì)
This is a comprehensive art and performance event on the eve of Spring Festival. Since it was fisrt broadcasted in 1983, it became the necessary performance on that day for most Chinese people. It includes some basic components such as the skits, cross talk (Xiangsheng), acrobatics, songs and dances. Now more and more foreign artists appear on that stage, which give Chinese people a window to know western cultures. The performence always ends with the song “Cannot Forget Tonight”.

Firecrackers and Fireworks(鞭炮Biānpào)
Firecrackers are always set off at midnight on the Eve of Spring Festival, which brings the Spring Festival to the peak time. In some places, people set off firecrackers on the morning of the first day. The firecrackers can be traced to 2,000 years ago, when people just thrown bamboos into fire to drive away a monster called “Nian”. After the gunpowder was invented, firecrackers appeared. Because fires or blasts can be easily aroused by the firecrackers, many places ban the firecrackers, but offer certain places for citizen to set off firecrackers. Fireworks are also set off in the evening of Lantern Festival by people or by certain organizations.

Lucky Money /Red Envelope(红包Hóngbāo)
Lucky money is prepared for younger generations by elder generations after reunion dinner. In folk culture, the younger generation will live safe and sound for the whole year if they get lucky money. This custom still remains and the amount of money is increasing. Children use money to buy books or other school supplies. Some families also save the money for future use or use it to cultivate their children the habit of managing money.