How to say Happy New Year in Chinese: Greetings in Mandarin and Cantonese for Year of the Rabbit explained

Chinese New Year is one of the biggest annual celebrations for Chinese people around the world. Lasting several weeks, the ancient tradition has customs and htat go back for centuries.

Here’s everything you need to know about the celebrations in the UK, and when they will take place this year.

When is Chinese New Year 2023?

Chinese New Year falls on Sunday 22 January, 2023. In China, celebrations last for 16 days, starting on the eve of the New Year and finishing on the 15th day, on which the Yuan Xiao Festival takes place. This is when people release thousands of paper lanterns into the sky.

More from News How is Chinese New Year celebrated?

While it is unclear exactly when new year celebrations began in China, it is believed to have originated as early as 2,300BC with Emperors Yao and Shun.

At first the holiday was marked between midwinter and early spring, however it soon adopted the solar calendar and relied on the moon phase to lock down the date.

One of the most famous traditional greetings for Chinese New Year is the Cantonese “kung hei fat choi”, literally “greetings, become rich”.

In many Chinese cities, from New Year’s Day, traditional performances can be seen such as dragon dances, lion dances, and imperial performances like an emperor’s wedding.

A great variety of traditional Chinese products are on offer, and rarely seen Chinese snacks available in city parks and temple fairs.

More on Chinese New Year

Red decorations, red wrapped gifts, and red clothes are everywhere at Chinese New Year.

New Year’s Eve starts with a family dinner, which will almost always take place in the home rather than a restaurant, and reunite family members.

Dinner is followed be Shou Sui, which sees family members stay awake together during the night, launching crackling fireworks at midnight.

In the coming days, red envelopes with money are usually given by adults to children and it’s believed the packet will ward off evil and grant a long life.

The Yuan Xiao Festival, also known as the Lantern Festival, takes place on the 15th day, and sees people release paper lanterns into the skies.

How do you wish friends a happy Chinese New Year?

There are three main ways people like to say “Happy New Year” in both Mandarin, which is spoken in mainland China, and Cantonese, which is spoken in Hong Kong.

The first is “Xīnnián hǎo”, which translates as “New Year goodness”.

The second is “Gōngxǐ fācái”, which translates as “happiness and prosperity”.

The third is “Bùbù gāoshēng”, which translates as “on the up and up”.

What is the Chinese New Year 2023 animal?

This year’s zodiac sign is the Rabbit, following from 2022’s Tiger and the Ox in 2021.

Those born in the year of the Rabbit are believed to be clever, compassionate and generous. Their negative traits include being over-cautious and vain.

You’re a Rabbit if your birth year falls on: 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023, 2035.

What is the Chinese zodiac story?

It is belived that the order of the animals comes from the story of the Great Race.

Jade Emperor, one of the most important gods in Chinese tradition, invited a series of animals to a race of which 12 species turned up – Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.

To reward their efforts for attending, years are named after them in the order in which they finished the race, as listed above.

The story goes that the Rat rode on the back of the Ox as he crossed the river and shot off to the finish line to bag first place.

This meant the Ox, who had been due to win the race, had to settle for second place.