Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, marks the start of a new lunar year and the shift from winter to spring. It kicks off on Chinese New Year’s Eve and wraps up with the vibrant Lantern Festival on the 15th day. The first day lands somewhere between January 21 and February 20, depending on the lunar cycle. In the upcoming celebration, Chinese New Year falls on Wednesday 29th January 2025.
As one of the biggest celebrations in Chinese culture, it’s also widely observed as “Lunar New Year”. This festival blends mythology and tradition, with customs like honouring ancestors, cleaning your house to invite luck, and decorating with red symbols of prosperity. Family reunions, firecrackers and giving red envelopes are all part of the fun!
We spoke with Baggio Wang, Store Owner at Flagstaff Hill Foodland, who celebrates Chinese New Year every year with his family and friends. He explains how he celebrates and what traditions he partakes in.
“I came from the Sichuan province of China about 18 years ago to study a Bachelor of Business. And now I live here with my parents, wife and two children. I’ve been operating supermarkets for over 10 years.
We celebrate every year with close family on the eve of Chinese New Year, and with friends on the day of Chinese New Year……”We decorate the house simply with hanging Chinese characters, Chinese statues, red stickers and lanterns. We don’t celebrate super traditionally, it’s more Aussie-style with a barbeque, or even a lamb on the spit, and everyone brings a dish. Over the last few years myself and the Flagstaff Hill Foodland team have celebrated together, with our
Butcher, Fruit and Veg Manager, Bakery Manager and Store Manager getting together to celebrate. Sometimes we try and keep tradition, and if so we’ll make traditional dishes such as homemade dumplings and have symbolic snacks such as lollies; symbolising the sweetness of life, sunflower seeds; symbolising having many sons; and peanuts, symbolising longevity.
During the Lantern Festival, we celebrate by enjoying glutinous rice balls which are sweet or savoury rice balls that are stuffed with filling. The shape of these treats symbolise unity and family reunion, and is a day where we will visit relatives such as parents, grandparents and siblings. We sell these tasty treats frozen at Flagstaff Hill Foodland and they are super popular at that time of year with customers who celebrate.”
