Chinese New Year decoration: ideas to boost the celebration

The Chinese New Year is a celebration that happens in China, because the country has a different calendar from the one we use in the Occident. Chinese follows a lunar calendar, adopted in the country and based on the 12 cycles of the moon, which is about 354 days long.

The big difference with the calendar we use is that ours, called the Gregorian calendar, is solar and is based precisely on the rotation of the Earth around the Sun. This calendar has an inaccuracy of a few hours, so it is necessary to add a day every four years.

In China, New Year is one of the most important holidays. Officially, the New Year is a three-day holiday, but much of the commerce is closed for seven days. A celebration amidst a series of traditions connected with Chinese culture's superstitions

While we here in the USA our calendars goes from January 1st to December 31st and therefore we celebrate the beginning of New Year on the 1st of January, in China, they will not celebrate the arrival of the new year until January 22nd.

If you admire this culture and want to decorate your home for the Chinese New Year, read on and check out some valuable tips on participating in this tradition!

1. Add decorative items with red color

Chinese mythology tells that the practice of celebrating the New Year appeared when an older man appeared in a village saying that wearing red, decorating the streets with red lanterns with inscriptions, and setting off fireworks were ways to ward off a monster called Nian. That is why the most prominent color in these celebrations is red.

One of the most practical and affordable ways to decorate your home for the Chinese New Year, wishing luck and prosperity for the coming year, is to add red to the house through decorative items!

To do this, you can use some objects you already have, save the ones that do not fit the theme and invest in new pieces in red.

2. Use red-colored fabrics and bedding

Besides highlighting decorative objects in red, another effortless and effective way to decorate your home for the Chinese New Year is to use bedding and fabrics in this color.

So try to use carpets, curtains, bedding, pillow covers, blankets, and as many different fabrics as you can substitute for the shades of red or related prints. It will make a big difference in space!

3. Use Asian removable wall murals

This tip is especially for families of Asian descent or who admire and actively participate in the traditions of Chinese culture!

Some landscape murals with temples, trees, and Chinese symbols would undoubtedly transform your celebration and can even be used for the rest of the year in your home decor. Because they are removable, they can be easily applied by yourself and removed or replaced just as quickly as you wish!

4. Apply paper cuttings for happiness

In case you don't know, paper cutting is the art of cutting designs out of paper, and for Chinese New Year, in particular, several designs are sold with contrasting backgrounds and transparent backgrounds.

To get even more into the tradition, you can stick the paper cuttings on the doors and windows of your house, just as many people in northern and central China do!

5. Use door couplets

New year's couplets are stickers with drawings, and positive statements that are usually glued on the door sides of Chinese families to celebrate the Chinese new year. They are typically written on stickers on top of a red background or marked on the wood of the doors to emanate good energy and leave recorded requests for appreciation.

A form of Chinese literature varies in content and style, displaying artistic calligraphy and being pasted on both sides of the house's front door. Replicate this tradition with words of harmony and prosperity at your Chinese New Year celebration!

6. Buy Chinese red lanterns

Chinese red lanterns are symbols used to attract prosperity and ward off bad luck in the New Year festivities. With a special meaning, these props even won a festival just for them on the first night of the full moon in the Chinese calendar — a tradition that celebrates the reunion of the family and the return of spring.

That said, it is worth investing in red lanterns to decorate your home. If you have a good amount of outdoor space, hang them high!

7. The animal of the year 2023: Rabbit

In addition, every year, there is an animal that rules the year in question according to the Chinese calendar.

This year is the rabbit! So you can also decorate your home with the animal that symbolizes patience and luck. Therefore, bringing the little jumper into the decoration can be a way to attract great moments!

Did you like the content? We hope so! By following these tips, there is no doubt that you can count on a beautiful decoration in your Chinese New Year celebration!

If you're interested in tips like this, keep an eye on our blog posts, and complement today's reading with our post with ideas on how to make a valentine's room decoration!