Chinese New Year 2022 – the Year of the Tiger

Chinese holidays especially celebrated as pompously as Chinese New Year, are a great opportunity for companies to increase sales by releasing limited editions. Brands outside China that exist on the Chinese market also organize special promotional campaigns for the Chinese New Year. It is common for luxury brands and alike to cooperate with Chinese designers and artists to launch special collections. Creatures from the Chinese zodiac are often the main theme. As the Chinese zodiac signs are repeated every twelve years, it is not difficult to guess the year the special edition was released. We present advertising campaigns of global brands for the Chinese New Year 2022.

• Unlike the Gregorian Calendar, Happy New Year in Chinese is celebrated on a different date each year, which falls between 21st January and 20th February.
• It is the longest public holiday in China. Being a 15 day long celebration that starts with the New Year’s Eve and ends with the Lantern Festival, most of the employees take at least a seven to twelve days off from work, whilst students get a month off to spend time with their family and relax. (That sounds like a CELEBRATION, doesn’t it?!)
• Each year is characterised by one of the 12 animals under the Chinese Zodiac, and it is a 12-year repeating cycle. For instance, if 2022 is the Year of the Rat.

• As per the Chinese astrology, it is believed that the year of your sign is one of the most unlucky years of your life.
• Since it falls during the spring, it is also called as the Spring Festival.
• Not just Mainland China, but about one-sixth of the world celebrates the Chinese New Year. These are usually places like Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Singapore, and other Asian countries.
• Most of the decorations are done in red since the Chinese see it as a symbol of wealth, happiness, and prosperity.

Chinese New Year Activities

The festivities begin a week in advance from the New Year’s Eve, and it involves a lot of day to day activities that keep the zest and zeal alive. The last week of the last lunar month involves tasks like worshipping the kitchen god, shopping for the festival items and new clothes, cleaning up the home thoroughly, pasting festival couplets, having a reunion dinner, watching TV, and setting off fireworks.

The new lunar year begins with indulging in delicious dumplings, visiting the close ones, and setting off fireworks again on the first day. Whereas, the second and fifth day of this long celebration is all about worshipping the god of wealth and welcoming him home. While these are all traditional activities and a lot has changed, what hasn’t changed is the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month. The celebration on the last day still witnesses a large number of lanterns touching the sky with people savouring rice dumplings and guessing lantern riddles.

The modern twist to the Chinese New Year activities is the party and travel mode, which people have started getting into once the holidays start. It’s not just about meeting and greeting family now, but also taking time off work and relaxing oneself.

Chinese New Year Food

Feasting is one of the most essential and significant parts of the Chinese New Year festival, where every food symbolizes something. The culinary treats start from making noodles a staple diet for the first five days and round dumplings for the 15th day. The noodles are known for symbolizing longevity and happiness, dumplings are equal to wealth, and fish means an increase in prosperity.

A few other popular food items that are had during these days are spring rolls, fruits, niangao, and tangyuan which reflect wealth, higher income, and family togetherness. The whole fifteen-day celebration is no less than a binge carnival!