The Chinese new year looks like Western countries’ Christmas day. But the difference is Chinese new year is not the day that looks like a week, and Christmas is the day.

The Chinese New Year magic of other festivals is that the guardian deity (an animal) changes every year for the New Year. Originally, the guardian deities were used to tell time. There are 24 hours in a day, and each day has a guardian deity that takes over every two hours. There are a total of 12 guardian deities in total. As time went by, people invented clocks, and these gradually transformed into guardian deities for each year.   

Happy  Y6

This is my first time spending Chinese New Year abroad and the first time I haven’t been with my family. I feel a little lonely but luckily, I had a friend with me. So I didn’t miss home that much. I also really want to go home to China to spend the Chinese New Year with my family.

In China, the Chinese New Year tradition is to have a reunion dinner with family. We also need to visit relatives and elders to wish them a Happy New Year. A few days before the Spring Festival, we will put up Spring Festival couplets and the character “福” (fortune), and also hang red lanterns. We cannot cut our hair, take a bath, or sweep the floor during the New Year. During the New Year, elders give children red envelopes along with their blessings. Furthermore, fish must be present at the reunion dinner, which is a Chinese tradition (although local customs differ and some places do not eat fish). After the family reunion dinner, we’ll set off fireworks outside together. Some people whose zodiac signs clash with the year’s ruling animal need to “avoid Tai Sui” (stay indoors and not use their phones, talk, or do anything else). This is called “avoiding Tai Sui,” which is like avoiding bad luck.

On New Year’s Eve, my classmates and I went to a Chinese restaurant for a delicious meal. In the evening, we all made video calls or phone calls to our families. Even though we were in different places, our hearts were still connected. In the evening, people will watch the Spring Festival Gala with friends and send blessings to those around them as the New Year’s bell rings.

Chinese New Year is one of the most important festivals in China. People in China work and study hard, trying their best to return home to celebrate the New Year with their families and elders. Like many people, their ancestral home and their place of residence are not in the same city or even the same country, but in any case, the New Year’s rituals are deeply ingrained in the bones of many Chinese people.

Rise  Y8

February 16th is Chinese New Year’s Eve. Yesterday’s New Year’s Eve made me feel very special. Yesterday I was super excited. I was in a good mood from the morning. As soon as school was over, my friends and I rushed back to the dormitory to get dressed and prepare for New Year’s Eve. After we finished tidying up, we went to a Chinese restaurant. The food there was super delicious. We ate many bowls of rice. While eating, we also saw a super complete rainbow. We went out to take some nice photos. Back in the dormitory, we were very excited. Everyone was sitting in the living room, getting ready to watch the spring Festival Gala at 11 o’clock. I also called my family and friends.This New Year made me feel very unforgettable.

In China, this is how my family celebrates Chinese New Year: Everyone gets up early on New Year’s Eve to dress up and wear red clothes because it’s considered auspicious. We don’t wash our hair or clean the house on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. After tidying up, we start making dumplings and preparing for the New Year’s Eve dinner. I was in charge of buying snacks and fireworks. In the evening, our family sat together to eat New Year’s Eve dinner while watching the Spring Festival Gala. After dinner, my family and I play cards. When the countdown ends at 12 o’clock, we go downstairs to set off fireworks. Then we start sending New Year’s cheer to everyone and receive red envelopes. This was always my favorite part.

Penny  Y8

16,2,2026 is the Chinese Eve in the Chinese lunar calendar. That was my first time celebrating Chinese New Year in a foreign country, To be honest, I was a little bit frustrated because my parents were not around me and I think celebrating New Year requires reuniting with family but our teacher told us that she would take us to a Chinese Restaurant for dinner so I felt better. I was super excited all day. About 17:45 Mrs Hey took us to a Chinese Restaurant then all of us enjoyed the Chinese food. My favourite dish is Sichuan Beef, it is really delicious. Coincidentally our music teacher’s wife had a birthday on that day too! It was truly a double celebration! After we celebrated her birthday, we came back to the boarding house, however it is not where we usually live. We came to another boarding house so we could stay up late and not disturb others. Staying up very late on New Year’s Eve is the traditional custom in China. Lastly I slept after receiving the red-pocket from my parents, which is a good and lucky symbol for children.

Iris W  Y8

New Year’s Eve in Australia. This is my first time celebrating Chinese New Year in Australia. Although my classmates and I are far from home, we have not forgotten the traditional Chinese festival culture. After school, we packed our luggage and moved to another dormitory. Everyone was incredibly excited for tonight’s night of revelry. We boarded the bus and arrived at a Chinese restaurant. After eating, we went back to the dormitory. Once back in the dormitory, I grabbed my phone and went outside. I swiped the phone rapidly until two beeps broke the silence.

The New Year is an exceptionally important festival for Chinese people. This festival tightly connects families even those far from home. On this day, we send each other blessings for good fortune and prosperity throughout the year, making the new year even more colourful.

Longing is like a thread connecting our kinship. Although we are thousands of miles apart, our longing for each other has not diminished.

“Grandpa, Grandma,” familiar faces appeared on the screen. “Happy New Year!” I was raised by my grandparents. My hometown is a very small county town, but the smaller the place, the more lively the atmosphere. We would prepare for the Spring Festival the day before, pasting Spring Festival couplets on the door, adding a touch of bright red to the house. Until the Spring Festival arrives, relatives would prepare special red envelopes for children. In China, this is called “lucky money,” symbolizing a safe and peaceful year for the child. On that day, we cannot sweep the floor or take out the trash. It’s said to prevent sweeping away the year’s fortune. I hope my family can spend this wonderful year carefree and prosperous.

Julie  Y8

In Chinese tradition, the New Year’s Eve dinner is usually the most important meal of the year. The New Year’s Eve dinner symbolizes reunion, beginning, good luck and cleaning out the old. It is usually a gathering where family members come together to enjoy the meal. This meal usually includes many kinds of food, such as fish, shrimp, meat and vegetables, etc. Different dishes also have different meanings. However, most of the wishes are for reunion and good luck. And this meal will take the whole day to prepare. People won’t eat much at all in the morning and afternoon for this dinner.

In fact, nowadays most middle-aged people do not prepare the New Year’s Eve dinner by themselves. Instead, they go to restaurants to have it. Only a small number of young people who are unable to go back to their home will choose to cook by themselves. The largest of them prepare the New Year’s Eve dinner with their parents. Even on this day, there are still some young people working away from home, just as I mentioned earlier, and they are unable to return home. At this point, this ancient tradition can be carried forward through the devices.

After the New Year’s Eve dinner, we will also watch a program called the Spring Festival Gala together. This is my favourite part because the adults will sit in front of the TV to watch it, but the children can freely play with their siblings in the room. That is great for me, because I really enjoy playing with my friends.

In fact, there is another thing that excites us. As the clock approaches 12 midnight, that distinctive Spring Festival Gala program will broadcast the New Year countdown. When it reaches zero, the new year that belongs to China will truly begin.

Yutong  Y8

It was my first time to have a spring festival in Australia. Yesterday was Spring Festival Eve. Our dear teacher, Mrs. Hey prepared us to go to a Chinese restaurant! The most favourite dish I liked was the Roast Duck. I ate nearly half of the duck! I couldn’t believe that I could have such authentic Chinese food in Australia. Mrs. Hey said that we can stay up today, so after the banquet, we went to another boarding house with excitement. I was talking to my parents on my phone. My parents went back to the countryside to celebrate the new year with their family. I hoped that I could join them to celebrate. It was nearly 10:30, and I started to feel tired. I was confused that I felt tired so early. Maybe it’s because my family and my Chinese friends weren’t with me. But I still have many friends here! This Spring Festival may not be perfect but very interesting!

Finnley  Y9

Yesterday was my first time spending Chinese New Year abroad. No parents, no domestic friends. Just Pathways teachers and classmates. To be honest, I was a little bit sad because in my memory Chinese New Year is about having a reunion dinner with family, catching up on recent events, younger generations wishing their elders a happy new year, and elders giving red envelopes to the younger generation, wishing them happiness and good health every day. Everyone’s face is filled with relaxed smiles. In Chinese terms, this is the “flavour of the New Year.”

But actually, all the teachers did their best to let us experience the taste of Chinese food while we were abroad. At dinner last night, the teachers who sat at my table were all very kind and approachable, even asking us how to say “Happy New Year” in Chinese. We toasted each other with water and talked about our hopes for the new year. Seeing their smiling faces, my homesickness wasn’t so strong anymore.

Luna  Y9

This is a special year. I am in Australia for this Spring Festival. I am going to talk about New Year’s Eve.

After school, we went back to the boarding house to change my clothes and put makeup on myself. At 5:45, we went to a Chinese restaurant. Before this we took some photos in the boarding house. We were so excited because it is a special day, whether I am in Australia or China. In the restaurant, waitresses served a lot of delicious Chinese dishes on the table. After Anna’s New Year’s greetings, we were starting to eat delicious meals. We ate and kept marveling at the deliciousness of Chinese food. We were pretty grateful to my teachers and the boss of the China restaurant.

After dinner, we went to another boarding house during this special night. We didn’t hand in our tech, we chatted with our parents, and had many red packets from my family on Wechat. When the clock struck twelve, I wished my family a Happy New Year before drifting off to sleep. I look forward to an even better year ahead.

Iris L  Y10

This year, we had a special New Year’s Eve. We went to a Chinese restaurant to have dinner, it was very delicious. I still remember today. On Chinese New Year’s Eve, people stay up late, until midnight or often until dawn, and we also did that at Boarding House as well. But unfortunately, we didn’t watch the entire Spring Festival Gala. In China, I would sit in front of the television with my family to watch it, and we would say “Happy New Year” at midnight with the hosts.

During the Spring Festival, elders give red envelopes to younger relatives who come to pay their respects. In addition to red envelopes, small gifts such as food or sweets are exchanged between friends or relatives from different households during Chinese New Year. Gifts are usually wrapped in red paper, symbolizing good luck. 

I’m very grateful to Mrs.Hey and Ms Chui who gave us a wonderful New Year’s Eve, it relieved my homesickness.

Danika  Y10