Top 8 Chinese New Year Decorations 2024

Written by Matteo Updated Feb. 7, 2024

In Chinese culture, the color red symbolizes good fortune and joy. By keeping houses decorated in the color red and filled with auspicious decorations, people hope that the family living inside will be surrounded by good fortune and joy throughout the coming year.

Here we've listed the top 8 popular decorations used to create festivity for the celebration.

Chinese New Year Decorations

1. Red Lanterns 

Lantern
 

Lantern

Made from bamboo strips and shaped like tomatoes, red lanterns are often used in Chinese traditional festivals such as the Spring Festival (including the Lantern Festival) and the Mid-Autumn Festival. In Chinese culture, red lanterns symbolize family reunions and good luck. It is said that the higher the lanterns are hung, the luckier the family will be.

Every year, lantern carnivals and exhibitions are held in parks and other public places, during which lanterns of various colors, patterns, and styles are on display. The entire area is decorated with beautiful lighting.

2. Spring Couplets 

Spring Couplets
 

Spring Couplets

Hung on gateposts or door panels on Chinese New Year's eve, the spring couplet is a pair of lines of poetry that convey people's best wishes for the coming new year.

In ancient times, people used to write couplets by themselves. The traditional couplets are brush works of Chinese calligraphy, in black ink on red paper. Nowadays, people seldom write their own couplets as exquisite machine-made couplets can be easily found in supermarkets.

3. Window Paper-cuts

Paper-cut is a traditional folk craft that can be dated back to 2000 ago. Made from red paper, paper cuts are often pasted in windows. So it can be translated as "window flower."

The images of the Chinese New Year paper-cuts usually draw from legends, zodiac animals, auspicious fruits, and Chinese opera. It represents happiness and a good harvest.

4. Fu Character

Similar to the Spring Couplets, the fu character is a calligraphy work written on red paper with black ink. Interestingly, people usually pasted fu upside down on doors or windows.

"fu" (福 fú) means "good fortune", the word for "upside-down" (倒 dào) is a homophone of "arrive" (到dào) in Chinese. Pasting the fu upside down means good fortune is coming.

5. Door Gods

Door Gods
 

Door Gods

The pictures of door gods are traditional decorations pasted on the main door of a house. In ancient times, Chinese families used paired doors, so the door gods always appear in pairs. People believe door gods can protect against evil spirits and bless the family living inside.

There are many different types of legends about the door gods, so the images of door gods vary in different areas. The most popular pair is Guan Yu and Zhang Fei (from Romance of the Three Kingdoms).

6. New Year Paintings 

New Year painting is a kind of colorful decoration used during the Chinese New Year. It usually draws images expressing good wishes for healthy children and secular life. Printed with bright and warm colors, new year's paintings always make people feel happy.

7. Kumquat Trees

Kumquat
 

Kumquat

The name of the plant is a homophone of the word "gold" and "good luck" in Chinese. So people believe kumquat trees are symbols of good fortune.

Having a kumquat tree at home during the Chinese New year expresses people's good wishes for wealth and good fortune.

8. Flowers

Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, usually falls at the beginning of spring when some flowers bloom. Apart from all the above traditional decorations, people also would like to put some fresh flowers at home. Symbolized as new life and vitality, plum blossoms are the popular choice.

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