Chinese New Year 2025: Hosting tips for a cosy celebration to welcome in luck for the months ahead
Chinese New Year 2025: Hosting tips for a cosy celebration to welcome in luck for the months ahead
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As a child growing up in Hong Kong, I always felt Chinese New Year was the superior holiday. The gifts of gorgeous little red laisee packets filled with money gifted to children (and the unmarried, so I’m still elligible), the gold-stamped firecrackers that were almost too pretty to set off (sadly now banned in lots of cities), the whirling highly coordinated dragon dances in the streets. The fluffy trimmings on the dragon headdresses in particular were a huge draw.
Plus, the Lunar New Year is a two-week celebration, with special rituals for luck and family that draw out the merriment and get you in the right mindset. London’s New Years Eve, with its wet firework displays and scant traditions beyond a rowdy countdown and a sense of let down come New Year’s Day has never been able to compete.
Thankfully, there are plenty of opportunities to celebrate the Lunar New Year in the capital. If the weather is good, nothing beats getting to the West End in time to nab a spot on the official London Chinese New Year Parade at the weekend (it’s happening on February 2 this year) before heading into Chinatown for dim sum.
Throwing a party is also another great way to get your favourite people together to celebrate. The Lunar New Year is, at its core, a time for family and shared traditions. People travelling home to be with their loved ones in China has become the world’s largest human migration.
