Spring Festival: all you need to know about China’s most important new year festival (6)

乐(le)-央视春晚 (CCTV Spring Festival Gala)

File photo

Watching the CCTV New Year’s Gala might be the most recent Spring Festival tradition in China, as the first Gala was shown in 1983. Despite declining viewership in recent years, it is still essential viewing for many people. The 4.5-hour live broadcast features music, comedy, dance, opera and acrobatic performances, while the New Year bell on the TV gala is the official announcement for the start of the new year.

Traditionally, receiving pocket money in a red envelope is the highlight of the festival for children. Thanks to new technologies, people can now send electronic greeting cards, fun memes and money through instant messaging apps, while many online shopping platforms, such as Taobao, will design fun mobile games for users, urging them to collect electronic red envelopes to receive real money.

Many Chinese Internet enterprises have also taken the opportunity to share the festival happiness with their users. According to incomplete statistics from WeChat, over 4 billion red envelopes were sent by Chinese Internet users through the app during Chinese New Year in 2023.