Best 13 Chinese New Year Decorations and Crafts for Home and Office
While there are obvious a variety of lunar New Year decorations, we firmly believe that you should have red things around your home, as many as possible. Red is simply the color of Chinese New Year! And we also list top 13 crafts and decorations that you should not miss this year. So grab your broom and rag to have a thorough cleaning of your house and office, deck it inside and out.
Spring Festival Couplets
What is the most popular Christmas decoration? It is definitely the couplets. Spring Festival
couplets in black or golden Chinese characters on red paper is the essence of Chinese language and Chinese calligraphy through the millennia. It is a unique form of literature in China, depicting the background of the times and expressing good wishes in neat, pairwise, concise and exquisite words. Whether they live in the city or the countryside, every family chooses a big red couplet to put on the door to celebrate Chinese New Year in style.
Window Paper-cut
According to Chinese folk art, people also like to put various kinds of paper cuttings - “window flowers” - on windows. Window paper-cuts not only create a joyful ambiance, but they also serve as ornamental, thoughtful, and functional elements all at once. Paper-cutting is a very popular folk art in China, which has been loved by people for thousands of years. This traditional Chinese craft is also called "window flower" because it is mostly pasted on windows for festivals.Chinese 12 zodiac animals paper cutting is also a great Lunar New Year crafts idea!
Hanging Lanterns for Chinese New Year
In ancient times, during the Chinese New Year and the Lantern Festival, two large red lanterns must be hung at the entrance of large households, while small red lanterns were hung at small households. They were all about the hope for the future and the excitement of the New Year, no matter how big or small.
Red lanterns symbolise reunion and are used to create a festive atmosphere. Thus, in China, red lanterns are a sign of celebration.
Chinese New Year lanterns, also collectively known as lantern colours, originated more than 1800 years ago during the Western Han Dynasty. Through successive generations of lantern artists inheritance and development, the formation of a colourful variety and high level of craftsmanship.The “福” (Blessing) Character
It is a long-standing Chinese folk custom to put up the Chinese character "福" in the Lunar New Year. The character "福" refers to good fortune and luck, and represents people's desire for a happy life and their wishes for a better future. In order to more fully reflect this yearning and wishes, some people simply stick the "福" upside down, indicating that "happiness has arrived" and "good fortune has arrived".
Door God Sticker
A tradition craft for Chinese Near year, it is a kind of painting pasted on the door. As a folk belief in the guardian of the portal of the gods, people stick their images on the door to drive away evil spirits, guard the family home,ensure peace and security, and bring good luck. Door gods are popular guardian spirits in Chinese folklore. According to the traditional custom, on the eve of the Spring Festival, every family will be busy writing and posting couplets and door gods to pray for the coming year.
New Year Painting
Thousands of households' festive mood is brightened with prosperity and joy from the vibrant and colorful New Year paintings. New Year paintings are an ancient folk art in China, reflecting people's basic values and beliefs as well as their aspirations for the future. It grants the wishes of those who celebrate and offer prayers for a happy New Year.
Chinese Knots
The Chinese knot is a type of handcrafted artwork and weaving product that originated in the Paleolithic era for sewing and knot-tying. It was later used in rituals and record-keeping during the Han Dynasty before evolving into the decorative handicrafts of today. Chinese knots were frequently used to decorate jade worn by people in the Zhou Dynasty. During the Warring States period, Chinese knot patterns were also found on bronze vessels, and this practice persisted until the Qing Dynasty, when Chinese knots truly gained popularity as folk art.Hanging a Chinese knot at home or in the office during the Spring Festival represents reunion and happiness. The word "knot" also harmonises with the word "auspicious", so people think that "knot" is a symbol of good luck, and can bring good luck to people.
Firecrackers
Many will hang firecracker decorations at home or office for the Lunar New Year. This is due to the fact that hanging firecrackers changes the feng shui of your home and office by making it appear more lively and joyous, attracting prosperity, and warding off evil spirits and snakes. In addition, some people may hang chili pepper decorations, instead of firecracker decorations in their homes.Zodiac Animal Puppet Craft
How about DIY a zodiac animal puppet with kids? Reuse some discarded items, like socks, clothes, and fake jewelries to make the zodiac animal of the year! If it is the Dragon Year, craft some dragon puppets, or horses in the Horse Year. Otherwise, you can buy them at your local crafts store.
Spring Festival Bonsai
In order to greet an auspicious and prosperous new year, it is customary in Cantonese culture to place a few pots of kumquats with red packets or tiny lanterns hanging on them at the front door or inside the house. A growing number of Chinese families—not just Cantonese—are selecting bonsai, which include silver willows, phalaenopsis orchids, and other orchids—as their Chinese New Year decorations as a result of the popularity of small bonsai over the years. Having a bonsai in the living room is a wonderful way to celebrate the Lunar New Year.New Year Flowers
Besides bonsai, followers are also popular Chinese New Year decorations. Top 10 flowers for Chinese New Year include: kumquat, bamboos, monarch butterflies, anthuriums, plum blossoms, orchids, daffodils, plum, and chunlian flowers. Certain flowers, like peach blossoms for love and happiness, plum blossoms for bravery and strength, and orchid blossoms for elegance and purity, have positive symbolic meanings. Investing in these flowers can enhance the festive mood while also bringing luck and prosperity to your family.
New Year Throw Pillow
Warmth can be added to any room in the house by placing two or three red embroidery pillows, which is a generous and beautiful representation of traditional Chinese colors.
Red Envelopes
Red envelopes used to hold New Year's money for children and the elderly are a natural Chinese New Year decoration. Every time you see them, you think of Chinese New Year!
