Happy Chinese New Year from Millennium Hotels and Resorts
On 10 February 2024, China and Chinese communities worldwide celebrate the Year of the Dragon, which is said to bring growth and abundance throughout the year. Get off to a great start with accommodations at Millennium Hotels and Resorts. You'll enjoy a wealth of treats to ring in the lunar new year 2024, from London to Singapore. With lashings of red decorations and lucky chocolate coins, dream it and book it with up to 25% off this February. With the tradition to feast, worship and come together on China's most important holiday, you can celebrate in comfort with a Chinese New Year hotel booking.
History of the Lunar New Year
Chinese New Year has a fascinating history. While we don't know the true first date, it's over 3,500 years old and wrapped in mysterious mythologies. Like other well-known festivities, its origins relate to ancient agricultural rituals and sacrificial ceremonies. Its association with a new year is recorded during the Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC – 256 BC) when people came together to bless harvests. Various Chinese dynasties have added to these agrarian origins, introducing games, feasts and ancestral worship.
One of the early legends of the festival describes a monster named "Nian" ("Year"). Ancient Chinese villages were attacked by this long-headed beast. Rather than flee, a villager once used red to scare off the monster. He donned red garb, pasted red papers on doors, lit candles and set off fireworks. This successfully spooked the monster and so the tradition was repeated.
It wasn't all smooth sailing for Chinese New Year. In 1912, the Chinese government attempted to abolish the celebration in favour of the Gregorian calendar. While modern China no longer uses its traditional calendar, Chinese New Year became an official national holiday in 1949 when it was renamed the Spring Festival (chūnjié). It continues to be celebrated and has become a huge gala event in China.
Year of the Dragon – The 12 animal signs
Zodiac signs are central to how Chinese New Year is celebrated, with each new year represented by a rotating roster of animals. This year is particularly exciting because it takes on the dragon. The Chinese dragon isn't just a remarkable-looking beast; it symbolises power, prosperity and longevity. As a result, many celebrations will highlight 2024's opportunities and challenges as symbolised by the dragon's strength.
But why is this year a dragon? The Chinese zodiac (shēngxiào) refers to a repeating time cycle split into 12 animal signs. These are numbered from 1 to 12 as rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. This year's dragon will be followed by next year's snake, while the dragon will return in 12 years. Your birth year will also be associated with one of these animals and when it corresponds with Chinese New Year, this is your zodiac year. This is actually bad luck in Chinese folklore and many people choose to wear something red that's gifted from a relative all year round to ward off misfortune.
How Is New Year Celebrated?
The New Year is an important reunion occasion loaded with significance. It is tradition to travel back home and gather with family, where you'll clean your home and sweep ancestral tombs to exorcise spirits before the new year. On New Year's Eve, it's time to come together with a family feast (nián yèfàn), followed by fireworks. While you can eat anything together with family, dumplings (Jiǎozi) are the most symbolic choice because they resemble silver ingots to bring good fortune.
Red is intrinsic to Chinese New Year because it represents luck, as we saw in the tale of the monster "Nian". It's common to wear red clothes and decorate the home with red lanterns, paper signs and drawings. Children are commonly gifted red envelopes (hóngbāo) filled with cash as a symbol of coming fortune and luck. This tradition has even migrated online, where over 46 billion electronic envelopes are gifted each year!
Global Celebrations
Chinese New Year isn't limited to China or its vast diaspora. Similar lunar and spring festivals are also held in Vietnam, Korea and Mongolia every year. You can come together wherever you are to enjoy a feast, toast or pampering city break to celebrate prosperity according to the lunar calendar.
Why not celebrate somewhere special with a Chinese feast at one of Millennium Hotels and Resorts' treasured stays? In the heart of London, you can enjoy a delectable Chinese breakfast buffet with glitzy red décor at central hotels like the Chelsea Harbour Hotel, Bailey's and Millennium Knightsbridge. At the historic Gloucester London in star-studded South Kensington, the lobby transforms on 10 February with a traditional Chinese lion dance. From family suites to city-view bars, Millennium's London-based stays are the perfect locations for lunar celebrations.
Singapore's rich Chinese heritage springs to life with its Chinatown parades, flower displays and traditional fireworks. Enjoy the country's diverse celebrations with a stay at MSocial, the Grand Copthorne Waterfront or the Orchard Hotel Singapore. With New Year's buffets fit for royalty, you can gather with friends and family without the stresses of cooking.
Chinese New Year Hotel Deals
As the world prepares to welcome the hopeful Year of the Dragon, you can join the festivities in London, Singapore and a wealth of locations with Millennium Hotels and Resorts' Chinese New Year hotel promotion. Our Lunar Year offer brings the spirit of the dragon to your break with dazzling decorations and a Chinese New Year hotel package. No need to wait for the year's luck to arrive with up to 25% off your stay and 20% off dining at select hotels.
Whether you're dining with friends, rolling dumplings with family or simply enjoying the long weekend together, we wish you a prosperous and joyous Chinese New Year in this auspicious Year of the Dragon.
