The oldest and most important festival in China is the Spring Festival, more commonly known in the West as Chinese New Year. Like all Chinese festivals, the date of the new year is determined by the lunar/solar calendar rather than the Western calendar, so the date of the holiday varies from late January to mid February. The Spring festival celebrates the earth coming back to life, and the start of ploughing and sowing. In the past, feudal rulers of dynasties placed great importance on this occasion, and ceremonies to usher in the season were performed.

在中国最古老和最重要的节日是春节，大多数西方人叫做中国新年。和所有中国的节日相同，中国新年是根据农历而不是阳历来确定。因此，春节的日期在阳历一月到二月之间变化。春节是庆祝大地回春，开始耕种和播种。在过去，历代封建统治者将这个节日放在很重要的地位，也有很多欢庆进入春季的庆典在这时举行。