Chinese New Year, Spring Festival and Lunar New Year. It goes by many names, but this is the most significant occasion on the Chinese calendar. It's the equivalent of our Christmas celebrations in the East, where families gather, eat together, and perform customs that date back thousands of years.
Every New Year's Eve has the same fundamental purpose: to mark the end of one cycle and get ready to start a new one.

Although they always occur between the end of January and the start of February, the start and end dates of this holiday vary from year to year.

Chinese New Year 2023 is commemorated on January 22, the day that the Year of the Tiger ends and the Year of the Rabbit officially begin. The upcoming year appears to provide harmony and peace according to this water sign.

Tradition dictates that the festivities begin on the eve, which falls on January 21 this year, and go until the Lantern Festival, which falls on February 5, 2023.

We're talking about a really vibrant and traditional holiday that is commemorated not just in China but also in many other Asian nations and in cities where there are Chinese-speaking people.

Do you live in Milan this year and are you planning to attend this event here? You should be aware that Milan will host a wide variety of events to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Discover which areas of the city will be the liveliest during the celebrations by reading on.

Celebrate the Chinese New Year in Milan

When it comes to festivities, the Italian city surely has nothing to envious of those in the East. In Milan, Via Paolo Sarpi is the centre of Chinese New Year activity. This is where Chinatown is located. Maybe to your surprise, Milan is home to Italy's largest Chinese community.

In addition to residences, there are businesses, bars, and restaurants in this area that will be decorated for the Chinese New Year with red and lanterns. greater still than the rest of the year!

So, if you live in Milan and find yourself spending the Chinese New Year period here, don't worry; you'll discover that there are many intriguing activities you may partake in, and we'll help you decide which ones.And not just in Chinatown. Throughout reality, celebrations for this anniversary will be held in several the city's neighbourhoods and districts. Let's learn more about this intriguing celebration before getting into the details and figuring out what you can do in Milan during the Chinese New Year.

Chinese New Year’s traditions

Chinese New Year is a tradition that has been practised for a very long time. Man has always used an event to mark the change of the seasons, the conclusion of one year, and the start of a new one. The Chinese New Year is precisely that—a time of change that is observed everywhere there are Chinese communities.

We discuss New Year's Eve because it symbolises the change from one year to the next and ushers in spring. Like every other New Year's Eve, families gather on this particular night to dine, spend time together, and engage in a variety of other activities.

In actuality, the Chinese New Year is a fascinating celebration with significant cultural value for all city residents who desire to take part. Let's look at some of the very specific uses and traditions that define it.

The parade

The most interesting and spectacular attraction of Chinese New Year in Milan is certainly the parade, which is sure to capture the attention of both young and old.

Usually inside Chinatown, then along Via Sarpi, a procession will form, carrying an enormous red paper dragon around the neighbourhood, but this year the parade will be at Arco della Pace area.

You may have seen a scene like this in some cartoon, and you will be happy to discover that such an event really exists and that you can participate!

The colour red is the most commonly used in Chinese decorations, especially for festive occasions. It is considered a good luck and auspicious colour, all that is needed to start a great new year. Apparently, it was also used to drive away the monster Nian (a word that today means 'year'), who enjoyed destroying crops. During the Chinese New Year parade in Milan, participants dress up in traditional clothes and follow the parade. The two most important moments, those of maximum tension, are certainly the Dragon Dance and the Lion Dance. They are staged to ward off any evil spirits that have haunted the previous year and ask for some good luck for the year to come.

Chinese food tasting

Chinese New Year in Milan and all over the world is a great occasion to get together with family and friends and eat typical specialities. In China, many people leave their flats in the city to return for a few days in the country to visit family, spend time together, exchange anecdotes and talk about everything that happened during the year.

On the festival, restaurants also offer special menus for everyone to try typical Chinese dishes.

If you'd also like to take advantage of this time to try some exotic dishes, you should definitely start with the famous steamed dumplings. You can find them with meat, fish or vegetables. Fish, by the way, seems to be the perfect food if you want to attract some good luck in the New Year.

Other specialities you should try are rice noodles, which are usually stir-fried with vegetables and flavoured with soy.

If you like sweet and sour, you cannot miss the almond chicken. It is perfect if you are new to Chinese cuisine and want to start with a delicate but tasty dish.

Then you can't miss the spring rolls, which are vegetable-filled, deep-fried rolls. Once you have eaten the first one, you will find you can't stop!You can feast on these dishes in the best Chinese restaurants in Milan, among which Bon Wei, Jade Garden, Gong Oriental Attitude or MU Dimsum certainly stand out. In these places you might also find tasting menus prepared in honour of the festivity.

The Lantern Festival

Finally, Chinese New Year in Milan ends with the wonderful Lantern Festival. Lanterns will be a constant decoration throughout the festivities. Strictly red in colour, you will see them adorning the entrances of restaurants, shops, and private homes.

They are usually hung on New Year's Eve and left waving throughout the festivities. The most fascinating aspect of lanterns is that they are all different from each other. Each person chooses the one they like best and then displays it in front of their home or business.

The Lantern Festival to be held on 5 February 2023 thus symbolises the end of the Chinese New Year, the arrival of spring and coincides with the full moon. After this day, people will return to their occupations, children will once again flock to school desks and decorations will be taken down from homes.

It is therefore the last chance to still do some traditional activities and enjoy the delicacies of Chinese cuisine. Some people even take a walk at night holding their lanterns in their hands, a custom that especially amuses the children.

Usually, when lighting the lanterns, a wish for the New Year is made. This is an ancient tradition of thousands of years that even emperors have followed.

Very often, fireworks are also set off during the Lantern Festival.

Chinese New Year events in Milan

If you are spending Chinese New Year in Milan, you should definitely schedule a dinner in one of the Chinese restaurants we have recommended, some of the best in the city. Ask if there are any special tasting menus so you won't miss a single dish.

Then get ready for the parade that will take place on 5 February 2023, on the occasion of the Lantern Festival we just mentioned. The parade and many other Chinese New Year events in Milan will be held in Chinatown, Via Sarpi. If you want to find out more about Chinese history and culture, you can go to the Centro Pime, the cultural centre of the Pime missionaries. Here on 22 January 2023, a day will be organised at the Museo Popoli e Culture to entertain young and old alike.

It is an opportunity to get to know Milan, one of Italy's largest cities that has always welcomed peoples and cultures, better and in a different light.