Chinese New Year is undoubtedly the biggest annual event on the Chinese calendar, with people visiting their loved ones to wish them prosperity and wealth for the year ahead. The younger ones will also look forward to receiving from their elders “red packets” containing money!
Hence if you’ll be hosting your family and friends this Chinese New Year, up the ante by turning it into an epic party! And not just any party, either, but one that welcomes the Year of the Tiger.
Because according to the Chinese calendar, each year is represented by an animal from the Chinese zodiac. It was the ox last year and in 2022, this animal will be —you guessed it — the tiger.
So in this guide, we’ve put together tips for planning a tiger-rific Chinese New Year party that celebrates the majestic feline. Let’s get into it!
Design your party invitations
You can’t have a party without people. Invite your family, friends, and relatives to your Chinese New Year party by sending out party invitations!
With PosterMyWall, creating Chinese New Year invitations is a piece of cake. Simply pick your favorite Chinese New Year party invitation template, then use PosterMyWall’s drag-and-drop editor to customize the template to your heart’s content.
Since it’ll be the Year of the Tiger, try to hunt down a tiger-themed Chinese New Year party template. Alternatively, upload your own tiger-themed images to create a truly unique invite.
You can also add festive greetings such as:
- 新年快乐! (Xin Nian Kuai Le), which means “Happy Chinese New Year!”
- 恭喜发财! (Gong Xi Fa Cai), which means “Wishing you lots of prosperity and wealth!”
- 万事如意! (Wan Shi Ru Yi), which means “May everything go according to your wishes!”
Prepare a feast
Forget about dieting during Chinese New Year. It’s almost guaranteed that you’ll gain weight as you tear into tasty treats such as pineapple tarts, spring rolls, steamboats, abalone, and roast meats.
So as you’re planning your Chinese New Year party, curate a menu of scrumptious delicacies. The more dishes the merrier, too. After all, having way more food than you can eat signifies abundance in the Chinese tradition.
Just look at this mouthwatering Chinese New Year feast that Instagram user @bunny_tales posted online:
Also, stock up on drinks to chase all that delicious food down! If you’re thinking of getting beer, try to get hold of beer from the Tiger Beer brand. Y’know, because it’s the Year of the Tiger.
And as you’re sending your party invites (see the previous point), ask your family and friends for their dietary preferences. You don’t want to serve up dishes that they can’t eat—especially when you’re celebrating a special day like Chinese New Year.
Plan fun Chinese New Year games
Once everyone has eaten their fill, it’s time to bond over games. You can’t go wrong with the tile-based game mahjong, which is highly popular among the young and old alike.
Alternatively, if mahjong isn’t your thing, there are plenty of modern games that are no less exciting. Here’s one courtesy of TikTok user ThingYan Tiw:
In a nutshell, the game involves you laying out dollar bills on a table, with the higher-denomination bills being placed further away from the player. The player then rolls a drink can over the dollar bills.
If there’s a dollar bill under the drink can when it stops rolling, then the player scores the number of points specified by the dollar bill. (For example, a $10 note equals 10 points.)
The player with the most points at the end of the game wins. Or if you’re feeling generous, then the player can keep the dollar bills they land on!
Prettify your party venue with festive decorations
Finally, amp up your party’s festive atmosphere by putting up Chinese New Year decorations. For inspiration, check out this house, which has been decked out with beautiful Chinese lanterns:
Lanterns, hanging pineapples, and red streamers are pretty much part of the standard Chinese New Year decorations look. And since it’ll be the Year of the Tiger, add extra oomph by using decorations with tiger motifs. Be it tiger-themed spring couplets, stickers, banners, and so on—you’ll find no shortage of these online.
You can make your own decorations too, while armed with construction paper, scissors, tape, and your imagination.
Make your Chinese New Year party a roaring success!
We’re counting down the final days of the Year of the Ox, and waiting for the Tiger to emerge from its den. But there’s no time to waste—get cracking on preparing your Chinese New Year party!
Use PosterMyWall to design your Chinese New Year invitations, then prep all the delicious food, party games, and decorations you’ll need to throw the best Chinese New Year party ever.
Senior editor at PosterMyWall.
