What to wear for Chinese New Year celebration?

Are you curious to learn what to wear for a Chinese New Year? Or have you been invited to a Lunar New Year party and you do not know which outfit to choose?

Then you will find all your answers here! Our online store is dedicated to qipao and cheongsam dresses, and we will help you with finding your outfit.

In this article, we are going to discuss:

• Which types of clothes to wear for this occasion
• What are the best colors for this event
• Which accessories to pick for your Chinese New Year outfit
• Mistakes to avoid according to the traditions

After reading it, choosing a Lunar New Year outfit will no longer be a secret for you. Let’s get into it.

Why is it important to have a special outfit for the Lunar New Year?

Lunar New Year or Spring Festival gathers Asian families all over the world for one of the biggest and most colorful celebrations. It honors the new moon cycle and symbolizes the new beginnings and blessings for the year to come. Lunar New Year is a major holiday in China, South Korea, Vietnam, and other Asian countries, as well as Asian communities internationally.

Chinese New Year is shared with your family and friends over a colorful celebration and delicious meals. During it, the outfit that you are wearing is as important as the event itself. Choosing the great and suitable clothes is crucial to bring good luck and fortune, according to Chinese culture. It is also an excellent way to honor heritage and traditions.

Which clothes to wear for Chinese New Year?

Chinese New Year clothing can vary from more traditional to modern options. The festive outfits are often chosen for their symbolism, elegance, heritage, and positive meaning. Let’s take a closer look at clothing for women and men.

What to wear for Chinese New Year as a woman?

Traditionally, for Chinese New Year women wore a qipao dress also known as a cheongsam. It is a fitted garment with a standing Mandarin collar and knotted handmade buttons on the neckline. Qipaos are famous for their elegant patterns and embroidery that are rooted in Chinese culture. Those feminine dresses are usually tailored with high-quality fabrics like mulberry silk, brocade, and velvet. If you would like to learn more about what a qipao dress is, feel free to check out our article here.

Nowadays, many people choose modern outfits inspired by traditional garments to celebrate the Lunar New Year. This can include wearing contemporary cheongsams, silk tops or clothes in auspicious colors, with knotted frog buttons or with festive embroidery.

Those outfits can also incorporate elements of the Chinese zodiac sign of the upcoming Lunar year. It is also important to know that many different countries have their own national clothes to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

What to wear for Chinese New Year as a man?

As for men, the Tang suit, also called Tangzhuang, is usually worn for this important celebration. It is a festive jacket with a straight silhouette that is made with a high collar and knotted buttons. Tang suits are typically crafted with brocade, silk, satin, or jacquard materials. They give this clothing its signature smooth and silky finish and make it more comfortable to wear.

Which colors to wear for the Spring Festival?

As you might already know, in Chinese culture, it is essential to wear auspicious shades for big occasions. This is why it is so important to select the right colors for the Spring Festival to have the most fortunate celebration. Let’s look into which shades to pick for your festive outfit and what that would symbolize according to Chinese culture.

Red for good luck and happiness

It is hard to imagine the celebration of Lunar New Year without the red color. This vibrant crimson hue is considered the luckiest color in China. It is the main shade to choose for your Chinese New Year outfit as it has the most auspicious meaning.

Red symbolises bringing happiness, good luck, and success for the year to come in Chinese culture. The elegant ruby shade is also believed to protect from negative energy and misfortune. This is why you can never go wrong with wearing a red qipao dress or Tang suit for the Chinese New Year celebration. You can also personalize your outfit by choosing the shade of red, like burgundy, berry red, or coral, to select the one that suits you the most.

Gold for prosperity and wealth

Another popular color to wear for Lunar New Year is gold. Similarly to red, this sparkling shade has a very lucky meaning in China. Being dressed in gold color is associated with attracting wealth, prosperity, and abundance into your life in China.

If wearing a fully golden outfit does not completely match your style, you can opt for a softer champagne rose gold or honey colors. You can also use gold for certain elements of your clothing, for example, knotted buttons, embroidery or patterns to make your Lunar outfit more auspicious.

Pink for joy and good fortune

Being dressed in pink is another great option for Chinese New Year. The meaning of pink is closely linked to red, which makes it a suitable shade for the Spring Festival. This soft and youthful color symbolises joy, love, and good fortune in China. Wearing a pink qipao dress would create a charming and refreshing outfit for the festive celebration.

Purple for wisdom and elegance

If you are looking for a special shade to choose for your Lunar New Year clothing, then magnificent purple can be the right color for you. From ancient times, this violet color was associated with nobility, high status, and wealth in China. The lavender shade also signifies knowledge and wisdom, which makes it a sophisticated and elegant choice for this major event.

If you would like to learn more about the significance and symbolism of shades in Chinese culture, feel free to read our dedicated article about the meaning of colors in China.

Which accessories to wear for Chinese New Year?

Adding some stunning accessories is a great way to complete your Lunar New Year’s outfit and make it look more festive and elegant. Choosing the right pieces for this joyful occasion can bring you many compliments for your stylish and auspicious look. Here are some suggestions of Chinese New Year accessories for your chic outfit.

Gold jewelry for wealth and prosperity

Bring a touch of sparkle to your Lunar clothing with gorgeous gold jewelry. Your beautiful outfit will come to life with dazzling earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. Their luxurious color will complement your red or gold clothing and bring a positive significance to it. Gold jewelry symbolises bringing wealth, prosperity, and abundance into the future. It also looks absolutely stunning with a Chinese qipao dress for this event.

Red handbags for good luck and happiness

Another popular accessory to wear for Lunar New Year is a red handbag. An elegant clutch bag would add a modern touch to your look. Its red color represents good luck and happiness, and the square shape of the bag reminds of red envelopes with money that are offered as gifts during the celebration.

Jade bracelets for harmony and long life

If you want your festive outfit to look even more meaningful and authentic, consider wearing a jade bracelet for this major event. This precious green gemstone holds great importance in Chinese culture. Jade is a symbol of protection from negative energy, and it is believed to bring harmony, health, and long life to the person wearing it. Sophisticated and refined, a jade bracelet will enhance your outfit with its spiritual meaning and elegance.

Chinese hairpins with auspicious flowers

Create a charming and captivating atmosphere by completing your hairstyle for the event with Chinese hairpins. This graceful accessory is often made with sandalwood, rosewood, silver, jade, and gold. They can also feature some fortunate symbols. For example, a Chinese hairpin with peony flowers signifies prosperity, wealth, and honor. An elegant hairpin that features plum blossom represents resilience, perseverance, and hope.

Chinese zodiac accessories with the symbol of the year

Last but not least, you can add elements with Chinese zodiac animals to your exquisite outfit. Putting on an accessory or a motif with the Lunar Year’s animal will attract good luck and prosperity, as well as make your outfit more playful. You can make it by putting on clothing or accessories with a pattern of that animal, wearing a charm on your bag, or as a pendant or earrings.

What to avoid wearing at the Chinese New Year?

While celebrating Chinese New Year, there are certain cultural taboos and clothing choices that would be considered inappropriate that you need to be aware of. Learn more about them to make sure that your outfit is suitable and respectful to welcome the new year with luck, good fortune, and prosperity.

Stay away from old and ripped clothes

One of the biggest missteps to avoid is wearing old and ripped clothing for this colorful celebration. Lunar New Year represents the new moon cycle and renewal. While traditionally, worn or torn clothes would signify bringing financial difficulties, misfortune, and unresolved problems into the new year. Ripped or shabby pieces are believed to disrupt the harmony and throw off the balance, as they are not whole. This is why it is best to wear new and fresh clothing for the Chinese New Year to show your positive intention, optimistic attitude, and gratitude.

Avoid wearing white and black colors

It is important to note that there are certain colors that should not be worn for the Lunar New Year because of their negative meaning. Stay away from wearing white clothing for the celebration as this pure shade symbolises loss and mournings and it is often put on for funerals in China. It is also best to skip black and gray colors as they are believed to bring misfortune and bad luck according to Chinese culture.

Therefore, do not put on clothes that are fully made in white or black colors to prevent confusing others during the celebration. On the other hand, it can be okay if your outfit has small elements that are in those shades, like buttons or piping, as long as your main clothing is in the auspicious colors we mentioned earlier.

Do not wear sharp accessories

Another negative symbol to stay away from is putting on sharp or aggressive accessories. Their pointed shape is often linked with conflicts and arguments in Chinese culture. It can also mean cutting off prosperity and good fortune for the upcoming year. Here are some examples of sharp items not to have on: bags with metal spikes, spiked chokers, jewellery that features swords or daggers, and clothing with sharp and aggressive geometric prints.

Skip on too casual or relaxed style pieces

The last tip might not be that obvious, but, nevertheless, it is important to keep in mind when choosing your Lunar New Year’s outfit. When selecting your attire, put aside the clothing that is too casual or relaxed. This can include such pieces as joggers, pyjamas, slippers, and others in a similar style.

This is mainly linked to the fact that for Lunar New Year, your clothing symbolises your intention for the future, and wearing an outfit that is too casual would represent stagnation and carelessness. This is why it is essential to put a bit of effort into your Chinese New Year look to show deep respect towards yourself and others.

Explore our Lunar New Year qipaos in our boutique

With all this information, I hope that you have a clearer vision of which clothes to pick for Lunar New Year. I did my best to cover all the aspects of this topic so you can find all the helpful advice in one place.

If you would like to go further and you are searching for a gorgeous and colorful qipao to wear for this festive occasion, I strongly recommend you take a look at our dedicated collection. You will find beautiful gowns in auspicious red and gold shades that are, at the same time, flattering for your figure and comfortable to wear.

Click on this link to explore our Chinese New Year dresses. I am sure that you will fall in love with our stunning qipaos (plus the custom size tailoring is offered).