As Chinese New Year approaches on January 22, 2023, people are preparing by cleaning and decorating their homes, exchanging red envelopes and other gifts, setting up firework displays, and more. However, let’s not forget one crucial part — music. Chinese New Year wouldn’t be the same without Chinese celebratory songs. These auspicious Chinese pop songs have brought happiness and wished people health and wealth for decades. That said, here are three catchy songs for the Chinese new year to get you in the mood for the holidays.
1. “Congrats, Congrats!” or gōng xǐ gōng xǐ
A popular and traditional Chinese New Year song is “恭喜恭喜” (gōng xǐ gōng xǐ). 恭喜恭喜 (gōng xǐ gōng xǐ) is Chinese for “Congratulations! Congratulations!” One might tell this to someone after they got married, had a baby, started a business, etc.
To wish each other a happy new year during the Chinese New Year, individuals use the phrase gōng xǐ gōng xǐ. It’s almost the same as wishing someone a “Happy New Year” (xīn nián hǎo). This song captures the traditional New Year’s ritual of saying kind wishes to one another, which is very similar to how people in Western cultures greet each other “Merry Christmas.”
2. “New Year Reunion” or xīn nián tuán yuán
“新年团圆” (xīn nián tuán yuán) was released in 2015 by Stella Chung and Nick Chung. Originally from Malaysia, Stella and Nick are a brother-sister Mandopop pair.
The song’s title, “新年团圆” (xīn nián tuán yuán), which translates to “New Year reunion,” alludes to relatives and close friends gathering for the Chinese New Year.
Reunions are called “tuán yuán” and “tuán yuán fàn” respectively in Mandarin. Similar to how families dine together on Thanksgiving in Western society, this dinner is a significant component of Chinese New Year customs.
3. “New Year’s Here” or nián lái liǎo
M-Girls’ song, “年来了” (nián lái liǎo), is replete with fascinating details about Chinese culture and traditions. This song explains a myth associated with the New Year that calls for various rituals to be performed in order to ward off a monster or ghoul of bad luck known as nián shu.
The idea behind hanging red decorations on door frames, making festive yet loud noises, and other New Year traditions are to help frighten ghosts away.
