Private Jet Charter Home for the Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year – also called the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival – is China’s most important festival of the year. The date of the New Year is based on the lunar calendar and always takes place some time between 21st January and 20th February. This year, the New Year falls on the 28th January, but the holiday stretches over the 14 days leading up to the date.

The holiday, now centuries old, began in a Chinese village with a mythical beast called the Nian, who was said to eat children. Everyone in the village went to hide from the Nian, but one old man stayed up to fight back against the beast. He set up red paper throughout the town and put off fireworks, which succeeded in scaring off the Nian. Now, Chinese people continue to decorate with red scrolls and lanterns on windows and doors and set off fireworks the moment the New Year arrives.

In the present day, the holiday centers around the annual reunion dinner. While regional customs vary widely – nine countries officially celebrate the event with public holidays – the celebratory dinner on New Year’s Eve is considered to be the main event. On this date, the 27th January this year, extended families come together for a feast to remember their ancestors and pray for a prosperous New Year. Traditional foods vary by region. In the north, it is customary to eat dumplings shaped like old Chinese coins known as ingots, which symbolize wealth. In the south of China, people eat a sticky rice cake that symbolizes improvement.

Making the trip home to celebrate, however, is a less beloved tradition. As many as 400 million people travel home for the Chinese New Year, with over 50 million taking to the skies. The crowds at the train stations and commercial airports can be overwhelming. Ticket prices are high, ideal flight times sell out months in advance and delays are common.

If you want to spend as much time as you can with your family, there is a better way to travel. Chartering a private jet cuts out the chaos of the crowded airport and saves you from commercial delays. And when you arrive, you can choose to land at the smaller private airport closer to your destination so you can be at dinner in no time. Allow Air Charter Service to organize your private jet charter to wherever you call home.