How to Celebrate Chinese New Year in Macau
Chinese New Year in Macau is the biggest celebration of the year. With Macau’s unique mix of Chinese and Portuguese cultural influences, celebrating here is unlike anywhere else in China. Much like its upscale casino resorts, the New Year celebrations are a colourful, lively and grand affair. Here’s when and how to celebrate the Year of the Dog in Macau.
When is Chinese New Year?
This year, Chinese New Year falls on Friday 16 February 2018, and marks the start of the Year of the Dog. The celebrations last for three days in Macau with 16-18 February all being public holidays.
If you’re lucky enough to be visiting Macau during Chinese New Year, you’re in for a treat. Check out the following main events that comprise the city’s traditional annual celebrations.
See the Chinese New Year Parade
This annual parade is the main event as far as Chinese New Year celebrations go in Macau. Held twice on 18 and 24 February, this year’s parade to celebrate the Year of the Dog will consist of colourful floats, drummers, acrobats, and dancers. The parade winds its way through the city from Macau Science Center to Sai Van Lake Square. Start time is at 8pm and the fireworks follow at 9.45pm at Macau Tower.
Macau Science Center, Macau, Avenida Dr. Sun Yat-sen, Macau, +853 2888 0822
Sai Van Lake Square, Largo da Torre de Macau, Macau, +853 2833 7676
2. Join the Chinese New Year Golden Dragon and Lion Parade
If there’s one event in Macau that you don’t want to miss, it’s the Chinese New Year Golden Dragon and Lion Parade taking place on 16 February. The highlight is a 238-metre long golden dragon followed by numerous lions that prance and wind their way around the Ruins of St. Paul’s and along the main streets of the city to Sai Van Lake Square. The public often join in with the parade and march alongside the dragons, lions and other mascots. The parade starts at 11am.
Ruins of St. Paul’s, Macau, +853 6238 6441
Visit the flower markets
The tradition of decorating the home with flowers, as well as giving them as gifts, is popular in both Macau and Hong Kong during Chinese New Year. People tend to buy fresh flowers, kumquat trees and other good-luck flowers in the few days before the start of Chinese New Year. The flower markets are best visited at night from 8pm onwards, when there is a real celebratory atmosphere. Macau’s Tap Seac Square flower market is a great option.
3. Go to the A-Ma Temple
Among the rituals and customs of the Lunar New Year season is to visit the local Chinese temples and pray to the deities for blessings and good luck in the year ahead. At the A-Ma Temple in Macau, you can also buy a traditional Chinese New Year pinwheel for good luck, as well as incense sticks for burning at the temple.
A-Ma Temple, Rua de São Tiago da Barra, Macau, +853 2836 6866
A-Ma Temple, Macau | © Blowing Puffer Fish / Flickr
Have fun at the casinos
Perhaps a lucky flutter at one of Macau’s casinos will usher in good fortune for you at the start of the New Year! In Macau, you have plenty of options to try your luck. Keen to embrace the festivities, the casino resorts are filled with special promotions and activities during Chinese New Year. In addition, a number of the upscale hotels offer deals on their restaurants with delicious buffets and seasonal high teas galore. If you’re looking to sample Chinese fare, then head to one of these hotels and experience some of their delightful New Year dumplings, cookies and desserts.
Practise the language
In Macau where Cantonese is the most-spoken language, the common way to say “happy new year” is “gong hei fat choy” which literally means “wishing you great happiness and prosperity”.
Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.
Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.
Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.
Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.
We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.
Culture Trip Spring Sale
Save up to $1,100 on our unique small-group trips! Limited spots.
- Post ID: 1808567
- Sponsored? No
- View Payload