Do you want to celebrate Lunar New Year with your kids but need decorations? We've got you covered! Download our free Lunar New Year traceable banner (春聯 /春联/揮春) printables. There are 10 traceable banner printables (Simplified/ Traditional Chinese) with stroke order guidelines inside. We also have non-traceable banner printables for you to use as the house decor, which are available in 4 different versions (Traditional, Simplified, Zhuyin, Jyutping, Pinyin Traditional, and Pinyin Simplified Chinese). This blog post will explore the rich history behind Lunar New Year banners and their traditional usage. Additionally, we'll uncover popular greetings associated with this special occasion and how you can use banner printables to get your kids involved in celebrating!
Putting up banners is one of the fun experiences we have enjoyed as a family. Our family's tradition is to start decorating our house after spring cleaning every year. Before putting up each Lunar New Year banner, we would explain what they mean and decide the most suitable place to place each banner.
We usually put 出入平安 banner (Peace and safety) and the upside down 福 banner on the front door, which symbolizes fortune pouring into our home.
This year, it would be more fun to make our own Lunar New Year banners instead of just putting them up. Not only will the kids learn the Chinese characters for each Lunar new year banner, but they'll also know how to write each Chinese letter using the stroke order guidelines.
The best part is that they get to pick two of their favorite banners to put up in their rooms!
I hope you and your kids enjoy these free Lunar new year banner printables.
Download: 10 Free Lunar New Year Banner Printables
Introduce the Lunar New Year and Its Traditions
We celebrate Lunar New Year on the first day of the lunar new year, which usually falls between January 21st and February 20th. It marks the beginning of a brand new year and is a time for families to come together and wish each other good fortune.
During Lunar New Year, people decorate their homes with Lunar New Year banners that express wishes for a happy and prosperous year, which is why we have created these Lunar New Year banner printables.
Explore the Lunar New Year Banner Traditions
Lunar New Year began because of a mythical creature called Nian. This originates from traditional activities like lion dances, fireworks, and dragon parades during Lunar New Year celebrations.
According to the ancient story, an older man with white hair taught the villagers a magical incantation: Red banners to ward off evil, firecrackers to frighten it away, and lots of noise made from chopping pork for dumpling filling! With this new knowledge, they could protect themselves and live in peace again. Every year, on the first day of the new lunar year, villagers would dress up in masks and costumes to scare away the beast. This is how Lunar New Year celebrations began.
People hang red banners outside their homes, restaurants, and businesses during the Lunar New Year. The banners have words or phrases that express wishes for health, wealth, luck, and longevity. In the past, people usually made these banners by hand using paper or cloth. Today, people often create them digitally and print them out on large sheets of paper.
Not only are they aesthetically pleasing, but our printable Lunar New Year banners also feature beautiful calligraphy wishing luck and prosperity. Decorate your home with these gorgeous printables today!
Popular Greetings Associated With the Lunar New Year
During the Lunar New Year, people wish each other good luck and prosperity through various greetings.
Check out: 18 Popular Lunar New Year Greetings & Wishes (2024)
Free Traceable Banner Printables With Stroke Order Guidelines Included
Our festive printable banners feature these popular Lunar New Year greetings to wish your loved ones a joyous and prosperous holiday season! We have 10 Lunar New Year banners with stroke order guidelines that can help your children trace each Chinese character. They are available in Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese.
We use 香港小學學習字詞表 for reference for stroke order guidelines which is the standard way to learn in Hong Kong schools.
Vertical Chinese Banners – Traceable With Stroke Order Guidelines
- 恭喜发财 / 恭喜發財 (Wish you be prosperous, may you get a fortune!)
- 新年快乐 / 新年快樂 (Happy New Year)
- 心想事成 (May all your wishes come true!)
- 大吉大利 (Wish you great luck and a big profit!)
- 年年有余 / 年年有餘 (May you have surplus & abundance year by year!)
- 出入平安 (May you have peace wherever you go!)
- 吉祥如意 (May you have good luck and happiness!)
- 万事如意/萬事如意 (May you get everything you wish for!)
Diamond Chinese Banner – Traceable With Stroke Order Guidelines
- 福 (Happiness)
- 春 (Spring)
We also provide a non-traceable version of Lunar New Year banners for home decor. They are available in Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Zhuyin Chinese, and Pinyin Chinese.
How to Use Lunar New Year Banner Printables?
Lunar New Year banners are a fun way for kids to help with the decorations! You can print out the banners and hang them around the house or use them as tracing activities for young children. Tracing the characters helps kids develop motor skills and learn a bit of Chinese simultaneously. Older kids can write out the characters themselves to practice their calligraphy.
Our traceable Lunar new year banner printables come in 2 different Chinese versions (Traditional & Simplified). Another way is by letting your kids pick out which banners they prefer from our printable set. And for a real challenge, you can ask them to try out different words or phrases.
How to Prepare the Lunar New Year Banner Printables?
After downloading these free Lunar New Year banner printables, you can gather the following materials and follow the steps to prepare these banner printables for your kids.
Age Recommendation: 5+ years old
Materials:
- Red card stock paper
- Paintbrush/ Chinese Calligraphy brush
- Black paint/ Chinese Calligraphy ink/ Glitter glue/ Marker
Steps:
- Open the files with Adobe PDF Reader. You can download it for free.
- After you open the file via Adobe PDF Reader, you can print the file by clicking on the “Printer” icon. Make sure it will print in portrait mode.
- Print the printables with red card stock paper.
- Cut each page vertically into two (for vertical banners). Cut out the diamond shape banner (for diamond shape banners).
- Engage your children with a Traditional Chinese calligraph brush and Chinese calligraphy ink for an authentic experience. If you're short on time, opt for easy-to-use alternatives like black paint and a paintbrush, or get creative by substituting glitter glue or markers to trace the Chinese characters!
Here is a beginner's guide to Chinese Calligraphy you can check out to teach your kids how to use Chinese calligraphy brush.
When you finish making your banners, you can cut them out and hang them on walls or doors. Some people believe that having two Lunar new year banners hanging next to each other brings luck and prosperity. So, it might be a good idea to find a pair of banners with complementary meanings to put in an area that symbolizes greatness.
More Lunar New Year Resources
Here are more Lunar New Year resources for you to enjoy:
Free 12 Zodiac Animal Worksheets
Check out our free 12 Zodiac Animal Dot-to-dot worksheets for your kids! Kids can color and connect the dots for each zodiac animal. Plus, they can trace each animal's name at the bottom of each worksheet. Best of all, they are available in English and Chinese (Traditional, Simplified, Zhuyin, and Pinyin).
Everything You Can Teach Your Kids About Lunar New Year With Videos
Lunar New Year is coming up soon, and it’s a great opportunity to teach your kids about the traditions and customs of this holiday. In this blog post, we will share 19 Lunar New Year videos to get your kids…
Free Bilingual Lunar New Year Coloring Pages
Embrace the vibrant spirit of the Chinese New Year 2024, the Year of the Dragon, with our engaging and educational coloring pages. Get hands-on with these festive worksheets and make your celebrations more colorful. Perfect for both adults and kids, these pages are an innovative way to learn about a rich cultural tradition while enhancing your linguistic skills.
Conclusion on Lunar New Year Banners
In this blog post, we have covered the following:
- Lunar New Year banner history and traditions
- Popular Lunar New Year greetings (available in Traditional and Simplified Chinese)
- How to use the Lunar New Year banner printables
- More Lunar New Year resources
Lunar New Year is a particular time when people have fun and celebrate. Our Lunar New Year banner printables are the perfect way to get your kids to celebrate the festive holiday! Not only do they provide an interactive activity, but they also help children learn Chinese characters while developing their motor skills.
With our free downloadable Lunar new year banners available in 4 different Chinese languages (Traditional, Simplified, Zhuyin, and Pinyin Chinese), you can create beautiful decorations for your home that will bring luck and prosperity this holiday season!
So download our Lunar New Year Banners now and start decorating today!
Download: Free Lunar New Year Banners Printable
