The 2021 Chinese Lunar New Year is the year of the Ox. In Chinese traditional culture, there are 12 zodiac animal signs, which are respectively Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig in sequence. It takes turns every 12 years so the next year of the Ox will be 2033.
Similar to Christmas tree, Santa Claus and stockings for Christmas, the Chinese Lunar New Year carries its own cultural elements.
These icons and symbols include Spring Festival scrolls (antithetical couplets that are pasted on gateposts or door panels), dragon, lanterns, red envelopes (red packet), Caishen (God of wealth and prosperity), red paper cutting (for window decoration), Chinese character Fu (福). Traditional folk activities include dragon dance, lion dance, setting off firecrackers, and many more.
One of the greatest pleasures in the tube packaging industry is the touch with different cultures thru the graphics designs. Before the holiday, almost every family will shop the collection of decors, which are normally rolled up and packed in a paper tube package.
If you would love to know more about the most important holiday season for the overwhelming majority of Chinese people (the Han nationality Chinese). This post is a good opportunity to glimpse at the culture thru a small paper tube packaging.
The mainstream color of Chinese Lunar New Year is red. All holiday decorations are in red, such as antithetical couplets, paper-cutting, red packets, no exceptional for the tube packages of these decors.
In Chinese culture, red color symbolizes good luck, happiness and joy. According to legends and tales, Chinese New Year originated from a story in which an ancient Chinese village was attacked by a beast called Nian (means year in English). The beast Nian (year) feared three things: fire, red color and loud noises. To scare away the beast, the villagers all wore in red. Therefore, red color is also believed to ward off evil spirits or bad fortune.
Similar to red, gold color is another principal color for the Spring Festival. In Chinese culture, gold color represents wealth, fortune and prosperity.
Consequently, on most of the tube packages, gold foil stamping along with spot UV is massively applied to highlight GOLD color. By doing so, prominent culture connotations stand out easily and align with red color to decorate this significant holiday season.
For seasonal product packaging, the packaging graphics design must reflect the icons and elements of specific season. Consequently, dragon, dragon dance & lion dance, firecrackers, character Fu are commonly seen icons on the paper tube package. Now Let’s explore the cultural connotations of these icons.
Contrary to being portrayed as evil monsters in Western stories, dragon (known as Long or Lung in Chinese mandarin) are regarded as good luck bringer, and symbolic of power and wealth. However, the legendary creature, commonly described as snake-like with four legs, don’t factually exist.
The dragon dance and lion dance are Chinese traditional folk activities that are normally performed on big occasions, like Chinese Lunar New Year. This activity is used an element of the artwork design very frequently.
Dancers wearing colourful costumes perform different movements and maintain different positions to act like a dragon or lion. Dragon dance and lion dance are perceived to bring good luck, happiness, and good fortune.
Firecracker is another indispensable part of Chinese New Year celebrations. So lots of designers also put this event on their artwork.
Firecrackers were originally used to scare away evil spirits. As mentioned above, the monster Nian (year) feared three things. Except the color red, the beast is also afraid of fire. Therefore, people set off firecrackers to drive away the beast.
When the fireworks are shot off, the bad things go away and the good things are just ahead. In big cities, there are usually firework show and display to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
Fu (Chinese Character) means blessings and happiness in Chinese culture. It is a very popular icon for graphics design relating to Chinese culture and Lunar Chinese New Year.
Many Chinese people display the Fu upside down, either on the doors or on the windows. The Chinese for upside down is 倒, which pronounces “Dao”. This pronunciation is the same as another Chinese word 到 (also pronounces Dao) carrying a meaning of arrival.
So, by attaching the Fu character upside down, people are actually wishing for the arrival of happiness and good fortune. When people say your Fu (character) is upside down (pronounce “Dao” in Chinese mandarin), they are saying your good luck has arrived.
Above is a brief introduction to Chinese New Year. Hopefully you get a bit about this holiday from this post.
Every year before the Chinese New Year is our peak season for domestic market due to the huge increasing demand of paper tubes for holiday decors.
These tubes are also ideal to serve as diploma tubes and degree holders for university and colleges, certificate tubes for training institutions like taekowndo gymnasiums, Brazilian jiu-jitsu academies. It also serve as shipping tube, mailing tubes and office tubes for posters, maps, printed drawings etc.
Should you have any questions or require any info for your cardboard tube packaging project, please reach us at [email protected].
Also, we are customizing paper tubes for a wide range of retailing industries. Check ou the solutions we provide for more packaging inspirations and possibilities.
