2022 Chinese New Year Games To Play at Home with the Whole Family

14 January 2022

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Chinese New Year is coming, and it's too bad that we can't enjoy the Spring Festival of the Chinese calendar outdoors due to the country's growing number of COVID-19 cases. At this time, it is highly advisable for us to stay at home with our family and celebrate the Chinese New Year inside our house.

It is a special non-working holiday in the Philippines, and finding activities to do at home during this celebration may be a little challenging. So, if you're looking for some great activities and fun Chinese New Year games that you can do with the whole family, check this out!

While having the Chinese New Year party, we gathered some entertaining party games that the entire family would surely enjoy, not just during the Spring Festival but all year round!

Games to play for the Chinese New Year Party

1. The Chopstick Game or the Sandok Game

This type of game became famous during the holidays, and you can do it again, this time for the Chinese New Year Party, but with a twist—you must use a chopstick! Get ready to put your chopstick abilities to the test in this challenging game! You'll race against one another to transfer as many sweets or bills from one dish to the other in this exciting minute-to-win-it game.

Beforehand, you need to prepare a pair of chopsticks, two plastic bowls, and a handful of sweets or bills.

Game Rules:

Chopsticks and plastic bowls should be given to each participant. A few handfuls of candy or bills should be stuffed into each of the players' bowls to ensure that each participant receives the same quantity.
Set a timer for one minute and instruct your players to move as many sweets or bills as possible between two bowls just by the use of chopsticks.
The person then can have the sweets and bills he or she can transfer within the time limit.

2. Catch the dragon's tail

This one is great and fun for kids and the whole family!

Organize the whole family into a line with their hands placed on the person's shoulders in front of them. The person at the head of the line represents the dragon's head, while the other at the end represents the dragon's tail. Playing this game is all about tagging one another, and it's up to each person to try their best to keep their chains intact. To be the dragon's head, the person in the rear of the dragon has to be tagged and moved to the front.

3. Dragon Piñata game

Everybody loves piñata during a party, especially in the Philippines. This is also one of our traditional games with clay pot hanging during birthday parties! But this time, a dragon piñata would be ideal for a Chinese New Year celebration since dragons are such an iconic Chinese zodiac and emblem that is always included in every Chinese New Year Parade.

Hang the paper mache from the ceiling and fill it with treats and toys. Then each of you may smash it until it breaks, and you can grab a handful of the items inside! Getting a piñata kit that comes with everything you need, including a stick, a blindfold, sweets, and tiny toys, will help you stay within your allocated budget for the event.

Traditional Chinese Games that you can play all year round

Meanwhile, if you're looking for some Chinese traditional games that can be played not just during the Spring Festival but for the whole year round, here are some of the interesting Chinese new year activities that you can try on:

Strategy Games

The Chinese New Year is possibly the only time when everyone puts their talents to the test. The younger generations commonly aim to outdo their elders, who are usually quite skilled at such games owing to their high frequency of playing.

Throughout Chinese history, card and tile games have been popular pastimes as traditional Chinese games, and many elderly people still like playing them now. A familiar sight in city parks and squares is a group of elderly folks huddled around and playing complicated tactical card games. These days, even the younger generations like the odd 'game-night,' and there are plenty of game-rooms in cities where people of all ages may gather to play card games for an evening.

Maijang or Mah Jong

It's similar to the western card game "Rummy," but played with tiles instead of cards. The game is typically played in groups of four and requires rather advanced strategic and mathematical talents, and it is impressive to witness Chinese people of all ages and generations play it fast and smoothly with a different sleight of hand.

Maijang or Mah Jong is indeed the most popular Chinese New Year game and even famous all year round as we can see people playing this in Casinos.

In fact, as one of their most treasured leisure activities, Majiang maybe not only a Spring Festival game but also a year-round pleasure. It is likely to be found in many older residences. If you want to play Majiang properly, you'll need more than a passing familiarity with Chinese characters since certain squares are marked with them.

Dou Dizhu (Chinese Poker)

Dou Dizhu, or 'Fight the Landlord' in English, is the second most popular game in China, and practically everyone can play it. With its fast-paced nature, it produces an exciting and frantic environment that is suitable for Chinese New Year celebrations.

With normal poker-card decks, it is a card game that is regularly played today. Played in three or more parties, the game is commonly referred to as "Chinese poker" and is known as such. According to where you live, the rules of this game might be vastly different from one area to the next. While it is commonly remarked that the game is "simple to learn, but hard to master," this may be an understatement since even a few game rounds need incredible strategic thinking.

Xiangqi (Chinese Chess)

Chess-like XIangqi is played on a 9-by-10-inch board, with each player starting with one king/general, two guards/advisors, two bishops/elephants, two knights/horses, two rooks/chariots, two cannons, and five pawns. The pieces are positioned on intersections (like Go/Wei Qi) rather than squares, as in western Chess.

Whichever game you decide to do this Chinese New Year, make sure to observe the proper health protocol to have a safe and more enjoyable celebration with the whole family!

Playing the Chinese New Year Games is fun, entertaining, and interesting. But these games can be more enjoyable if you have some extra room or space at home. Thankfully, you can now own bigger and better living spaces at an affordable price through Lumina Homes.

It evolves from a real estate developer that offers socialized housing to building homes that can accommodate Filipino families' growing needs towards a better life.

As a New Year celebration, Lumina held Level Up 2022, a kick-off event to welcome the year with fine music and fireworks display in different Lumina Homes communities nationwide. New year, new home. Lumina Homes will level up this 2022 by unboxing new surprises as it moves forward.