Spring Festival Travel Rush

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Which of these events triggers the world's largest annual human migration?

If you think you know it, say it out.

Is it the Eucharistic Congress, Hajj, Winter Solstice, or Lunar New Year?

You have three seconds. Go! 

The answer is: the Lunar New Year, also called the Spring Festival (春节 chūnjié), The date of China's Lunar New Year depends on whenever the second new moon after the winter solstice arrives. This time around, that's on February 16th. According to the Chinese calendar, it's the year of the dog.

Lunar New Year / Spring Festival    

chūnjié    

春节    

Because so many people celebrate, China's routes of travel are already slammed. Billions of Chinese people head home for the country's biggest holiday, the Lunar New Year. It triggers the largest annual human migration in the world. Also called Spring Festival travel rush (春运 chūnyùn). 

        Spring Festival travel rush        

        chūnyùn        

春运

It makes sense that the country where the world's largest population, more than 1.3 billion people, would have such a massive migration on its most significant holiday.

Each year, between late January and early February, it's the one-time each year when families scattered across the country reunite, and to get to one another, China sees a travel boom on a massive scale. 

The government expects 2.9 billion trips to be made across the country. Travelers using every means at their disposal to make it home. Airports and railway stations get absolutely crushed with people suit cases and gives for their families in tow. Highways fill up with those wealthy enough to own their own cars and those who aren't crowd buses and hitch rides on motorcycles, sometimes travelling for days.

Here in Beijing alone, about 42 million trips in and out of the city are expected to be made. During the holiday, the normally loud and busy streets of Beijing become noticeably and almost surreal quiet.

The annual migration has boomed right along with China's economy over the past 30 years. Factory towns needed workers with most coming from China's rural villages. Hundreds of millions of people spend the year away from their families, but the pull of home during the holiday is something few can resist.

Once home, traditional dinners are held and Chinese children receive little red envelopes filled with cash called lucky money. On Lunar New Year's Eve, roughly millions people watched the celebration broadcast on state TV.

And after the Spring Festival ends, most people return to work and cities like Beijing fell right back. Though there are many people who take extended holidays, the Lunar New Year holiday runs for less than 10 days, but the peak travel period lasts for nearly six weeks.

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