15+ Ideas for Lunar New Year Games For Your Parties

Chinese New Year party games at work are traditional, and many people attend this even before beginning their personal celebrations with family.

Weeks before the Lunar New Year, people in countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and China begin decorating their houses and taking a vacation from work to spend time with family and friends. Nonetheless, this does not rule out the possibility of its celebration in the business setting.

Why Should Employees Observe the Chinese New Year at Workplace?

A great part of the massive East Asian and Southeast Asian cultures influence the rest of the world, and the Lunar New Year is widely celebrated around the globe.

Lunar New Year is celebrated under various titles around Asia. It is most commonly referred to as Chinese New Year, Tét (Vietnamese New Year), Seollal (Korean New Year), or another name entirely.

People learn about their colleagues' cultural backgrounds through Lunar New Year games. And it's the best way to create respectful communication in the workplace. Recognizing and celebrating employees' racial, ethnic, and cultural identities increases the likelihood that everyone will feel included.

Furthermore, doing enjoyable, rewarding activities as a group is a terrific way to foster motivational activities for employees in the office and boost employee morale and productivity.

Therefore, here are seven Lunar New Year games to help you ring with friends at your workplace in the new year.

A List of The Best Lunar New Year Games

1. MahJong

Majiang is the most well-known Chinese New Year's game (MahJong).

The Western card game "Rummy" is reminiscent of the Chinese tile game. Teams of four compete in this game that can be picked up and played quickly and easily by workers of any age or generation.

It's no surprise that many people devote at least one table, if not an entire room, to the enduring popularity of the game of Majiang, which is played not just during the Spring Festival but throughout the year. Because of the complex strategy involved, and some of the tiles have Chinese characters, Majiang can be difficult to pick up.

2. Chopsticks

Chopsticks is a good way to pass the time after everyone has eaten and the food coma has set in. This is a variation on the classic "Never Have I Ever?" in which players take turns making up a remark or inventing an event that somehow applies to someone else in the group.

A pair of chopsticks, a fork, or a spoon is all needed to play this game.

First, someone says, "someone who is most likely to..." and then everyone else at the table uses their chopsticks to point to the person they think best fits the description (for example, "most likely to dance in public"). The popular vote victor will then be smacked on the head.

3. Ping-pong Game

Having a ping pong race is a great way to bring a large group of people together and have a good time. To get the ping pong ball into the last glass, you'll need to use your breath power to launch it over a set of glasses. In addition to the game's already challenging nature, you can ramp up the challenge by utilizing smaller glasses or building a longer row of glasses.

In the beginning, split everyone into two groups of five people each, then set up a row of cups in front of each team, with four cups upright and one upside down.

The next step is for everyone to take a deep breath and try to blow a ping pong ball into the last cup. Try again if, at first, you don't succeed. The team with the most points at the end of the game is the winner.

4. Paper Lantern Game

Making and decorating paper lanterns is one of the most enjoyable Lunar New Year games. This is a great opportunity for the whole office to have some laughs together.

Everyone needs their own paper lantern, some paints or coloured permanent markers, and free reign to create masterpieces. Doing so is a foolproof method of earning the respect of your coworkers and bosses. There's nothing more exciting than making a New Year's wish on your paper lantern and then setting it ablaze. Rather than traditional releasing anger activities, try some of these fun Lunar New Year games instead.

5. Dragon and Lion Dance

One of the most popular Chinese New Year games is the dragon and lion dance. The style of the dance mimics the movements of dragons and lions, so people wear large costumes and go out on the streets to entertain everyone. Dragon and lion dance, however, are two different styles. The dragon dance requires at least 10 to 15 people in the long dragon costume to control the movements. On the other hand, the lion dance only takes around 2 people to control the lion. The reason why dragons and lions are chosen is their characteristics. The lion is the symbol of strength, whereas the dragon is the symbol of boldness and excellence. It is, undoubtedly, one of the best Chinese New Year activities for adults to enjoy.

6. Chinese New Year Bingo

The concept is simple and analogous to other forms of bingo. But the best part is that it's a bingo game based on Chinese New Year, so even your non-Chinese employees will learn something!

A short bingo game can be played in the workplace by providing each employee with a card and then drawing images randomly. When one player checks off all their images, all the other players must yell "BINGO" to end the game.

Make sure to have office party gift exchange ideas already in mind to offer them to the winner or winners!

7. Money Hunting

Many people, especially young adults, have spent the whole holiday season engaged with a festival "game."

During this chinese New Year game, people traditionally exchange hongbao, or "red packets," with their friends, family, and coworkers. These "red packets" can now be sent electronically to loved ones by text message or other messaging apps on a smartphone, mostly WeChat.

Everyone in a group chat has an equal chance of opening a red packet (of an unknown quantity until opened) sent through a messaging app, and if they do, they will each receive a random fraction of the total amount sent.

8. Chinese Chess

Chinese chess is a popular chess game that most Chinese love to play at New Year parties. Although the game is very similar to Western chess, there are a few differences that change the whole experience. For starters, there are 32 pieces on the board divided into 2 teams – red and black. Every piece on the board has unique movements that allow it to move over the board. The end goal is to capture the king of the other opponent’s team, and whoever successfully does that wins the game.

9. Big Two

Big Two is one of the Vietnamese New Year games popular not only in China but in other parts of the world as well. It is called “chou dai di” in the Taiwan and mainland China regions. The game can be played with a deck of 52 cards, distributed between 2 to 4 people. The main objective is to get rid of all your cards. However, you can only get rid of your cards when you have them in pairs. The cards can be played in the set of 2,3 and 4, but all of the cards must have the same number on them.

10. Fight The Landlord

Fight the Landlord is one of the Chinese and Vietnamese New Year games played with a deck of cards. The dealer shuffles and distributes 17 cards to each of the three players playing the game and leaves the remaining three cards on the table. Now, the player taking the first turn starts the game by playing a card stronger than the cards on the table. The next player follows the same practice, and the game continues until one of the players is left with no cards.

11. Hoo Hey How

Hoo Hey How, also known as fish shrimp crab, is one of the Lunar New Year games that is played with the dice at New Year parties. The best part of this game is that it can be played with any number of people, so none of the friends are left out of the ultimate fun. The game starts with players betting on the six symbols, including shrimp, crab, rooster, calabash, and fish. Now, the dice are rolled by the dealer as the player gets paid out depending on the odds of the bet symbol appearing.

12. Chinese New Year Trivia

If you want something productive and effective on the Chinese New Year, try Chinese New Year trivia. While playing the game, you will get to learn a lot of facts about Chinese culture and traditions. The trivia includes questions about the Chinese New Year, such as “What is the other name for Chinese New Year?” and “What color is bad on Chinese New Year?”. To make your game more fun and exciting, add lifelines like 50/50 or call a friend. The one who answers most questions correctly wins the game.

13. Chinese Blackjack

Blackjack is another one of the most exciting Lunar New Year games that anyone can learn almost instantly. The game starts with the dealer distributing two cards to each player. Now, the players can either keep their current cards or take another card. The two cards you have in hand define the number of points you possess. Every card has certain points allotted based on its face value. All face cards are worth 10 points, whereas ace is worth either 1 or 11 points. Anyone with two cards making 21 points in total wins the game. Keep in mind that if you get above 21 points, you are out of the round. Whereas, if the dealer gets over 21 points, all the remaining players are handed over the victory.

14. New Year Crafts

One of the best Chinese New Year activities for adults is showing off your inner artist in the new year. It’s one of the Chinese New Year games that is usually performed in the offices where employees craft something unique to represent the New Year event. For instance, one can create New Year banners, paper folding fans, and much more. To make it much more interesting, you can set a timer and ask the employees to complete the craft in the given time to see how productive and efficient they are.

15. Imaginary Dizhu (Chinese Poker)

Playable by just about everyone with a standard deck of playing cards, Dou Dizhu is a classic Chinese new year gambling game sometimes known in English as "Fight the Landlord."

Typically played with three players, Chinese poker can accommodate more. Numerous rule and play style variations exist for this game, each reflecting the traditions of a particular location. Given how much preparation is needed to win even a few games, the old cliché that the game is "easy to learn but hard to master" may be a severe understatement.

The high energy and high stakes of this Chinese New Year gambling game are amplified by the rapid tempo of the game.

16. Chinese New Year Karaoke

Traditional Chinese music is quite popular in the Chinese community, and they find no better time to enjoy it than on a new year's day. There are many popular traditional Chinese music artists, such as Sa Dingding and Wu Fei, that you can listen to. You can practice the songs before New Year's day to throw a New Year karaoke party for everyone to enjoy.

17. Dress Up Party

Dress-up parties are another great option if you are looking for Chinese New Year activities for adults. Everyone attending the party is asked to wear traditional Chinese clothes and show love for the culture and tradition. Chinese culture is unique, so one must know the traditions that must be followed. For instance, wearing black is prohibited, as it is associated with mourning and death. On the other hand, wearing new shoes is also not allowed as it is believed to bring disappointment in the coming year. Before you attend a Chinese dress-up party, make sure to check the prohibitions in Chinese culture and traditions.

Ending Thoughts

Learning about the cultural origins of your coworkers is a terrific way to create a setting where everyone feels included and appreciated. This further contributes to positive workplace interaction and workplace etiquette.

Some of your colleagues may be among the billions worldwide who observe the Lunar New Year holiday. All employees, regardless of background or identity, should feel comfortable being themselves on the job. And thus, the Chinese New Year party games mentioned above can be a great way to break the ice.