IMLEK
The Chinese New Year Celebration in Indonesia

Find out what's specials during Imlek, the Chinese New Year! | #ExploreSunda

In Indonesia, Imlek is not only marked by family prayers and reunion dinners, but also by packed shopping malls, lion dances on towering poles, and hampers filled with symbolic sweets. While the Chinese New Year follows an ancient lunisolar calendar, its celebration here has taken on a distinctly local rhythm. From zodiac beliefs to red clothes, hongbao, and public performances, the festival blends tradition with everyday Indonesian life. Below, we trace how the celebration unfolds in Greater Jakarta and Bandung.

Chinese New Year doesn’t fall on a fixed date because it is based on the lunisolar calendar, which follows moon cycles while aligning with the sun. As a result, on February 17, 2026, we will celebrate the Chinese New Year 2577, the year of the Fire Horse. In four-season countries, Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival – to welcome the spring.

The Origins of Chinese Zodiac

According to ancient Chinese legend, the Jade Emperor created the Chinese Zodiac by putting animals to race across a river. Since the Rat couldn't cross it by itself, it asked Ox’s help. When it almost reached the other side, the Rat jumped from the Ox’s head, so the Rat became the first to arrive followed by the Ox. The Tiger was next, and then the Rabbit. Dragon, the powerful mythical animal was the fifth because it left the race momentarily to help bring rain to villages. The Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, and Dog came next. The Pig was the last animal to arrive because it ate and slept a lot. These animals became the Chinese zodiac sign in a twelve-year cycle.

Every year, one zodiac sign is paired with one of the five elements – wood, metal, water, fire, and earth. As a result, the same combination will only happen every sixty years. In traditional Chinese belief, each pairing is said to represent certain personality traits of people born in that year.

In Indonesia, Imlek is a time when families gather, visit elders, share foods, and exchange wishes for good health and prosperity. One of the Chinese Indonesian traditions on Chinese New Year's Eve is to have a family dinner. Some continue the festive by praying in the temple. On New Year's Day, the younger family members visit their parents and elders to greet them. A variety of sweet foods, such as cakes, cookies, and candies, are served. These sweets symbolize the wishes for the sweet life in the year ahead. It is customary for married couples to give hongbao – a red envelope filled with money – to children and relatives who are still single. It represents the blessings from the elder to the young.

On the day of Imlek, many people wear new clothes, typically red ones, to keep bad spirits and bad luck away. Not just for themselves, but people also buy new clothes for their children, parents and elders. As a result, shopping malls often organize sales, including midnight sales. You can find a variety of red clothes, such as batik, dresses, cheongsam, and shirts.

For many people, Imlek also means looking forward to a few traditions that only come once a year.

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Lantern Festival in Living World Mall, Alam Sutera, South Tangerang to celebrate the Chinese New Year 2574.

Specials During Imlek

Basket Cake, Dodol Keranjang, and Nian Gao are some of the names of this special cake to celebrate Imlek / Chinese New Year.

Special food during Imlek: Dodol Keranjang (Nian Gao).

Lion Dance, based on the Chinese myth during Imlek / Chinese New Year.

Special performance during Imlek: Lion Dance.

One of the foods that is only made and sold during Imlek is basket cakes. We usually call it "dodol keranjang" or dodol China. It is called Nian Gao in Mandarin. This cake is named basket cake because a bamboo basket is used as a mold for the dough. The primary ingredients in this cake are glutinous rice flour and palm sugar. Nowadays, it comes with various additional flavors such as vanilla, chocolate, and pandanus (the extract of pandanus leaves provides a green color and a pleasant smell). The cake can be eaten as is, but many prefer to steam it with shredded coconut or fry it with beaten eggs. The roundness and stickiness of "dodol keranjang" symbolize the closeness and harmony in the family.

Dodol Keranjang is one of the sweet snacks served during Imlek, besides lapis legit (multiple thin layers cake), candies, and pineapple-filled cookies.

During Imlek, two special performances take place: the lion dance or Barongsai in Bahasa Indonesia, and the dragon dance. The Chinese believe that these animals bring prosperity and ward off bad luck. The dragon is typically carried by multiple performers due to its long body.

Dragon, based on Chinese myth, often performs during Imlek / Chinese New Year.

Special performance during Imlek: Dragon dance.

The lion dance is gaining immense popularity in Indonesia, with many shopping malls inviting it nowadays. The dance involves two men representing the lion under one hood. There are several varieties of this dance, including dancing on tables and poles, as well as performing modern styles like the moonwalk and Gangnam style!

Among them, the pole lion dance, or Barongsai Tonggak in Bahasa Indonesia, is considered the most challenging because the performers must jump and dance on 21 poles of varying heights and ranges.

At the end of the performance, we give hongbao as a gesture of appreciation to the lion and opportunities to take pictures with them. Children love doing it :)

My favorite place to watch pole lion dance performances is at Living World Mall in Alam Sutera, South Tangerang. The group that always performs in this mall is Kong Ha Hong. They won several pole lion dance championships, both national and world championships. Their lions are always expressive and agile, and their performances are always creative and entertaining. They have an LED lion dance, a very bright lion with its body fully covered with LED. They perform various pole lion dance stunts, such as a drunken lion dance, and even the monkey king Sun Go Kong plays with the Barongsai on top of the poles. For the Imlek celebration, the Barongsai will throw candies to the audience from high above the pole in the middle of the performance. These candies symbolize wishes for sweet or good things in life. Then, they continue the attraction by dancing on the pole while wearing glasses, playing a ball, or flying a kite. At the end of the pole lion dance show, other lion dances turn on the music to dance on stage. One thing is for sure: their lions always come in pride, they never come alone :)

Besides Living World Mall in Alam Sutera, Kong Ha Hong troupe also performs in other big malls in the Greater Jakarta area. Check their social media for the schedule.

Pole Lion Dance, some called it an extreme sport, others called it an art, but one thing for sure they are beautifully choreograph, jumping on top of high poles.

A Pole Lion Dance performance always attracts crowds.

Crowds often gather early, eager to watch every moment of the performance. I have compiled their performances over the years and put some of the best pictures in sliders below. I hope you enjoy watching their performance as much as I do. :)

Finally, I wish you a Happy Chinese New Year that brings good luck, good health, and prosperity.

Presently, Imlek is one of the national holidays in Indonesia, which often becomes an opportunity to check out the vacation spots all over Sunda. Explore the cities of Jakarta, Bandung, and Bogor. Beautiful beaches and highlands are also great places for a holiday.