Far above the Earth, the festive spirit of the Spring Festival has reached China’s Tiangong Space Station. The three astronauts of the Shenzhou-21 mission celebrated the Lunar New Year with traditional banquets and a variety of delicious foods, bringing a touch of home to outer space.
The space station was adorned with red lanterns, handcrafted tassels, and paper-cut decorations. Astronauts preserved the traditions they would observe with their families on Earth, such as eating jiaozi (dumplings) and enjoying symbolic dishes representing good fortune.
The highlight on New Year’s Eve was a reunion-style banquet, with a special menu carefully prepared by the ground support team. For Wu Fei and Chang Hongchang, celebrating the Spring Festival in space for the first time, the experience was particularly memorable.
Chang Hongchang introduced the festive menu through rhythmic claps and storytelling in a traditional Chinese style. The menu featured bamboo shoots with meat, five-spice braised beef, and sweet-and-savory roast pork—each dish symbolizing prosperity, peace, and good luck.
No Spring Festival is complete without dumplings. Mission commander Chang Lu announced, “Today, we have special dumplings filled with pork and delicacies.” Wu Fei added, “We celebrate the Spring Festival with dumplings.” Chang Hongchang noted, “Eating dumplings in the Year of the Horse brings luck and blessings!” Adding to the celebration, freshly baked cakes prepared in the space oven brought extra joy to the festivities.
Since its launch on October 31, 2025, the Shenzhou-21 mission has now surpassed 100 days. Scientific experiments, equipment maintenance, and health management are all progressing smoothly, according to the space agency.
Source & Photo: CCTV.