Lunar New Year is widely celebrated in East and Southeast Asian countries, including China, Vietnam, South and North Korea, Japan, and other Asian communities around the world. Unlike in the Gregorian calendar, the New Year is typically celebrated multiple days in diverse ways: traditional and modern.
The Lunar New Year begins with the first moon of each new year and is celebrated for the next 15 days until the full moon arrives, honoring various household and heavenly deities. Family and ancestors are also extremely significant in
the celebration of the Lunar New Year; therefore,
people gather together, visit their families, share meals and host parties, as well as exchange gifts, money in red envelopes and create decorations. “Houses are cleaned thoroughly to get rid of the unwanted spirits and free up space for good luck and good will”. ( history.com, 2023 )
Additionally, each year in the Lunar calendar is represented by a specific animal that repeats itself every 12 years. The 12 animals of the lunar calendar are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig, although there are a few variations of the animals across different regions of the world.
Besides different symbols, the traditions, foods and celebrations also differ slightly from one another; however, New Year's celebrations are full of various ways to symbolize abundance, closeness and prosperity no matter where you go. Despite some differences, Lunar New Year and its traditions are greatly celebrated and honored by millions of people around the world.
References
History.com Editors. (2010, February 4). Lunar New Year 2023. History.com. Retrieved January 25, 2023, from https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/chinese-new-year
By Alina Myakota
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