The festival, observed in a number of east Asian countries, is all about ringing in the new year with wishes for good fortune and plenty.
The old must go and the new must come!
Celebrating the Lunar New Year with loved ones is a surefire way to ring in good fortune and plenty. The holiday’s rich tradition and meaning differ from culture to culture, but it is celebrated annually by over 1.5 billion people.
On Saturday, February 10, 2024, the Lunar New Year will begin, and the Chinese zodiac will indicate that it is the Year of the Dragon. (However, according to Royal Museums Greenwich, the mythical serpent Naga will be honored in Thailand in 2024.) Legend has it that fortune smiles upon those born during the Year of the Dragon.
What is Lunar New Year?
China, Vietnam, Singapore, and South Korea are among the many east Asian nations that have long adhered to the lunisolar calendar, which is celebrated on the occasion of the Lunar New Year. One of the most significant holidays of the year in these and other Asian countries!
While the Gregorian calendar is widely used for timekeeping, not all cultures follow it. The lunisolar calendar accounts for the changing phases of the sun and moon, in contrast to the widely used Gregorian calendar. This is the reason behind the yearly date changes of the Lunar New Year.
The Lunar New Year is celebrated by over 1.5 billion people worldwide. Depending on the culture, the celebrations can last anywhere from a few days to a full month.
When is the Lunar New Year?
The Gregorian calendar’s Lunar New Year usually falls between January 20 and February 21. In 2024, it starts on February 10th with the Chinese New Year and ends on January 28th, 2025, on the eve of Chinese New Year.
The Difference Between Chinese New Year & Lunar New Year
The term “Lunar New Year” is more commonly used since it encompasses more than just one Asian New Year festival. Additionally, the holiday is known by various names depending on the country. In China, for instance, it is known as Chūn Jié. The Vietnamese call it Tết, the Koreans call it Seollal, and the Tibetans call it Losar. The name “Spring Festival” also applies.
The Zodiac Animal for 2024
The twelve animals that make up the Chinese zodiac rotate every twelve years, and each Lunar New Year is associated with a different animal. The Year of the Wood Dragon, the fifth sign of the Chinese zodiac, will be celebrated at Lunar New Year 2024. According to popular belief, dragons are bold, self-reliant, charming, ambitious, and full of life.
This Dragon’s New Year falls between 2012 and 2000 as well as 1988, 1976, 1964, and 1952. There is a 60-year cycle between the elements and the Zodiac signs, with an extra five-year cycle pertaining to the five elements: earth, fire, wood, metal, and water. In 2084, we will enter the following Year of the Wood Dragon.
Lunar New Year Celebrations
Lunar New Year Outfits
Black and white, reserved for mourning, are bad omens. Celebrants should wear bright clothes, especially red, the holiday’s lucky color. Emerald green is lucky for Lunar New Year 2024. Want more luck? This color is available for all new clothes, which symbolize a fresh start. Holiday decorations are usually red and gold.
The most popular color for Lunar New Year celebrations is red, which symbolizes happiness, good fortune, wealth, and auspiciousness. The Chinese holiday’s red lanterns and firecrackers come from the belief that red, loud noise, and fire ward off evil spirits.
Lunar New Year Traditions
The Lunar New Year is a festival full of tradition because it is celebrated by so many countries. Some common things linked with the holiday season are these. Remember that there are a great many more, and that various cultures are linked to various superstitions and traditions.
• Sweeping of the Grounds
Commencing with the customary sweeping of the house, the fifteen-day Lunar New Year festivities continue. Misfortune, bad luck, and negative influences can be banished with this.
The following day, just skip cleaning! Do not sweep away the good fortune that befell you at midnight.
• Family Gatherings
A family reunion dinner is the first event of the holiday. Consequently, billions of people travel to be with loved ones during the holiday. During the forty days leading up to the Lunar New Year, this type of travel is called Chunyun. This is the biggest human migration ever recorded. Three billion trips were anticipated in 2020, according to the source.
• The Red Envelope
A common holiday tradition is the distribution of money-filled red envelopes (called lai see in Cantonese, hóng bāo in Mandarin, and lì xì in Thai). The tradition of older relatives giving envelopes to younger children dates back to when people swapped coins to ward off evil spirits. In Korea, younger family members receive money after bowing to their elders, not in a red envelope.
• Celebrating with Delicious, Meaningful Meals
Steamed whole fish, dumplings, and spring rolls are holiday staples, but tang yuan, or sweet rice balls, symbolize family. Naturally, the meal has meaning.
We believe the first day of the year should be eaten well so you’ll eat well all year.
• Giving Oranges and Tangerines
Oranges and tangerines, which symbolize luck and wealth, are also traditional new year gifts. Tangerine and orange are similar to gold and good luck in Mandarin, making them meaningful for the holiday.
• Not Washing (or Cutting) Your Hair
No new year, no new you! In Chinese, the character for “hair” is the same as the first character in the word for “prosper,” so washing or cutting your hair on the first day of the new year is seen as washing all that good luck away.
• or Cutting Your Noodles!
Traditionally eaten on the holiday, longevity noodles symbolize a long life, so cutting them before or during eating is bad luck. Other superstitions include not buying shoes, borrowing money, napping during celebrations, or discussing death.
• Parades and Fireworks
Fireworks and lanterns are holiday traditions to ward off evil. This explains traditional dances like the Dragon Dance, Lion Dance, Fan Dance, Phoenix Dance, and others.
• The Lantern Festival
The holiday ends with the Lantern Festival and the first lunisolar full moon. Loving and hopeful lanterns often decorate it.
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