What is Lunar New Year?The The Lunar New Year is celebrated with variations across different countries, but common traditions include offerings to household gods, house cleaning, wearing new clothes, a grand feast, ancestor worship, and setting off firecrackers. The eve of the New Year is the highlight of the festival, as family members reunite to honor their ancestors and enjoy a lavish meal. The dishes served carry symbolic meanings: abalone represents abundance, bean sprouts signify prosperity, and oysters are associated with good business.
Celebrations vary by country and region. For example, in Vietnam, where the holiday is called TET, the ancestors are believed to return to heaven on the fourth day, and everyone has to return to work. On the seventh day, the Cay Nev is removed from the front of the home. This is a high bamboo pole that was set up on the last day of the old year. On its top are red paper with inscriptions, wind chimes, a square of woven bamboo to stop evil spirits from entering, and a small basket with betel and areca nuts for the good spirits.
In most Asian countries, people return to work after the fourth or fifth day of celebration. In Taiwan, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, and the two days following are public holidays, and all government offices, most businesses, restaurants, and stores are closed. The closings may continue for eight days. Continue . . .
Chinese New Year, also called the Spring Festival, is the most significant holiday in China and for Chinese communities worldwide. Preparations start with families thoroughly cleaning their homes to sweep away any lingering bad luck from the past year. Traditional offerings of food and paper icons are made to gods and ancestors at home altars and temples.
Elders present children with red envelopes, known as hongbao, filled with money. Families gather for festive meals that include long noodles symbolizing longevity and fish as the final course, representing abundance. The celebrations peak with vibrant displays of firecrackers, lion and dragon dances, and the booming sounds of drums and cymbals, all intended to drive away the misfortunes of the old year and usher in the vitality of spring.
Resources:
Known as Tet, this significant family celebration begins with the new moon and lasts for seven days, culminating in vibrant street dragon processions. Similar to Chinese customs, Vietnamese traditions honor the Kitchen God, who reports the family's deeds to the Jade Emperor in heaven. To appease the Kitchen God, family members burn gold leaf paper and place live carp in a bucket of water on a family altar, symbolizing the god’s journey to heaven. The festivities feature lively celebrations, including Múa Lân (lion dancing), designed to drive away negative influences and usher in good fortune for the New Year.
Resources:
The Korean New Year, known as Seollal, typically lasts three days and is centered around family and tradition. A key custom is charye, a ritual honoring ancestors who have passed away. Female relatives prepare special dishes, while male relatives serve the food. The entire family then takes part in eumbok, eating the food to receive the ancestors' blessings for the year ahead. Children and younger family members perform sebae, a deep and formal bow, to show respect to the eldest family member. A properly performed sebae is often rewarded with gifts of money from older relatives.
Resources:
In 1873, Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar, shifting their New Year celebration from the lunar calendar to January 1st. At midnight on December 31st, Buddhist temples across Japan ring their bells 108 times, representing the 108 human sins in Buddhist tradition. Homes are thoroughly cleaned, and dried beans are scattered in each room to drive away bad luck. Around New Year's, many Japanese families engage in the tradition of mochitsuki, where rice is pounded to make mochi, enjoyed in both sweet and savory dishes. Children often receive money gifts called otoshidama, similar to the Chinese tradition of red envelopes.
Resources:
Tsagaan Sar, meaning "white moon," is a significant family celebration where multiple generations come together to welcome the New Year. Preparations begin a month in advance, with tasks like thoroughly cleaning the ger (yurt) and making hundreds of buuz, steamed dumplings filled with meat. On the morning of Tsagaan Sar, people rise before dawn, put on their new deel (traditional costume), and walk in a direction dictated by the zodiac to start the year in the right way. Men hike to the nearest mountain to watch the sunrise, while women prepare milk tea as an offering to the Earth and deities, wishing for a prosperous year ahead.
Songkran, the traditional Buddhist festival, marks the start of the Thai New Year. The name "Songkran" is derived from Sanskrit, meaning "astrological passage." Commonly known as the Water Festival, it involves the ritual of pouring water to wash away the negativity of the past year. In modern-day cities like Bangkok, Songkran is celebrated with vibrant street parties where people engage in large-scale water fights, using water guns, balloons, and other fun devices. On the second day of Songkran, many families wake up early to visit Buddhist temples, offering alms to the monks, and take part in the ritual of pouring water over statues of the Buddha.
Special thanks to EOPS for their collaborative efforts. To access the resources provided via the Chaffey College Library's databases, enter your MyChaffey Portal login information, when prompted.
Back to Awareness & Celebration guides
