Lunar New Year is one of the most important celebrations for East and Southeast Asians around the world. Lunar New Year is an annual celebration following the lunisolar calendar, celebrated as an annual, national holiday throughout numerous East and Southeast Asian countries. Further, Lunar New Year remains a central holiday for many Asian American diasporic groups throughout the United States as a means of maintaining and reproducing cultural values and ties to Asia.
What is the Lunar New Year?
Strictly speaking, Lunar New Year is the start of the new year, beginning with the first new moon of the lunisolar calendar. With roots in ancient, agricultural China, the lunisolar calendar was estimated to have been first adopted sometime during the 21st-16th centuries BCE. However, there is a general lack of consensus as to when the calendar ultimately came into use; some say it was under the Xia dynasty, others reference the Shang dynasty, while still others say that regardless of when the calendar came into use, it was the Han dynasty that solidified the tradition of Lunar New Year in agricultural China. Today, Lunar New Year remains contingent upon the lunisolar calendar, which is based on a sexagenary structure, meaning the calendar repeats every sixty years (more on this below). The new year begins with the first new moon of the lunisolar calendar and ends 15 days later with the first full moon of the calendar, during another festival known most commonly as a “full-moon festival.”
Though we shall dive a bit more into the traditions and celebrations of Lunar New Year later in the article , it is foremost a time for both rest, in conclusion of the previous year, as well as preparation and celebration for the new year, in hopes of bringing good health, prosperity, and success. It is also a time to pay respects to elders and ancestors, spend time with family and friends, and for Asian diaspora within the US, a time to reflect on familial roots, struggles, and the ongoing integration into American culture.
One thing to note is the persistent use of “Chinese New Year,” especially in Asian American diasporic history versus the more recent, common use of the term “Lunar New Year” in its place. As we will indicate, the celebration and traditions that come with this time of year are not limited to China and Chinese diaspora, and as such, “Chinese New Year” is a less inclusive, limiting term which highlights only the relevant Chinese cultural aspects associated with the holiday. Further, it may serve to perpetuate the American stereotype that all Asians are in some way related to Chinese, failing to recognize the actual diversity and individual forms of tradition for unique, original traditions across various nations. In this way, “Lunar New Year,” as relevant to the lunisolar calendar, is much more general, inclusive, and does not inherently exclude or limit the expression of culture, tradition, and celebration.
Conversely, the term “Lunar New Year” has been argued to be far too general, and doesn’t quite recognize the intricacy and individuality of the diverse cultures, traditions, and celebrations that fall under its purview. To provide an example, while Mongolia and Cambodia also celebrate “Lunar New Year,” it is not at the same time of year as the Chinese Lunar New Year. In this way, the label may actually serve to undermine the unique character of each culture’s individual traditions by being too general and perhaps devoid of clear meaning. Nonetheless, neither term adequately, perfectly encapsulates the nuances of the holiday, so here we will use the one that is more general and inclusive, rather than limiting our discussion to the specifics of only Chinese New Year. The best way to be most inclusive and to recognize the complex, unique nature of the holiday is to be exact and specific about which tradition or culture being referred to, and to not reduce the holiday to characteristics unique only to one particular culture.
History of Lunar New Year
As mentioned, the lunisolar calendar based on a sexagenary (repeating every 60 years) structure used today was first adopted sometime between the 21st-16th century BCE, and has been in place throughout countries in Asia ever since. The current sexagenary calendrical cycle began in 1984, and will therefore end in 2043. The calendar was originally adopted as a form of tracking time in alignment with harvest periods, in recognition of the changes that take place with weather and seasons throughout the year which serve to make certain periods more advantageous for certain crops than others. As such, the calendar was born out of a necessity to better take advantage of weather patterns and periods throughout the year. Over the thousands of years since the calendar’s adoption, national, regional, communal, and even familial customs have been born, all in some form hoping to bring good fortune, success, and prosperity in the harvest for the new year. However, one of the most pervasive, original Chinese legends is that of Nian.
The myth of Nian (“Year”) is often cited as one of the major, original agricultural legends for the Lunar New Year. As the story goes in the original Chinese legend, there was a beastly dragon named Nian who would terrorize villagers at the beginning of each year. Awakening from his annual slumber, he would move into agricultural areas, attacking and eating people as well as crops, destroying all possibility for a good harvest for the new year. In order to prevent the destruction caused by Nian, villagers sought ways to scare and ward him off. As a result, villagers originally lit bamboo, or its modern day equivalent, firecrackers, and used the color red, wearing it in their dress and hanging decorations around the village, all of which served to scare Nian away. As the myth goes, from this point on the lighting of firecrackers and the pervasive use of red in clothing and decoration became integral to the celebration of Lunar New Year.
The Zodiac Animals
The sexagenary lunisolar calendar is extremely important for another, perhaps more recognizable aspect of the Lunar New Year for Asian American diaspora: the twelve zodiac animals of the calendar. Though many variations of the stories exist and have changed throughout history, the original Chinese story typically details a race between twelve selected animals: the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. Notably, some of these animals vary throughout different national and cultural contexts (more on this later). The story goes that the animals race in order to define a specific calendar as a form of time recognition, the race determining the order by year each animal is represented. The order described previously is the order that the repeated twelve year calendar follows today. Unlike Western astrology, only one zodiac animal is represented each year, meaning that all who are born within a given year are that animal. This year, we start the fifth year in the twelve-year sequence of the zodiac, and February 10, 2024 marked the beginning of the Year of the Dragon (or Naga, in Thailand). For those who celebrate, the year of the Dragon represents strength, resilience, and confidence. This year is expected to bring good fortune, growth, and new challenges for all.
Symbols and Traditions of the Lunar New Year Around the World
Although many cultures celebrate the lunar new year differently, there are often many commonalities between the traditions. Across many cultures, there are commonalities in the various celebrations, parades, family gatherings, eating large meals together, dances, and fireworks. Many families undergo a process of intensive cleaning before the day of the new year to sweep out the evil in the house and create a clean slate for the new year. Overall, the main goals of the lunar new year are to promote peace and harmony throughout all aspects of life.
Nonetheless, there are many unique differences across cultures that celebrate the lunar new year, and while its roots lie in ancient agricultural China, the traditions have spread to various East and Southeast Asian countries while accruing regional changes and discrepancies between distinct cultures. Today, many countries have their own style and tradition, mode of celebration, and set of meanings for the holiday - here are a closer look at a few of them:
China: The name of the lunar new year in China is 春节 (chūn jié), and the typical greeting for the holiday 新年快乐 (xīn nián kuài lè). Many of the typical foods used for celebrations in China are fish, mandarin oranges, glutinous rice balls, noodles, and dumplings. What’s more, a coin is usually folded into a dumpling and whoever eats it is the luckiest. Many traditions include putting up red decorations with Chinese characters on the doors, traditional paper cutting, and lighting firecrackers.
Taiwan: Similarly, the lunar new year celebrated in Taiwan goes by a similar name 春節 (chūn jié), and the typical greeting is again similar: 新年快樂 (xīn nián kuài lè). Again, typical foods for the Taiwanese lunar new year are fish, noodles, dumplings, and oranges. Some of the more regional traditions of the new year, however, are activities such as visiting your neighbors and various temples throughout the day to welcome in the new year.
Korea: Meanwhile, the lunar new year is known as 설날 (seollal), and the typical greeting for the new year is 새해 복 많이 받으세요 (saehae bok mani badeuseyo). Typical foods for the new year are tteokguk (sliced rice cake soup) and jeon (Korean pancakes). Lunar new year traditions include charye, a form of ancestor reverence involving the preparation and serving of food to ancestors to receive the ancestors’ blessings for the new year. Meanwhile, another tradition is sebae is when children and students bow to their elders to receive small gifts of money.
Singapore: Within Singapore, there are a variety of cultures that celebrate many different traditions. However, the dominant name for the lunar new year takes on the Chinese-originated variant: 春节 (chūn jié) and the greeting 新年快乐 (xīn nián kuài lè). Singaporean lunar new year traditions vary, however some of these traditions include the putting out of pots of kumquat and flowers to brighten up the home, Lunar New Year mass, and Chap Goh Mei on the fifteenth day as well.
Vietnam: In Vietnam, Tết is the name for the lunar new year, and the greeting for the new year used most commonly is Chúc Mừng Năm Mới. Some of the foods eaten during the celebrations include fruit platters, banh chung (a rice cake made of mung bean, pork, wrapped in bamboo leaves), Vietnamese braised pork (thịt kho), and various assortments of chả (variations of ham). The Vietnamese zodiac itself is also different - the Vietnamese Lunar Calendar honors the cat instead of the rabbit and the buffalo instead of the ox, changes which were made based on local traditions of the cat and buffalo’s roles in agriculture and daily life. Some notable traditions in Vietnamese culture include Xông đất (first footing), the first guest to visit your home during the year, which is important for setting the tone of the new year. Additionally, giao thừa is the New Year’s Eve when Vietnamese families stay up and worship the gods (according to Buddhist traditions) with fruits and various Vietnamese new years dishes. Even later, after the ceremony, some people go to the temple late at night to seek good fortune.
Cambodia: Although many communities in Cambodia celebrate the Chinese-originated Lunar New Year, many communities also celebrate a different date - the Khmer New Year in mid-April called បុណ្យចូលឆ្នាំថ្មី ប្រពៃណីជាតិ (Choul Chnam Thmey).
Malaysia: The lunar new year is تاهون بارو چينا (Tahun Baru Cina), with the common greeting چيني نئون سال مبارڪ (selamat tahun baru Cina). One of the most notable dishes during this time of year is Yee Sang, a colorful tossed salad only eaten during lunar new year (the higher the toss, the better the fortune for the year). General traditions include religious celebrations for Buddhists, Confucians, and Taoists, decorating duilian (a pair of poetry scrolls) and giving red packets (angpau). Finally, Chap Goh Mei celebrated vibrantly on the fifteenth day of the lunar new year where single people throw mandarin origins into the sea with their phone numbers on it.
Brunei: In a similar fashion, Brunei also celebrates the lunar new year as Tahun Baru Cina, and some common foods eaten are Keropok Udang (minced prawn and starch) as well as steamed fish during celebrations of the new year. Typically, lion dances can be found throughout the country as well as open house parties to ring in the new year.
Philippines: In the Philippines, lunar new year is primarily celebrated by Tsinoy communities, or Filipino-Chinese communities, and the common greeting for the new year is 恭喜新年 (Kiong Hee Sin Ni). Common foods seen in these celebrations include tikoy, noodles and dumplings made of glutinous rice flour, lumpiang shanghai (a type of Filipino deep fried spring roll), and pancit palabok (rice noodles with shrimp sauce). Some of the general traditions also tend to match Chinese origins, with red packets known as angpao hung on the doorframes of shopkeepers as well as Lion dance troupes that perform at various events.
Indonesia: The lunar new year in Indonesia is known as Tahun Baru Imlek, with a greeting of selamat tahun baru Imlek for the new year. Commonly enjoyed foods during the new year include siu noodles, fish, mandarin oranges, and buah naga (dragon fruit). Traditional practices begin with visiting temples during the new year, and continue for multiple days to conclude acrobatic shows of Barongsai and Liong (lion and dragon dances). Another common tradition is to buy a live sparrow and release it during the new year for better luck.
Thailand: In Thailand, the lunar new year is commonly referred to as วันตรุษจีน (Wan Trut Jin), with the greeting being สุขสันต์วันตรุษจีน (sùk săn wan dtrùt jeen) wishing you a happy new year. Typically, whole steamed chickens and ducks are eaten for the new year, along with oranges, fruit platters, and sweet platters as well. Notably, Thailand celebrates the year of Naga this year instead of the year of the Dragon - Naga is a divine, serpent-like mythical creature, and this change to the zodiac reflects regional differences in culture. Important traditions for this time of year include making prayers, incense, and visits to temples. Spirit banquets are often held, where food is offered to ancestors as well as the burning of paper money, gold, and clothes for the ancestors to use in the afterlife.
Mongolia: Finally, although not necessarily a lunar new year celebration which originated from China, the Mongolian Lunar New Year follows a different schedule but happens to land on the day of Chinese New Year this year (02/10). The name of this new year is Tsagaan Sar, and the greeting is сар шинэдээ сайхан шинэлж байна уу? (Sar shinedee saihan shinelj baina uu?), a greeting asking if someone is having a good new year. The most iconic foods of these celebrations are buuz, or minced beef or lamb in a pastry with a grilled side of a ship, and Ul Boov, or flour biscuits. In Mongolia, the first three days of the lunar month is known as the White Moon Festival, during which participants dress in all white, ride a white horse, and only eat dairy products. On the first day of the festival, everyone wakes up early, puts on new clothes, and men climb to the nearest hill to watch the sunrise while women prepare milk tea as an offering to the Earth. Oftentimes, the greeting ceremony during which people greet their elders by grasping their elbows (otherwise known as the zolgokh greeting) occurs in the context of Mongolian Lunar New Year as well.
The New Year in America
Today, Lunar New Year remains central to the identities of many Asians in the United States. Asian American Lunar New Year celebrations often take place on the first day of the new year, centered around one major meal with family and friends, the giving of red envelopes, and of course, fireworks. Additionally, many larger-scale American celebrations take place in the highly concentrated urban populations of Asians in New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, featuring lion dances, lively parades, and beautiful art displays. While most celebrations are focused on the first day of the new year or even the first weekend, as opposed to the entire two week Spring Festival, some celebrations will also still include a Lantern Festival, which usually occurs on the fifteenth day, when lanterns are lit and raised to promote prosperity, good fortune, and well-being to start off the rest of the new year. Though celebrations most often take place in larger metropolitan areas in the United States, Lunar New Year celebrations are becoming more widely held and recognized across the country as immigration from Asian countries to different parts of the United States continues to grow. For example, even in Northern Virginia and Washington DC alone, we have seen a major rise in recognition and celebration of the holiday (some annual events listed here):
(DC) On January 27, the Kennedy Center hosted a Lunar New Year celebration in DC.
(DC) The National Museum of Asian Art hosted a Family Festival - Feb 3.
(DC) The Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Lunar New Year Celebration – Feb 10
(DC) Lunar New Year Parade – Feb 11
(DC) Lunar New Year Festival at the DAR Museum – Feb 17
(DC) Lunar New Year Festival in Memorial Continental Hall – Feb 17
(NOVA) Lunar New Year Festival in Falls Church and Fair Oaks Mall – Feb 17
As Asians continue to immigrate to the United States and the Asian American population continues to grow and diversify, Lunar New Year will only continue to grow in importance as a holiday and celebration as well. It is therefore extremely important for the current population in the U.S. to hold onto their cultural ties and values, so that these traditions can live on, evolve, and become more widespread, recognized, and respected in the American mainstream.
- The Activist
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