Lunar New Year starts on Saturday 25^th this year and we are welcoming the year of the Rat! Lunar New Year is also called Spring Festival and begins with the first new moon and ends on the first full moon of the Lunar calendar. Every Lunar New Year’s Eve for as long as I can remember, I would accompany my family to our home temple to celebrate the new year. We’d watch the dragon dance, the fireworks and a blessed orange and red envelope (li xi) from the Buddhist monks which have fortunes rather than money. It was always such a fun time around the house (minus all the cleaning prior). The house was decorated with red and gold and we always had delicious food on the table. It was a time to spend with family and learn about tradition and I hope to share it with my own children one day.

Origin of the Lunar New Year Festival

The origins of the Lunar New Year festival are thousands of years old and are steeped in legends. One legend is that of Nian, a hideous beast believed to feast on human flesh on New Year’s day. Because Nian feared the color red, loud noises, and fire, red paper decorations were pasted to doors, lanterns were burned all night, and firecrackers were lit to frighten the beast away. (Britannica)

Celebrate Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year is a big deal and it's a time to gather family and create new memories together. It's also a time to make offerings and sacrifices to your ancestors as well as the Gods of Heaven and Earth. The offers and sacrifices often come in the form of fruits, pastries and an assortment of food. Lunar New Year is one of the biggest holidays all year and each year, an animal from the zodiac is celebrated. Since 2020, is the year of the rat, you will notice a lot of decor for Lunar New Year to have the rat symbol on it. People bring out their nicest outfits, clean their house from top to bottom and are on their best possible behaviors.

Counties that Generally Celebrate Lunar New Year:

  -  China (Chun Jie)

  -  Vietnam (Tet)

  -  Korean (Seollal)
  -  Japan (Ryukyu)
  -  Mongolia (Tsagaan Sar)
  -  Tibet (Losar)

Why is Red So Important During Lunar New Year?

The color red symbolizes so many things but mainly, it represents good fortune. That’s why during Lunar New Year, you’ll see decorations, and everything else decked out in red and gold. Red also represents joy and happiness.

How is Lunar New Year Celebrated?

  -  Lai see (Chinese) or li xi (Vietnamese): are red envelopes filled with money and are usually gifted from the elders to younger children

  -  Dragon dances: symbolizes power, dignity, authority, strength, good luck

  -  Lion dance: symbolizes power, wisdom and superiority, bring good fortune and chase away evil spirits

  -  Fireworks/firecrackers: good luck through the year (families will not sweep the leftover paper as it resembles good lucky and you do not want to sweet away your good lucky

  -  Lanterns: symbolizes the wish for a bright future, letting go of the past and getting a new one

  -  Food: each food represents a specific thing you wish for in the new year such as yuanxiao (sticky rice balls) that symbolizes family unity or fagao (steamed cake) which represents fortune or prosperity

The Lunar New Year Superstitions

  -  No working: this was to give women and people a break during this time

  -  No using scissors or knives: it cuts wealth

  -  No sweeping or taking out trash: sweeps away wealth

  -  No fighting or crying: problems should be resolved peacefully, creates a smooth path for the new year

  -  Do not visit the wife’s family: the superstition is that there are martial problems, so if you want to visit, do not go until the 2^nd day of the Lunar New Year

  -  No hair washing: washes away good luck

  -  No black or white clothing: unlucky colors

  -  No medicine or hospital visits: it brings illness

  -  No lending/borrowing money: leads to debt

  - Keep your rice jar full: empty rice jar can bring anxiety

What are you doing to celebrate New Year? If you're not celebrating, which superstition have you heard about? Comment to let me know.

Resources

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lunar-New-Year

https://chinesenewyear.net/taboos

https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/festivals/chinese-new-year-taboos.htm
https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/special-report/chinese-new-year/