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In 2024, the Lunar New Year will start on Saturday, Feb. 10, and mark the Year of the Dragon, according to the Chinese zodiac. (For Thailand, however, 2024 is the Year of the Naga, a mythical serpent —per Royal Museums Greenwich.) The Year of the Dragon is said to be a time of possibilities and opportunities.
What is Lunar New Year?
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The Lunar New Year is a holiday that marks the first new moon of the lunisolar calendar, which is the calendar traditionally used in many east Asian countries, including China, Vietnam, Singapore and South Korea. In these and other Asian countries, it is one of the most important holidays of the year!
According to ABC affiliate Denver7 News, more than 1.5 billion people celebrate the Lunar New Year, with typical celebrations taking place over multiple days, sometimes up to 15, depending on the culture celebrating.
When is the Lunar New Year?
The Lunar New Year typically falls between Jan. 20 and Feb. 21 on the Gregorian calendar. In 2024, it begins on Feb. 10 with the Chinese New Year and will end on Jan. 28, 2025, on Chinese New Year’s Eve.
What is the difference between Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year?
What is the zodiac animal for 2024?
Chinese New Year -Year of the Dragon.Getty Images
Every Lunar New Year corresponds with an animal from the Chinese zodiac, whichconsists of a dozen animalsbased on a 12-year cycle. Lunar New Year 2024 is the Year of the Dragon (or Wood Dragon), the fifth sign in the Chinese zodiac calendar. Dragon people are said to be confident, independent, charismatic, ambitious, adventurous and fearless.
Recent Years of the Dragon include 2012, 2000, 1988, 1976, 1964 and 1952. There is an additional five-year cycle relating to the five elements (earth, fire, wood, metal and water), which means there’s a 60-year cycle between the elements and the Zodiac signs. The next Year of the Wood Dragon will be in 2084.
How do you celebrate the Lunar New Year?
What to wear for the Lunar New Year?
Black and white are considered bad omens as they are typically reserved for mourning. Those who celebrate should wear bright clothes, especially the holiday’s traditional lucky color: red. For Lunar New Year 2024, emerald green is considered a lucky color. Need some extra luck? You can buy all new clothes in this color; new clothes from head to toe are thought to represent a fresh start. Decorations for the holiday are typically red and gold as well.
Red is the most popular color for Lunar New Year celebrations because of its traditional associations with happiness, good fortune, wealth and auspiciousness. It also has roots in the origins of the Chinese holiday — the color red (along with loud noise and fire) was instrumental in warding off evil spirits, hence the red lanterns and firecrackers associated with the celebrations.
What are the Lunar New Year traditions?
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With so many countries celebrating, the Lunar New Year is a holiday rich in tradition. Here are just a few that are often associated with the holiday. Keep in mind that there are many, many more and that different traditions and superstitions are associated with different cultures.
Sweeping of the Grounds
The celebrations for the Lunar New Year last for 15 days, starting with a traditional sweeping of the home, according to Jan Stuart, a curator at the Freer and Sackler Galleries at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art (viaSmithsonian Magazine). This serves to “drive out any misfortune, bad luck or any bad influences.”
Just don’t clean the next day! You don’t want to sweepawayall the good luck you got when the clock struck midnight.
Family Reunions
The holiday begins with a reunion dinner with one’s family. As a result, billions travel to visit relatives for the celebration. This is known as Chunyun, the 40 days of travel surrounding the Lunar New Year.According to CNN, it is the “largest human migration on the planet.” In 2020, the outlet reported that 3 billion trips were expected.
Red Envelopes
One tradition typically associated with the holiday is the distribution of red envelopes (calledlai seein Cantonese,hóng bāoin Mandarin andlì xìin Thai) filled with money. Older relatives give the envelopes to younger children, a custom that has evolved through the years and originated from when people would swap coins to ward off evil spirits. In Korea, money isn’t necessarily presented in a red envelope but given to younger family members after performing a bow for their elders.
Celebrating with Meaningful (and Delicious) Meals
The holiday’s traditional dishes, which can include steamed whole fish, dumplings and spring rolls, often have a larger symbolic meaning (for example,tang yuan,or sweet rice balls, symbolize family togetherness). Of course, the meal itself also carries meaning.
“We believe for the first day of the year you must eat well, because [then] the rest of the year you’ll eat well,” chef Vicky Chengtold theWashington Postin 2020.
ExploreAllrecipe’s collection of Lunar New Year foodsand ways to celebrate.
Giving Tangerines and Oranges
Oranges and tangerines are also a traditional gift for the new year, as they are thought to represent luck and wealth, respectively. The Mandarin words for tangerine and orange bear resemblance to the Mandarin words for gold and good luck, making them particularly meaningful for the holiday.
Not Washing (or Cutting) Your Hair
New year, not so new you! In the Chinese language, the character for “hair” is also the same as the first character in the word that means “prosper,” and so washing or cutting your hair is seen as literally washing all of that good luck right down the drain if you do so on the first day of the new year.
or Cutting Your Noodles!
Traditionally eaten on the holiday, longevity noodles symbolize a long life, so it’s considered bad luck to cut them before or while eating. Other superstitions include not buying shoes, borrowing money, napping during festivities or talking about death.
Fireworks Displays and Parades
Fireworks are a mark of the holiday, as are lanterns because they are thought to ward off bad spirits. This is also the reason for traditional dances and performances like the Dragon Dance, Lion Dance, Fan Dance, Phoenix Dance and more.
The Lantern Festival
source: people.com
