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Lunar New Year, also known as the Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival, falls on Jan. 22 this year, when Asian communities around the world will say goodbye to the Year of the Tiger and usher in the Year of the Rabbit (or Cat in Vietnam).

Traditionally it's marked by family reunions, parades, and fireworks. While based on the Chinese calendar, Lunar New Year is also celebrated in Korea, Singapore, Tibet, and Vietnam and in Asian communities around the world. 

More than just the beginning of a new calendar cycle, Lunar New Year symbolizes reunion and rebirth, marking the end of winter and the start of spring.

We’ve included everything you need to know about Lunar New Year, please read on!


The Lunar New Year and How it is Tied to the Chinese Calendar

Lunisolar Calendar

The Chinese calendar is lunisolar. It is based on exact astronomical observations of the Sun's longitude and the Moon's phases. It attempts to have its years coincide with the tropical year and shares some similarities with the Jewish calendar.

In both these calendars, a common year has 12 months and a leap year has 13 months; an ordinary year has 353–355 days while a leap year has 383–385 days.

In Modern Society

Although the Chinese calendar originated in China, these days, the Gregorian calendar is used for civil purposes. However, the Chinese calendar is still observed among various Chinese communities around the world. It is used to determine festival dates, such as Lunar New Year, as well as auspicious dates, such as wedding dates. It is also used to determine Moon phases because it follows the Moon.

Reference: https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/about-chinese.html

Year of the Rabbit (Cat in Vietnam): 

Horoscope Predictions 2023 and Personality


There are 12 zodiac signs and the order goes like this: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Each animal has its own unique characteristics.

2023 is a year of the Rabbit, starting on January 20th, 2023, and ending on February 5th, 2023. It is a  Water Rabbit year.

2023 is the year of the Water Rabbit, starting on January 22nd, 2023 (Chinese New Year), and ending on February 9th, 2024 (Chinese New Year's Eve). The sign of the Rabbit is a symbol of longevity, peace, and prosperity in Chinese culture. 2023 is predicted to be a year of hope.

The luckiest Chinese zodiac signs in 2023 are Oxes, Tigers, and Snakes. Then, with not quite so much luck, come Dogs, Horses, Goats, and Pigs. Rabbits' and Rats' fortunes will be influenced by 'opposition to Tai Sui'. Roosters and Monkeys will have to work especially hard to make headway.

People born in the year of the Rabbit are called "Rabbits" and are believed to be vigilant, witty, quick-minded, and ingenious.

However, in Vietnam 2023 is the year of the Cat. Vietnam and China share 10 of the zodiac calendar’s 12 signs – but the Vietnamese honour the cat instead of the rabbit, and the buffalo instead of the ox

The Year of the Cat is believed to bring good luck and smooth sailing in Vietnam.

Those who were born in the Year of the Cat, like her, have things easier than most.

It seems to be true that those who are born in the Year of the Cat are often more active, hard-working and easy to get on with.

Reference:


What Chinese Zodiac Sign Are you?

Here are two fun ways to look up what zodiac sign you are and what it means for you in 2023!

  1. What's your zodiac animal? – 12 Zodiac Animal Signs

  2. Chinese Zodiac Calculator - What is My Chinese Zodiac

Lunar New Year Traditions

Cleaning yout Home

Preparations for the 15-day celebration begin weeks in advance, starting with an obligatory spring cleaning. It is customary for families to thoroughly clean the house before New Year’s Day in order to sweep away any ill-fortune from the previous year and to make way for good luck in the new year.

Decorating with red

Ahead of Lunar New Year, celebrants also decorate their freshly-cleaned homes with the color red, which is said to bring good luck. Decorating your home with red paper cuttings, lanterns, and flowers is very popular, as red is an auspicious color. In addition to inviting luck, the color red is also believed to denote prosperity and energy, which ward off evil spirits and negativity.

 Enjoying a family dinner

On Lunar New Year's Eve, people are expected to be home to celebrate the festival with their families, with celebrants gathering for a giant feast known as the reunion dinner. For many, it's the only time of the year when people can travel home and spend time with their families.

Exchanging red envelopes

Chinese New Year is the season of red envelopes, which are given to children by older relatives and filled with cash, known as Ya Sui Qian (Chinese), Li xi (Vietnamese), or "lucky money." Adults give these red envelopes to children with money inside to bring good luck.

Buying new clothes

Just as people clean their homes to usher in a fresh start, many celebrants will spruce up their wardrobes to kick off the new year. Some people wear new clothes on New Year's Day to signify a clean new start. While some purchase new everyday clothing to symbolize a clean slate, others buy new traditional clothing to wear when they visit family.

New clothes are welcome during the Lunar New Year, but not new books. In fact, many believe that buying new books for yourself or others during the 15-day celebration can forecast bad luck for the upcoming year, as the Chinese word for "book" is pronounced the same way as the word "lose." Likewise, new hairstyles are also out. This is because the Chinese character for "hair" is the same as the first character in the word for "prosper," so it's believed that cutting or changing your hair on the first day (or even first month) of the new year reduces your chances of prosperity.

Watching lion and dragon dances

In China, Lunar New Year ends with the Lantern Festival, which is a celebration that includes dancing, games, parades, and dragon and lion dances. However, you'll see lion dances and dragon dances performed in China and in Chinatowns throughout Western countries all during the Lunar New Year period, and they are performed to bring prosperity and good luck for the upcoming year.

Offering greetings

In the U.S., we greet people in January with a basic, "Happy New Year." Lunar New Year greetings are a little bit more formal. To wish someone a happy and prosperous new year in Mandarin Chinese for example, you would typically say, "Gong xi fa chai," which is a Chinese New Year greeting that means, "Wishing you prosperity and wealth." Say lucky expressions to people you see, and in return, they will reply to you with lucky phrases.

8. Firecrackers and Fireworks

From public displays in major cities to millions of private celebrations in Asia rural areas, setting off firecrackers and fireworks is an indispensable festive activity. It is a way to scare away the evil and welcome the new year's arrival.

Billions of fireworks go up in Asia at 12 am and in the first minutes of Lunar New Year, the most anywhere at any time of year.

Offering Sacrifice to Ancestors

​​Honoring the dead is a Lunar New Year’s tradition that’s kept to the word. Many people visit ancestors' graves on the day before the Lunar New Year's day,  offer sacrifices to ancestors before the reunion dinner (to show that they are letting their ancestors "eat" first), and add an extra glass and place it at the dinner table on New Year’s eve.

Reference

https://www.womansday.com/life/a35464771/what-is-lunar-new-year/

How Lunar New Year Is Celebrated Around Asia

China

  • In China, celebrations focus on New Year's Eve, with families coming together to mark the occasion. 

  • It's custom to wear new clothes to ring in the new year, usually in lucky colors of red and gold.

  • In northern China, traditional food eaten during Lunar New Year is made using flour, like baos, pancakes, noodles, and dumplings. Families often make these dishes from scratch, and kids typically search for a lucky coin inside dumplings. The dumplings are usually served with fish, as it symbolizes abundance for the year ahead.

  • Throughout China, family members give each other red envelopes with money as well.

  • Several superstitions are also widely believed throughout the country. These include not buying new shoes during Chinese New Year and cleaning your house before the holiday, so that you're not washing away good luck at the start of the year. For that same reason, people also don't cut or wash their hair around Lunar New Year.


Korea

  • Lunar New Year is one of the most important traditional holidays, offering a chance to pay respect to your ancestors and elders.

  • It's a three-day celebration, and everyone ages one year at the start of the Lunar New Year celebrations. (In Korean culture, people's international age increases on their birthday like elsewhere, while their Korean age — which starts at 1 year on the day they're born — changes at New Year.)

  • Koreans dress in traditional costumes (known as hanbok.)

  • Children show their respect to elders with deep bows (known as seh bae.)

  • Children also receive money and words of wisdom for the new year.

  • Koreans eat dishes like mandu (Korean dumplings) and dduk-guk (thinly sliced rice cake soup). Other holiday foods include mandu-guk (dumpling soup), galbijjim (braised beef short ribs), japchae (glass noodles), and ddeok (rice cakes).

  • Families also play traditional games during the holiday. Yut Nori, a board game played with wooden sticks, is a fun way to celebrate, and yeonnalligi (kite-flying) is done for good luck.

Vietnam

  • In Vietnam, Lunar New Year is also known as Tết, and it's celebrated with family.

  • Traditional Vietnamese sticky rice cake snacks like bánh tét (a log-like, cylinder snack) and bánh chưng (a square cake), play a vital role in the celebrations. Bánh chưng is preferred in northern Vietnam, where it can be fried or steamed. Other dishes include củ kiệu (pickled scallion), tom kho (dried shrimp) and mut tet (candied fruits).

  • Just like other countries, Vietnam has its own traditional costume — the áo dài — a silk tunic with slits on either side that's worn over pants by both men and women for the New Year. Children receive red envelopes with money from their older relatives, too.

  • Most families go to the temple together to pray for good luck, health, and fortune.

  • Some superstitions include paying off all your debts and cleaning your house before the new year, as well as not throwing anything away on New Year's Day, as it's considered to be getting rid of good luck.

Singapore

  • With approximately 75% Chinese population, Singapore goes all out for Lunar New Year. 

  • A variety of treats, from nian gao (sticky rice cakes) to pineapple tarts, can be enjoyed here. Another food that's commonly eaten is yusheng, a traditional raw fish salad that's only had during the holiday.

  • Red envelopes are handed out with the phrase "Fú" (meaning good luck) engraved on them.

  • It's also custom to pay respect to ancestors by going to a temple and lighting incense.

  • The Chingay Parade, which occurs each year for Lunar New Year, is an extravagant celebration that includes everything from giant floats to lion dancers.

  • Meanwhile, the largest Chinese New Year festival in Singapore is the River Hongbao, which is hosted at different locations across the country each year.

Malaysia

  • In Malaysia, the Lunar New Year is seen as the welcoming of spring and a chance for families to come together for an annual reunion dinner. 

  • The holiday lasts for 15 days, and on the last day, Chap Goh Mei is celebrated. (Depending on your ethnic group, there are some specific days for celebration. For example, Hokkien New Year is observed on the ninth day of Chinese New Year.)

  • Yee sang is a salad dish that can be found at almost every table, as it represents good luck and prosperity. Nian gao, a Chinese New Year's cake made with rice flour, is also popular during the Lunar New Year. Mandarin oranges symbolize good luck.

  • Red pocket envelopes (known as ang pow) are given to children and unmarried family members. 

  • Many Buddhist families invite lion dancers to their homes to bless their altars and ward off bad spirits, too.

  • Traditional outfits, called cheongsam (also known as qipao), are worn in red.

  • They also say if you're celebrating your zodiac year, you must wear the color gold to attract even more abundance for the year.

Taiwan

  • In Taiwan, most people go home to celebrate the new year with their families.

  • It's another country that strongly associates the holiday with food. Nian gao (dumplings) is the most popular dish, closely followed by pineapple. It's considered good luck to not eat all the fish and keep some leftovers from your holiday meals.

  • Most Taiwanese people spend time with their family and elders in their homes. 

  • They also exchange red envelopes during the holiday, and many neighborhoods set off firework displays.

Philippines

When the clock strikes midnight in the Philippines, you'll see children and adults jumping for joy, as it's said that it will make them grow taller.

  • The most traditional celebration of the Lunar New Year is called Media Noche, where Filipino families come together for a midnight feast to celebrate a year of prosperity ahead. The table is usually full of round-shaped fruits — a tradition that originates from China — as the shape represents good fortune.

  • The food that's typically eaten during Lunar New Year in the Philippines includes sticky rice dishes, such as biko, bibingka, and nian gao, since it's believed to help bind families together. Pancit (long noodles) is also enjoyed to help bring a healthy, long life and good luck for the year ahead.

  • One of the most unique superstitions of the Lunar New Year in the Philippines is choosing to wear polka dots, as their round shape represents prosperity, money, and good fortune.

  • Fireworks are also often set off to create loud noises to scare away any bad spirits, while lights are turned on and windows and doors are left open.

  • Another popular superstition is not spending any money on the first day of the year to encourage better finances.

Reference: 

https://www.travelandleisure.com/holiday-travel/lunar-new-year-celebrations

Must-Have Lunar New Year Recipes

Chinese Lunar New Year (Chūn Jié)

  1. Dumplings - Dumplings are shaped like the ancient Chinese gold currency, called ingot, and represent wealth.  Recipe: https://thewoksoflife.com/dumpling-recipe-youll-ever-need/

  2. Steamed Whole Fish - In Chinese, "fish" (鱼 Yú /yoo/) sounds like 'surplus'. Fish is a traditional Chinese New Year dish on the Chinese New Year dinner menu. Chinese people always like to have a surplus at the end of the year, because they think if they have managed to save something at the end of the year, then they can make more in the next year.

    Recipe: https://thewoksoflife.com/steamed-whole-fish/ 

  3. Stir-fry Rice Cakes (Chao Niángāo) - the pronunciation of niangao sounds like 'year high' (年高), which symbolizes a higher income, a higher position, the growth of children, and generally the promise of a better year in Chinese minds. Therefore, it is considered good luck to eat it niangao during the Chinese New Year period Recipe: https://thewoksoflife.com/stir-fried-sticky-rice-cakes-nian-gao/ 

  4. Long-Life or Longevity Noodles (Yī Miàn) - As the name suggests, longevity noodles signify long life. The longer the noodle, the better. These are also eaten to celebrate birthdays.

    Recipe: https://thewoksoflife.com/long-life-noodles-yi-mein/ 

  5. Stir-fry Bok Choy (Bai Cai or Baak Choi) - It can symbolize wealth and luck for the year as well as good fortune for the future. This small, green leafy vegetable can also represent longevity of life, especially for parents and elders. Recipe: https://thewoksoflife.com/stir-fried-bok-choy-recipe/ 

  6. Additional Chinese Recipes - https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-new-year-recipes/ 

Korean Lunar New Year (Seollal)

1. Homemade Mandu - Mandu, which resembles a 'lucky pouch' that is given out on important holidays to share good fortune, are traditionally made and eaten together with the whole family on Lunar New Year to pray for luck and prosperity. Recipe: https://www.beyondkimchee.com/mandu-korean-dumplings/ 

2. Korean Rice Cake Soup (Tteokguk) - It is a tradition to eat tteokguk on New Year's Day because it is believed to grant the people good luck for the year and gain a year of age. The length of the rice cake bar is symbolic of a long life. The bar is then cut into small oval medallions before being added to the soup. These resemble coins and represent prosperity for the new year. Recipe: https://www.beyondkimchee.com/rice-cake-soup/ 

3. Korean Glass Noodles (Japchae) - Noodles are believed to symbolize longevity, which explains why Koreans don’t even hesitate to eat platefuls of japchae when welcoming the New Year. Recipe: https://www.beyondkimchee.com/japchae/ 

4. Korean Braised Beef Short Ribs (Galbi-Jjim) - Ancestors have maintained the custom of "sechan" which is to send valuable food to adults as gifts on New Year's Day. Since meat was so rare back then, meat was mainly sent to adults. Following this tradition, Koreans nowadays make sure to have spare ribs and beef on New Year's table, especially when eating with older adults. Recipe: https://www.beyondkimchee.com/korean-braised-beef-short-ribs-galbi-jjim/ 

5. Additional Korean Recipes - https://www.beyondkimchee.com/korean-lunar-new-year-foods-seollal/


Vietnamese Lunar New Year (Tết)

  1. Green Sticky Rice Cake (Bánh Chưng) - The main ingredient is sticky rice which was one of the most important foods to ancient Viet people. Hidden inside the sticky rice layer is the delicious filling made from mung bean and fatty pork. This cake is a beautiful representation of respect for ancestors and Mother Nature

    Recipe: https://delightfulplate.com/vietnamese-square-sticky-rice-cake-banh-chung/ 

  2. Sticky Rice and Mung Bean Cakes (Bahn Tet) - According to history, banh tet is created to represent the union of Earth and Sky. It is a traditional dish like banh chung but instead of being wrapped in dong leaves, banh tet is wrapped in banana leaves. While the ingredients are similar, banh tet has a cylinder shape. There are variations of banh tet in the Central region and the South.

    Recipe: https://runawayrice.com/main-dishes/sticky-rice-mung-bean-cakes-banh-tet/ 

  3. Vietnamese Braised Pork with Eggs (Thịt Kho trứng) - Thit kho trung is a Vietnamese dish traditionally made to celebrate Lunar New Year (Tết Nguyên Đán or Tết in Vietnam) as a symbol of family affection. The eggs in this dish symbolize goodness and happiness for the year ahead. Before serving, the dish is often offered to deceased ancestors on the family altar

    Recipe: https://www.vickypham.com/blog/vietnamese-caramelized-pork-belly-eggs-thit-kho-trung-tau 

  4. Boiled Chicken (Ga Luoc) - Boiled chicken is often served in every celebration in Vietnam, especially on Tet holiday. It symbolizes fullness and well-being. 

    Recipe: https://www.cookingoffthecuff.com/recipes/boiled-chicken 

  5. Additional Vietnamese Recipes - https://delightfulplate.com/lunar-new-year-recipes/ 



Sounds of Lunar New Year Playlist

Gifting

Lunar New Year is the biggest festival for Chinese people and many other people with other Asian heritage. It is a time for giving gifts to express respect and affection. Looking for ideas for Chinese New Year gifts? Here we've rounded up the top gifts for friends, clients, employees, coworkers, and families at Chinese New Year.


Online Merchants and Other Small Local Businesses

  • Flowers - from your local flower mart.

10 Popular Chinese New Year Flowers & Plants That Symbolize Luck & Prosperity

  • Lucky Bamboo

  • Money Tree

  • Bonsai

  • Red Roses

  • Calla Lily

  • Chinese Money Plant (Pilea)

  • Peace Lily

  • Chrysanthemums


Resources:


Happy Lunar New Year !

Special thanks to Kevin Nguyen, Sophia Tran, and Ginger McMorran, and Won Jung Lee for contributing and curating this post!

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