Approaching the Lunar New Year: Ritual and culture
China, Korea, Vietnam, Laos and many Asian countries celebrate the Lunar New Year as a national holiday., which takes place this year on February 12.
The dates of celebration often fall between late January to the middle of February. This holiday is based on the traditional Lunisolar Calendar (a calendar in many cultures whose dates indicate both the Moon phase and the time of the solar year).
In China, you’ll hear it being called chunjie (春节), or the Spring Festival. It’s still wintry, but the holiday marks the end of the coldest days.
The Lunar New Year is a three-day event in Korea and New Year's Day is a family holiday. Most people spend time at their family homes to celebrate with relatives and to honor ancestors.
Korean New Year's celebrations begin with everyone wearing traditional dress (hanbok). Since the Korean focus is on starting the New Year by reconnecting with family and ancestors, the most ceremonial ritual on New Year's Day is seh bae (a deep bow to the floor).
In Vietnam New Year’s celebration is also known as Tet.
In Vietnam, they make offerings and pray at temples about two weeks before and immediately after Tet because visiting temples is considered auspicious. Many families visit the graves of ancestors in the week prior to Tet.
Homes are cleaned and decorated with Hoa Mai (yellow apricot blossom), Hoa Dao (peach blossom), Kumquat tree and many other colorful flowers. On the eve of Tet, they cook an abundance of food. On the first days of New Year everyone, especially kids, wear new clothes and shoes to visit families and friends and enjoy the traditional Tet food like Banh Chung (a sticky rice cake).
Many children receive “lucky money” in red envelopes.
Western horoscopes include 12 zodiacs, one for each month. There are 12 Chinese zodiacs as well, but the animal is for the entire year.
2021 is the Year of the Ox. Some of the animals (such as Rat, Snake, Dog and Pig) aren’t normally well-liked in Chinese culture. But as a zodiac, their positive traits are bestowed on people born that year.
