FAR East Asian communities rang in the Year of the Dragon this February with Lunar New Year celebrations, marking the arrival of spring and a new lunar cycle. Known as Spring Festival or Chūnjié in China and Tết in Vietnam, these festivities have ancient agrarian roots as a ceremonial time for feasting, paying respect to gods, ancestors and elders, and hoping for an auspicious year ahead.
The lunar calendar
Unlike the Gregorian New Year on January 1st, Lunar New Year moves between late January to early February, beginning on the second new moon after the winter solstice. The holiday is deeply tied to astrology with a 12-year cycle of rotating zodiac animals. The Year of the Dragon is known to be one with enthusiasm and excitement, but also volatility. In addition to zodiac animals, Lunar years have five designated elements – wood, fire, earth, metal and water. The pairing of fiery dragon with the 2024 lunar year signifies passion but unpredictability in various interpretations.
Extensive rituals and preparations
In the weeks before Lunar New Year, religious offerings are made while homes undergo vigorous cleaning to welcome in good spirits. They are also adorned in red banners called duilian, sometimes bearing the coming year’s zodiac creature. Families cook traditional foods like sticky rice cakes and dumplings, meant to evoke fortune and prosperity in the new year.
Reuniting loved ones
A highlight of celebrations is the family reunions occurring on a massive scale – Chinese New Year prompts what is considered the largest annual migration globally. Urban workers return en masse to their hometowns and rural villages. Entire communities halt regular business operations during the national public holiday, with days filled with feasting, paying respects to elders, exchanging of red envelopes containing money, lighting fireworks and more. This emphasis on reconnecting with loved ones continues various traditional activities throughout the 15-day Lunar New Year festivities observed not just by Chinese communities, but also Korean, Vietnamese and other Asian cultures.
The communal celebrations tie these traditional beliefs to a shared wish that the uplifting human values of health, prosperity and togetherness may carry forward into the months ahead. While rituals have transformed across the over three thousand years of Lunar New Year’s history, families worldwide continue embracing this renewal of body, spirit and community.
