by EVAN YAO
In American culture, the new year arrives when the clock strikes midnight on Dec. 31 and the ball drops in Times Square … as champagne bottles are popped and fireworks explode in the air.
However, many other cultures celebrate the new year on a different day.
This year, Saturday, Feb. 10, marks the start of the Lunar New Year, which is an international holiday observed throughout many Asian countries and cultures. Among the cultures are those representing China, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia.
The Lunar New Year follows the lunar or “lunisolar” calendar, and each year, the date of it changes. On the Gregorian, or World, calendar, the Lunar New Year generally falls during the last 10 days of January or the first 10 days of February.
The lunar calendar, according to Gang Liu, a professor of Chinese studies at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, is based on the moon’s 12 phases. Each phase cycle spans approximately 29 days, with the full calendar being about 354 days.
Unlike the one day for Western New Year’s, the Lunar New Year spans from the first new moon to the next full moon … or the fifth day of the lunar month.
This year, the Lunar New Year starts with Saturday’s Spring Festival and ends with the Lantern Festival on Feb. 24.
As it’s time to say goodbye to the Year of the Rabbit, 2024 rings in the Year of the Dragon, per the Chinese Zodiac. The 12 animals in the Chinese Zodiac coincide with the lunar calendar in a 12-year cycle; this year lands on the symbolic dragon.
“A dragon in China, as a culture, it’s a spirit, it’s a symbol,” says Chen Yang, professor of Chinese culture and philosophy at George Washington University.
“The dragon is a well-known mascot, and throughout Chinese history, the dragon has represented good luck, justice, prosperity and strength. People born in the Year of the Dragon are seen as charismatic, intelligent, confident, powerful, naturally lucky and gifted.”
Like Western New Year, the Lunar New Year also symbolizes letting go of the past and ringing in the present. Families would often deep-clean their homes on the days leading up to the Lunar New Year in order to “remove the bad and the old” and “welcome the new and the good.”
“Lunar New Year is a really important tradition for my family. We’d always visit our grandparents, and I can’t wait to see our relatives!” sophomore Storey Kuo said.
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, or “lucky money.”
Money in red envelopes is believed to bring good luck, as red is associated with luck, so it’s called lucky money.
“Besides from seeing family members and eating great food, my favorite thing about Lunar New Year is the red envelopes,” freshman Sofia Luong said. “Every year, we get them in different designs, so I can’t wait to see what this year’s are.”
Houses are often decorated with red, the color of good fortune in Chinese culture, and families will come together to practice cultural costumes and prepare and enjoy feasts together to celebrate their reunion dinner.
Added sophomore Lina Gu: “I really look forward to the New Year’s Eve feast. Our family loves to make homemade dumplings from scratch, and it’s a great bonding experience for all of us.”
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