![]() Sure, there are the usual parades, feasts, and dances, but here, giving and receiving flowers play a big role in the festivities. Hong Kong (as well as its neighbor Macau) celebrates Lunar New Year a little differently than in other places in China. Red papers that have auspicious sayings on them (think “good health,” “Happy Spring Festival,” and “more wealth year after year”) known as duilian and decorations are then put up all over the home. ![]() People will often thoroughly clean their homes and get rid of unneeded items to cleanse themselves from the bad luck of the previous year to make room for happier times to come. However, Lunar New Year isn’t all about food-it’s also a highly ritualistic celebration. A whole fish: The Chinese words for “fish” and “abundance” are homonyms, so feasting on fish is believed to bring about more prosperity and abundance.Longevity noodles, or chang shou mian: This stir-fried noodle dish is supposed to help people live longer-the noodles should be eaten without biting in order to not symbolically shorten one’s lifespan.Consuming more dumplings is said to bring wealth to the diner. Dumplings: Their unique shape resembles a yuanbao, or Chinese golden ingot, which was used as currency in ancient times.Some dishes that you might see gracing the Lunar New Year table include: This annual movement of people traveling from their places of work (often in cities) to their hometowns is so significant in China that it has a name- chun yun (the spring movement)-and is often called the world’s largest migration. The Lunar New Year serves as a time for people to gather with families and to celebrate-big-usually by having huge feasts with symbolic dishes. In 2023, the year of the water rabbit, it’s projected that the months to come will be hopeful and peaceful. For example, 2022 was the year of the wood tiger, which symbolizes resilience and strength. But unlike the Western zodiac, each cycle in Chinese astrology spans a year-rather than a month-and is characterized by both an animal sign and an element. There are 12 signs in the Chinese zodiac (represented by animals: the pig, ox, dog, rat, rooster, tiger, monkey, rabbit, goat, dragon, horse, and snake), as well as five different elemental attributes (water, earth, wood, metal, and fire). Lunar New Year also corresponds to a new cycle in Chinese astrology, and 2023 will be the year of the water rabbit. Typically, it’s observed on the second new moon following the winter solstice-the festival is supposed to signify the end of winter and the beginning of spring and all the new life that will soon blossom. Lunar New Year is typically celebrated for about 15 or 16 days, but the exact dates vary each year as they’re determined by the lunisolar Chinese calendar. This year, festivities will begin on January 22 and end on February 5. ![]() In return, he offered to protect the village from Nian and soon set to work decorating the village with red paper. One day, an old beggar dressed in rags arrived at a remote village seeking a place to stay for the night. According to legend, in ancient times there was once a ferocious monster named “Nian” (a word that means “year” in Chinese) who had sharp teeth and horns and was fond of eating children and attacking villagers at the beginning of each new year. ![]() The Lunar New Year origin legendĪs with many beliefs and customs of Chinese origin, the beginnings of Lunar New Year are also steeped in folklore. Over the centuries, the custom has evolved to become what it is today. Historians aren’t exactly sure when Lunar New Year first began being celebrated, but it’s believed that the holiday first began sometime during the Song Dynasty (960–1279 C.E.), when sacrifices were held to honor gods and ancestors. Lunar New Year is the most important holiday in China and in countries with large populations of ethnically Chinese people, including Vietnam, Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Thailand. Also known as Chinese New Year, the holiday serves as a time for people to gather and feast with family, pay respects to ancestors and gods, sweep away ill fortune and negativity of the previous year, and usher in a new era full of prosperity and good luck. Lunar New Year is one of the most popularly celebrated holidays in Asia. ![]()
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