When people talk about the "holiday season" in the U.S., they
typically refer to that period between Thanksgiving dinner and New Year's Day.
But shortly after that, another massive holiday brings friends and family
together in several Asian countries: The Lunar New Year, most commonly
associated with the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, typically falls
sometime between January 21 and February 20 annually. Lunar New Year 2021 was
on February 12, and in terms of the Chinese zodiac animal, it's the Year of the
Ox.
It's called the Lunar New Year because it marks the first new moon of
the lunisolar calendars traditional to many east Asian countries including
China, South Korea, and Vietnam, which are regulated by the cycles of the moon
and sun. A solar year—the time it takes Earth to orbit the sun—lasts around 365
days, while a lunar year, or 12 full cycles of the Moon, is roughly 354 days.
In China, the 15-day celebration starts on New Year's Eve with a family
feast called a reunion dinner full of traditional Lunar New Year foods,
and typically ends with the Lantern Festival, in which people make lanterns and
write wishes on them before sending them off to the sky.
Spring Festival is a 7-day vacation in China. There is a weeklong holiday in China during Spring Festival. Ahead of
that holiday comes a bustling travel period known as Chunyun, in which
millions of people travel home by plane, train, and automobile to celebrate the
new year with their extended families.
Traditional dances and gymnastic
performances are an exciting part of a Lunar New Year parade. A Dragon Dance is performed by a team of experienced dancers who manipulate a long flexible figure of a dragon using poles positioned at regular intervals along the length of the dragon. A Lion Dance
typically features two performers inside the costume, operating as the
creature's front and back legs.
https://youtu.be/Bs0GuU0cUtw
On Chinese New Year, you'll commonly see a
calligraphy character on a square of red paper, hung in a diamond shape. The
character, 福 [fú], which means good luck, is hung upside down for
Lunar New Year. Through this bit of pictorial wordplay, the symbol effectively
means that good luck is arriving, or pouring down on you.
Lunar New Year traditions include the Dragon Dance and the distribution
of red envelopes filled with money. They're traditionally gifted from an elder
or parent to children, or really anyone who's unmarried. The custom arose out
of a tradition of using coins as a gift to ward off evil spirits.
Firecrackers and fireworks are often set off throughout
Lunar New Year, both to ward off an ancient monster called Nian.
Lunar New Year traditions include the distribution
of red envelopes filled with money. They're traditionally gifted from an elder
or parent to children, or really anyone who's unmarried. The custom arose out
of a tradition of using coins as a gift to ward off evil spirits.
Taboos and superstitions attract good luck on Lunar New Year.
Attracting—and carrying over—good fortune into the next year is a major
theme of the holiday, and so is protecting against bad fortune. With that comes
a lot of superstitious practices.
·
You're not supposed to cry, and you're not supposed to
argue—only talk about good, happy things.
·
Pay back your debts before the new year starts or it's
bad luck.
·
Don't cut your hair on the Lunar New Year—in fact,
stay away from scissors altogether. In a time of family togetherness and
celebrating fortune, it's taboo because it's believed that you'll be severing
those connections.
·
Avoid wearing black or white, as they're associated
with mourning. To attract luck, you have to wear red.
·
Don't do laundry on the first or second day of the new
year, because these two days are celebrated as the birthday of Shuishen (水神, the Water God). Avoid washing your hair too, lest you wash your good
fortune away.
·
Don't sweep after Lunar New Year's Eve or you'll be
sweeping away accrued wealth and luck.
Adapted from: What Is Lunar New Year and How Is It Traditionally Celebrated? (oprahmag.com)
Posted by Teacher Renato
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