They dance, accompanied by music and drums. They watch street performances, where acrobatic dancers dress up as a lion or a dragon. In China, many people have firecrackers, which burn and make a loud bang. They move around the board depending on how the sticks fall. In this game, teams take it in turn to throw four specially shaped sticks into the air. In Korea, families often play traditional board games together, such as yunnori. They are careful to invite someone who is kind, well behaved and successful. For example, in Vietnam, people believe that the first person to enter their home in the New Year will decide their fortune for the year ahead. There are many other Lunar New Year traditions. It’s stuffed with pork and vegetables and takes many hours to prepare, so many people buy the cake instead of making it. People joke that if you have two bowls of soup, you’ll be two years older!Ī traditional Vietnamese food is square rice cake, wrapped in leaves. It is said that eating this soup at New Year makes you one year older. The rice cake pieces are round and may represent coins and money. Thin pieces of rice cake are boiled in a clear soup with slices of beef and vegetables. For example, in China, many people eat fish dishes because the Chinese word for ‘fish’ sounds similar to ‘surplus’, meaning you will have plenty. Traditional foods which are eaten at Lunar New Year often have another meaning. It is lucky to send money in certain amounts, for example using the number eight, which in Chinese sounds like the word ‘prosper’. Nowadays, many people send money electronically too. Red packets are used in China and Vietnam, as red is a lucky colour. Older members of the family give younger ones cash presents, traditionally in small packets. The young people kneel on the ground and bow deeply. The younger generation greet their parents and grandparents with good wishes for the year ahead and show their respect for the older generation. A family celebrationĭifferent places celebrate in slightly different ways, but Lunar New Year is very much a family celebration wherever it takes place. The other eleven, in order, were the ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. The first to finish was the rat, so the first year is named after him. The Emperor rewarded them by naming the 12 years of the lunar calendar after them. Unfortunately, only 12 animals actually managed to get to the race. One day, the Emperor decided to have a race for all the animals in the country. A traditional story explains how this came to be. As well as being celebrated in China, Lunar New Year is also an important festival in many other places, including Vietnam, Singapore and Korea.Įach year is named after one of 12 animals. However, it is usually in January or February. This is the duration of the celebration period, as people in China are enjoying a one-week public holiday, while countries such as South Korea and Singapore have a three-day holiday.The lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon, so the date of Lunar New Year is different each year. Hence, in those countries the Lunar New Year date is different, while there is another difference that should be noted. What are the differences between Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year?įirstly, it has to be noted that the Chinese Lunar New Year is celebrated on the first day of the first month in the Chinese calendar, which is considered to be both solar and lunar.Ĭuriously, the Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year do not differ in China, but there are other countries where the latter is solely based upon the lunar calendar. The popular Lantern Festival, which is the culmination of the celebrations, takes place on February 15, 2022. Celebrations go on for as many as 16 days, though the period marked as public holidays are from January 31 to February 6. The Chinese New Year falls on Tuesday, February 1, 2022. In China, 2022 will be the year of the Tiger after 2021 was the year of the Ox. This year, in 2022, the Chinese New Year is set to begin on Tuesday, February 1, 2022. Last year's Chinese New Year was celebrated on February 12, 2021. The Chinese New Year 2022 won't be celebrated, as it will in many parts of the world, with the beginning of the Lunar New Year on January 1, and instead will be marked a little later in the year.
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