The Lunar New Year and the Spring Festival in some regions celebrate the start of a new year using the lunisolar calendar. This tradition is celebrated in China and other Asian countries like Korea and Vietnam. A lunar year consists of 12 full moons and lasts for about 354 days, although sometimes an extra month is added to be more in tune with the solar year (365 days of the year you may be familiar with). This extra month is why every year Chinese New Year takes place on a different date in this window each year.
Celebrations can vary from place to place, but in China, the New Year is a 15-day occasion that begins with family celebrations that people travel around to join with loved ones. Several traditional foods are eaten during the holidays, such as nian gao (a New Year’s rice cake), whole fish, whole chicken, dumplings, tangyuan (sweet rice balls), and braised shiitake mushrooms, tangerine, etc.
Whole fish and whole chickens symbolize the value of unity and reunion, which is an integral part of the Lunar New Year. It is said that “Nian”, a half-dragon, half-lion monster, came out of his hiding place and attacked people (especially children) during the Chinese New Year. Fireworks are used to make him scared.
Lunar New Year is the time of faith. The celebrating person does not put out trash and does not clean on the first day. It is to wash away happiness and prosperity. People spend the second day with family, which is the beginning of this year. Avoid visiting family and friends as Day 3 is considered a quarreling day!
If you attend the Lunar New Year festivities, you will see several calligraphy characters displayed on red paper and hung in the shape of a diamond. The character is 福 [fú]. This character means good luck and is turned upside down to symbolize the good fortune pouring down on you. You may also see red packets filled with money, called lucky money in Vietnamese or xobāo in Mandarin. In China, these are traditionally given by an older person or parents to their children or any person. Money is meant to prevent people from evil spirits.
Fireworks and confetti are also popular and traditional decorations for the New Year festivals. Perhaps one of the most familiar images you may see during the Lunar New Year festivities is the lion dance and dragon dance; these displays include people in costumes or puppeteers performances for the audience.
Why is it said Lunar New Year instead of Chinese New Year?
If it were said Chinese New Year, it would reflect that it focuses on China, which is not. It is celebrated in most other countries, so it will be best to call it a Lunar New Year instead of the Chinese New Year. In different countries, it is known with different names. For example, it is called Tết in Vietnam, Seollal in Korea, Losar in Tibet, and Chūn Jié in China. Likewise, New Year is also known as the Spring Festival.
Why does the date of Lunar New Year keep changing?
Lunar New Year’s date is determined according to the Chinese lunar calendar, always 21-51 days later than the corresponding date on the Gregorian (international) calendar. Lunar New Year is the day of the new moon, usually the second day after the winter solstice.
Lunar New Year dates change every year but always fall between January 21 and February 20.
Colors that are best for Lunar New Year
Black and white colors are mainly avoided in Lunar New Year because it is considered bad omens. After all, they are reserved for mourning. Those who celebrate Lunar New Year should wear bright clothes, especially red. The red color is the traditional lucky color for Lunar New Year. But this year, lucky colors are considered to be purple and blue. You can also buy clothes with all the colors included for extra luck. Likewise, the decorations that are done in this time is done with the color red and golden.
Red is one of the most used and popular colors in the Lunar New Year because it has a traditional belief that it is associated with wealth, happiness, auspiciousness, and good fortune. Moreover, the color red also has a connection with the Lunar New Year’s origin. The color with the fire and loud noise was said to make the spirits away, and the red firecrackers and lanterns are also associated with the celebration and decoration.
What is the Chinese New Year 2023 Animal?
Those who are born in the Year of the Rabbit are gentle and considerate people. They are also a good listener. They are intelligent, creative, and artistic. They have a sense of responsibility.
Those born in the Year of the Rabbit like to live a simple life. They do not like to engage in arguments and quarrels. They also dislike manual labor.
This Chinese zodiac sign has a good temperament and a strong will. They are able to work in teams. They are also very good negotiators. They are also successful in the fields of music, literature, art, architecture, and translation. They also have a sense of justice.
The Year of the Rabbit is the fourth year of the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac. It is also the year of luck. It is a year of excellent opportunities for many people. It is also a good time for business.
Those born in this year can make a great investment in a company. However, they should not invest money if they have doubts about the safety of the investment. They should also be careful about legal and financial problems. They should avoid making risky investments and investments that could harm others. They should also avoid promises of huge profits.
The Year of the Rabbit offers unprecedented opportunities. However, it is not a good year for health. They must pay regular checkups. They should also avoid dark colors such as white and dark yellow.
Creative rabbit illustration collection from iilustAC
Difference between Lunar New Year and Chinese New Year
In the Chinese Calendar, the Chinese Lunar New Year is celebrated at the very beginning of the month. It is considered to be both lunar and solar.
Strangely enough, the Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year are no different in China, but there are other countries where the Lunar New Year is based solely on the lunar calendar.
So, in these countries, the date of the Lunar New Year is different, while there is also another difference. This is an extended period of celebration, as the Chinese have a week-long public holiday, while countries like South Korea and Singapore have a three-day public holiday.
How do people celebrate Lunar New Year?
The Lunar New Year begins with a family reunion dinner. Millions of people travel to visit relatives for the celebration; this is known as Chunyun, a 40-day travel period around the Lunar New Year.
Another tradition is that older parents give red envelopes filled with money to younger family members. Fireworks and parades, including lions and dragons, are an essential part of the festival as they are believed to avoid evil spirits, as are lanterns.
According to the lunisolar calendar, the Lantern Festival is at the end of the holiday and on the first full moon. Lantern Festival is usually marked by displaying lanterns that depict hope and love.
Lantern festival image from illustAC
Lunar new year in different countries
Vietnam
In Vietnam, the Lunar New Year is called Tết. Adults give children small red envelopes, called lucky money. Special foods like Banh Chung (savoury cake) are served, and families celebrate together. Fruit platters with five different fruits are displayed, and people throw fireworks to ward off evil spirits. Usually, Vietnamese families also visit pagodas or ancestral graves to make offerings.
Parallel sentences in Tet from illustAC – Vietnamese Lunar New Year traditions
South Korea
Lunar New Year is celebrated with a big feast by the families in South Korea. Lunar New Year is known as Seollal in South Korea, and it is celebrated with the tteokguk (a cake soup). The cake soup is a special treat because it resembles the coins. Likewise, the people of South Korea also hang scrolls on their doors filled with blessings. They also pay homage to their forefather.
Korean new year illustration collection from illustAC
China
In China, Lunar New Year is also known as ChūnJié (春节). Likewise, it is one of the country’s most important festivals. This year is going to be the year of the Ox, which will be celebrated with lots of food, tons of firecrackers, and families that will come together. Like in Vietnam, adults give children a bao (red envelope) with money inside. Red is considered a lucky color, seen everywhere on decorations, from red paper cutouts to red lanterns. Several dance performances where dancers dress up like animals like dragons and lions are trendy. Traditionally, Lunar New Year festivals start from the first day of the new moon and last until the first lunar month’s full moon.
Singapore
In Singapore, Lunar New Year is considered one of the most important holidays. Several Chinese communities live in Singapore, and several cultural celebrations also take place in Singapore. Some of these are known as hóng bāo, which means the firecrackers, big family dinner, and the color red used all over the home.
Malaysia
Lunar New Year is typically called Chinese New Year in Malaysia, and it is also the national holiday in Malaysia that is somehow similar to Singapore’s celebration. There are also several Chinese communities settled in Malaysia that celebrates this holiday. If you witness the Lunar New Year in Malaysia, you will see the performances of lions and dragons in the streets. It is the part of Lunar New Year celebration in Malaysia. It is also when family members gather and enjoy their traditional Chinese foods by wearing their traditional dress.
Tibet
In Tibet, the New Year is known as the Losar festival is it is connected with the Lunar New Year. Sometimes the new year of Tibet and the Lunar New Year co-occurs, but based on the Tibetan calendar, these two festivals are different. Like Lunar Days are celebrated across several Asian countries, Losar is also considered one of the important holidays. During the Losar festival, Tibetans celebrated the festival by dancing, serving dumplings, and expelling ghosts.
Indonesia
The Lunar New Year, also known as Imlek, was banned in Indonesia for several years until 2002 when Indonesian and Chinese immigrants were allowed to celebrate it as a legal holiday. Many shops are closed during vacations, and red decorations are hung everywhere in homes and businesses. People also buy flowers and citrus fruits as gifts for their friends and relatives.
Brunei
In a few parts of Brunei, there are some Chinese immigrants settled. They brought the new year tradition with them in Brunei, and because of that, small nations in Brunei celebrates the Lunar New Year. About 10% of the population is Chinese, and they celebrate with lion dances and open doors. This year, the Brunei government placed restrictions on how people can celebrate, banning the opening of homes and limiting family reunions to 350 people, among other restrictions.
The Philippines
In Phillippines, the Lunar New Year is considered a holiday even every people of the Phillippines do not celebrate it. It is regarded as a Chinese holiday that is celebrated by the people who are Chinese-Filipinos. The biggest party of Lunar New Year happens in Binondo in Manila. Binondo is one of the oldest Chinatowns, and because of that, there are several kinds of extravagant taking place in Lunar New Year.
Cambodia and Thailand
Although Chinese New Year is not a significant holiday in these countries, each of these countries has many Chinese people participating in this holiday. You may see some festival-related promotions or offers if you are in any of these countries during the Lunar New Year. Cambodia, Thailand, and Indonesia do not officially recognize the Lunar New Year as a public holiday.
Illustrations of Lunar New Year on illustAC
Lunar New Year is one of the essential and most extended holidays in China and other East Asian countries. Unlike its Western analogs, there is no set start date for the Chinese Lunar New Year. It is set at a different time each year. Every year in China is symbolized by a combination that repeats every 60 years. This combination is of the 12 zodiac animals of a particular color corresponding to the five elements (water, soil, metal, fire, wood).
Lunar New Year is the color Red and Golden. Almost everything used in the Lunar new year, including decorations, is red and golden. To make your New Year more joyful and memorable, it is very important to add different Illustrations and images to it. illustAC is one of the best marketplaces to choose illustrations for your next project. We make sure we include everything our users need to meet their requirements.
Lunar new year background from illustAC
With millions of free stock illustrations and images to choose from, illustAC is sure to have the Lunar New Year vectors and illustrations that you are looking for. Our illustrations can be used in every situation and project for the new year, from website backgrounds to wedding invitations, from Facebook covers to Instagram stories, and more.
