marks the beginning of a new year based on the moon's phases. Unlike the Gregorian calendar, the lunar calendar's holiday falls on a different date each year, typically between late January and mid-February. The festival’s origins can be traced back 3,000 years to the Shang Dynasty of ancient China. Traditionally, it was a time to honor deities and ancestors. It also marked the arrival of spring, a season synonymous with renewal and rebirth. Lunar New Year is also associated with the tale of Nian, a mythical lion-like beast that terrorized villages each spring. Nian's reign of terror ended once a wise, older man declared that loud sounds, lights and the color red could repel the animal. As a result, all three of those elements continue to play a vital role in celebrations today. Though the Lunar New Year is a holiday firmly rooted in Chinese traditions, the holiday has expanded beyond its origins to become a global festivity embraced around the world. The following list showcases how different nations honor the occasion:
China
As the most significant Chinese holiday of the year, celebrations typically last about two weeks and begin with families preparing their houses with thorough cleanings. Cleaning symbolizes sweeping away bad luck and making room for good fortune in the new year. Families gather for meals featuring dishes that represent prosperity, such as fish, dumplings and sticky rice cakes. The holiday’s hallmark activities include firecrackers that ward off evil spirits and parades with lion and dragon dancing. Red envelopes filled with money, known as “hongba,” are also exchanged as tokens of good luck and blessings from older to younger relatives.South Korea
In South Korea, Lunar New Year is named Seollal and is a time for honoring ancestors and reconnecting with family. The celebration typically spans three days, during which families partake in memorial rites called "charye." Traditional attire, such as the hanbok, are worn and many consume tteokguk, a soup made with rice cakes, symbolizing the passage into a new year and the gaining of another year in age.Vietnam
Vietnam’s Tết Nguyên Đán, or Tết, is the most important holiday in the country and the significance of familial bonds is stressed. Preparations begin weeks in advance, with homes meticulously cleaned and adorned with kumquat trees and peach blossoms. Families prepare special dishes such as bánh chưng, a square-shaped sticky rice cake filled with pork and mung beans.