Many of the celebrations include spiritual reflection and preparation in the hopes of a bright and fruitful new year. There are many other traditions throughout the fifteen-day celebration, including specific visits to family members, and recognition of certain zodiacs like the rat and the horse. Some believe that the most firecrackers in the world are set off in the early hours of the Lunar New Year! When it turns to the new year or “Spring Festival”, families and friends celebrate by lighting off fireworks, kicking off a day of greeting and blessings. On New Year’s Eve (February 4), families typically celebrate by joining together for a massive feast and stay up late to wait for the new year to begin. People typically begin celebrating one week before the new year on “Little Year,” which is a time to prepare for the new moon and often includes cleaning and prayer to rid the home of bad luck. There are many different traditions and specific celebrations that make up the 15-day-long festivities for Lunar New Year. Many people wear red during the Lunar New Year to ward off bad luck for the coming days. In Chinese culture, your own Zodiac year is considered to be your most unfortunate. While people born in the Year of the Pig are typically blessed with good fortune, they will likely be unlucky during this lunar year. Despite coming in last place, the pig is a symbol of wealth in Chinese culture. One myth states that the Jade Emperor decided the order of the Zodiac based on who arrived to his party the fastest – pig was last because he overslept. The pig is the twelfth (or last) of all the zodiac animals, and there are various myths and stories about why Pig comes last. 2018 was the year of the dog, and on February 5, the new moon will ring in the year of the pig. There are also huge celebrations across the world in cities like London, New York and Sydney.Įach year is represented by one of 12 lunar zodiac signs. Millions of people in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam and other Asian countries celebrate Lunar New Year. Lunar New Year is one of the world’s most widely celebrated holidays, with one-sixth of the world’s population taking part in the revelry. Because it bears so much history, there is a lot to learn about Lunar New Year, but here are a few facts to help you learn some of the basics about this ancient tradition! A brief history of Lunar New Year This new moon marks the renewal of the lunar calendar and the first day of a week-long celebration: Lunar New Year! This year, the new moon falls on February 5, but the festivities begin the night before and last long into the month.Īlso referred to as “Chinese New Year” or the “Spring Festival”, this celebration has been observed for more than 4,000 years and is the longest holiday of the year, lasting 15 days.

Each year, millions of people await the new moon that appears between January 21 and February 20.

Lunar new year traditions