HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR! 🧧🐂

This cultural holiday is called the Lunar New Year because it marks the first new moon of the lunisolar calendar traditional to many east Asian countries including China, South Korea, and Vietnam. 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. The Lunar New Year is most commonly associated with the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival and typically falls sometime between January 21st and February 20th. In China, the 15-day celebration is a time for new beginnings and families to come together. The traditional Chinese New Year kicks off on Lunar New Year’s Eve with a family feast called a “Reunion Dinner” filled with traditional Lunar New Year foods like rice cakes, whole fishes and chickens, dumplings, sweet rice balls, tangerines and oranges, and longevity noodles. In addition, each year also begins a new phase of the Chinese Zodiac. The celebration of the Chinese New Year typically ends with the Lantern Festival. This year, the Lunar New Year begins on February 12th and it’s the Year of the Ox. Cultural Traditions Upside-down fu characters: 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. The word 'to arrive,' or to begin, is a homophone for the word for upside down. Through this bit of pictorial wordplay, the symbol effectively means that good luck is arriving, or pouring down on you. Red pockets full of money: Known as lì xì in Vietnamese or hóngbāo in Mandarin, in China they're traditionally gifted from an elder or parent to children. The custom arose out of a tradition of using coins as a gift to ward off evil spirits. Firecrackers: Firecrackers and fireworks are often set off throughout Lunar New Year. It's common to see families shooting off the equally festive, and non-fiery, confetti cannons on the streets of U.S. Chinatowns on New Year's Day. The Lion Dance and Dragon Dance: Traditional dances and gymnastic performances are an exciting part of many Lunar New Year celebrations. A Lion Dance typically features two performers inside the costume, operating as the creature's front and back legs. The Dragon Dance features visible puppeteers holding pole of a giant dragon to move it in a flowing motion. While these two dances are among the best known, they're just a few examples, with many others native to specific regions. Happy Lunar New Year! Wishing you all good fortune, happiness, and health! Sources: [chinesenewyear.net, New York Times, chinahighlights.com]