“The Lunar New Year starts on the second new moon after the winter solstice and falls between January 21 and February 19 on the Gregorian calendar used in the United States,” explains the U.S. Congressional Research Service website.
The major holiday is celebrated by many Asian communities in the U.S. and in other countries, and it features in today’s Google Doodle. Here we look at some of the Lunar New Year traditions from around the world.
1. Eat ‘Lucky’ Foods
Chinese New Year sees families serving different foods that are believed to bring luck and good fortune, such as peanuts (“huasheng”) and dates (“zao”), according to the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University in New York City.
Two popular sweets eaten during Lunar New Year include “zaogao” (a cake made with ground dates) and a rice cake called “niangao.”
Peanuts are associated with fertility and longevity, while the Chinese word for cake (“gao”) is equivalent to a word meaning “exalted” or “lofty.”
When “gao” is preceded by the word for year (“nian”), it is “homophonous with a term that means to advance in an upwardly mobile fashion, year by year,” the institute explains.
In South Korea, one Lunar New Year food staple is a savory rice cake soup called “ddeokguk” (also spelled “tteokguk”), which is made with slices of a long, thick rope-shaped white rice cake, beef and egg in a broth.
The slices of rice cake are shaped like coins, which symbolize wealth. The long rope form of the rice cake represents longevity, while the rice cake’s white color signifies purity and a clean start for the new year, the Dr. Sook-ja Yoon, the founder and director of South Korea’s Institute of Traditional Korean Food in Seoul, told the BBC.
In Vietnam, some of the typical Lunar New Year foods include stewed pig’s feet with bamboo shoots, bitter melon soup, and boiled chicken, according to the Congressional Research Service website.
2. Celebrate Birthdays
Koreans as well as Chinese people follow a unique age system, whereby a person doesn’t turn a year older on the actual date of their birth, but rather on New Year’s Day. Some people mark this occasion on the Solar New Year date (January 1), while others tend to mark it on Lunar New Year.
Adding to the complexities, one’s time in the mother’s womb is also counted as a year of life, so you are a year old at birth.
So Korean tradition says once you have your “ddeokguk,” you’re now a year older. Logic might lead you to think: “If I don’t eat ddeokguk, I’ll technically still be the same age and be forever young, right?” Not quite.
Dr. Yoon said: “Even if you don’t eat it, you will still age. So you might as well enjoy your bowl of soup.”
3. Avoid the Number Four
The Weatherhead East Asian Institute explains that during Lunar New Year, it’s important to avoid the number four (“si”) because it sounds like the word for death in Chinese.
“Any words and their homonyms related to death, illness, or bankruptcy are inauspicious,” the institute says.
In South Korea, the number four is also a superstitious number associated with death (due to the Korean word for “four” being spelled the same as the first half of the Korean word for death)—so much so that elevators in South Korea feature the letter “F” instead of the number four on the button for the fourth floor.
4. …Or Picking Up a Broom
According to the Columbia University institute, traditionally people avoid picking up a broom during Lunar New Year out of a fear of “accidentally sweeping good luck out the door.”
Even the sight of a broom could potentially “portend a year full of housekeeping drudgery,” the institute says.
5. Clean Homes and Settle Disputes
In Vietnam, the month leading up to Lunar New Year entails buying new clothes, cleaning and decorating your homes as well as settling any outstanding debts or disputes, in preparation for a fresh new year ahead, the Congressional Research Service website explains.
6. Children Receive Money
In China, South Korea, Vietnam and other Asian countries, children receive gifts of money from elder relatives during Lunar New Year.
Children and other family members honor their elderly relatives and ancestors by bowing to them and holding traditional ceremonies with food and drink offerings, such as the “charye” ritual in South Korea.
