Eastern Traditions  Lunar Calendar Celebrations

Across East Asia, New Year celebrations often follow the lunar calendar, creating vibrant festivities that blend ancient traditions with modern practices. In China, the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) involves thorough house cleaning to sweep away bad luck, followed by decorating with red lanterns and couplets for good fortune. Families gather for reunion dinners featuring symbolic foods like dumplings (representing wealth) and whole fish (symbolizing abundance). The celebration culminates with firecrackers and lion dances to ward off evil spirits. Similarly, Korea's Seollal features ancestral rites, traditional games, and the eating of tteokguk (rice cake soup), which symbolically adds a year to one's age. In Vietnam, Tết celebrations include decorating homes with peach blossoms and kumquat trees, while children receive lucky money in red envelopes. These lunar new year traditions emphasize family reunion, ancestral respect, and rituals designed to ensure prosperity in the coming year. Shutdown123