With the arrival of Spring, millions of people across the world celebrate the Lunar New Year, a deeply important time of a new beginning. It marks the start of a new year based on the lunar calendar. Although many people use the term “Chinese New Year” to describe the celebration, Lunar New Year is actually the broader term. Countries such as China, South Korea, Vietnam, and others celebrate the holiday. While each culture shares similar themes, they all have their own unique traditions and customs.
Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, traditionally lasts 15 days, welcoming good fortune through cleaning and decorating with red items. During family dinners, married adults give children red envelopes, or hongbao, which contains money as a symbol of good luck. According to folklore, an evil spirit would tap sleeping children on the head, causing them to have fevers. One couple protected their child by giving them coins to play with, scaring the spirit away and leading to the tradition of giving money. The celebration remains an important time for family gatherings and honoring ancestors. “Every year, my family gets together for huge celebrations, especially since we’ll see our family,” Senior Samantha Ng shared. “We don’t usually meet because they live far away, so it’s really nice to see everyone again.”
In Korea, Lunar New Year is known as Seollal, which usually falls in late January or early February. It is a three-day celebration, focused on honoring ancestors and welcoming the new year. Many Korean-Americans celebrate Seollal at their homes by combining traditional elements with modern life. Children perform sebae, a deep bow to elders, who then give blessings and money. Freshman Troy Lim explained, “On Seollal, I wear a hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) and bow to my grandparents. It feels formal, but it reminds me to respect my family.”
In Vietnam, Lunar New Year is known as Tết, which is an abbreviation for Tết Nguyên Đán. The nine-day celebration is an important time of family gatherings and for washing away all the bad luck from the previous year. Junior Minhdy Pham Nguyen said, “My family makes sure that the house is clean before the actual day of Lunar New Year, because we believe cleaning on that day would cause us to lose all the good luck. Also, we set fireworks in the front and back of our house to scare away all the bad energy.” When families get together, they traditionally eat Bánh chưng (savory sticky rice), Bánh tét (log shaped sticky rice), Chả giò (fried spring rolls), and other dishes.
Although these Lunar New Year celebrations have different names, they all share an important value: welcoming a new beginning. For the students from these backgrounds, the holiday is a reminder of their cultural identity and traditions that pass down from generation to generation.
