Lunar New Year is a vibrant celebration that marks the beginning of the lunar calendar. It’s celebrated all across East Asia. But what is it and how do you celebrate it?
Rooted in centuries-old traditions, the lunar new year is a time for reflection, and setting intentions for the year ahead. The festival brings families and communities together in the spirit of joy and prosperity.
For homemakers, the Lunar New Year offers a unique opportunity to embrace traditions that foster a welcoming and harmonious environment. For those on a nature-based spiritual path, the lunar connections and symbolic rituals align beautifully with seasonal cycles. And for creative writers, the rich themes and cultural motifs provide endless inspiration for character development and storytelling.
In this blog, we’ll explore the meaning behind Lunar New Year and provide practical tips for celebrating as a homemaker, nature-based spiritualist, or creative writer.
What is the Lunar New Year?
In Asia, the Lunar New Year is one of the biggest celebrations of the year. From China, Japan, Vietnam, Korea, and other areas, it’s celebrated as a time of renewal and family.
There are many theories on the origins of the Lunar New Year in Asia. One legend is about a monster named Nian who terrorized villagers, eating their crops and sometimes the villagers. To prevent Nian’s attack, the people kept him at bay by leaving food outside their door.
The red lanterns and firecrackers were said to keep Nian from coming inside of homes. He feared loud noises.
This legend and Lunar New Year in China is said to have originated in the Shang Dynasty some 3500 years ago. The date of the festival, as a festival to usher in the spring, is thought to have originated in the Han dynasty.
The lunar festival follows the lunar cycle, and as a result, the date changes every year. In the latter half of the 2020s, the dates are:
- 2025: January 29th: Snake
- 2026: February 17th: Horse
- 2027: February 6th: Goat
- 2028: January 26th: Monkey
- 2029: February 13th: Rooster
Differences across Asia
The celebrations for the Lunar New Year can look different across different Asian countries and regions. And in places where Asian immigrants have settled. But these are some differences in some Asian countries:
China (Spring Festival): In China, the Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, is a 15-day celebration that culminates in the Lantern Festival. Families reunite, share feasts of symbolic foods like dumplings and fish, and clean their homes to sweep away bad luck. Fireworks and red envelopes filled with money are central to the celebration, symbolizing prosperity and good fortune. As China was a dominant power in East Asia for much of the region’s history, its influence, including the celebration of the Lunar New Year, spread to other regions.
Vietnam (Tết): In Vietnam, Tết is the most important holiday of the year. It involves cleaning homes to prepare for ancestral spirits, decorating with peach blossoms and kumquat trees, and making bánh chưng (sticky rice cakes). Tết also emphasizes honoring elders and welcoming the zodiac animal of the year.
Korea (Seollal): Koreans celebrate Seollal with ancestral rituals like charye, where offerings of food are presented to honor deceased family members. People wear traditional hanbok clothing and play folk games like yutnori. Eating ddeokguk (rice cake soup) is a highlight of the celebration, symbolizing the passing of another year.
Mongolia (Tsagaan Sar): Known as the White Moon Festival, Tsagaan Sar marks the new year with milk-based dishes, symbolizing purity and renewal. Families exchange gifts, visit elders, and perform rituals to ensure prosperity.
Japan: In Japan, the Lunar New Year isn’t recognized as an official holiday. After the Meiji Restoration in the 19th century, Japan adopted a Western Gregorian calendar and thus, they celebrate New Year on January 1st. But there are celebrations in Chinese communities in Japan.
Lunar New Year for Homemakers
If you are a homemaker planning to celebrate the lunar new year, you can begin by preparing your home. Provide a welcoming atmosphere for the upcoming festival, especially for guests who might arrive to join in the celebrations.
Some superstitions that surround Lunar new year dictate certain rituals. It’s often considered bad luck to mention death, pain, debt, or anything negative during this time. Be on your best behavior because any negativity can give you bad fortune going into the new year.
Check out my article on Winter Homes for more ideas about how the season of winter is still relevant at this time of year.
Decorations
Decorations include red and gold color schemes. These are the colors of luck and prosperity. You can decorate with the animal that is relevant in the coming year as well. Red lanterns are good for decor as well.
Other decorations include citrus fruit such as tangerines and oranges.
Decluttering
Cleaning your home is a common ritual to do a few days before the new year. Remove all the clutter from the home, try to get rid of things you don’t use anymore. Consider donating old clothes.
Symbolic Foods
Lunar New Year typically involves a family feast. The foods may vary from family to family and everyone might have their own traditions, but the food is a major component of the festival.
Some of the most common foods are fish, dumplings, spring rolls, and rice cakes. Fish is a symbol of prosperity and it’s usually varieties such as carp and catfish.
Dumplings full of minced meat, such as pork and fish, are also popular. Whole braised chicken, rice cakes, spring rolls, rice balls, noodles, pork belly, and shrimp are also popular choices.
Vegetables such as lettuce and bok choy, and fruits like tangerines and oranges, are also popular. Oranges and their deep color symbolize part of the color scheme of reds and golds that are prominent.
All these foods symbolize things like good fortune, prosperity, and longevity.
Nature based Lunar New Year
Eastern philosophy is centered on nature. Shintoism, Taoism, Buddhism and many other Asian belief systems developed out of a respect for nature and ancestors. So it’s very easy to incorporate concepts of these philosophies into your nature based pagan practice at home.
Just like many other nature-based festivals, such as Yule and Samhain, the Lunar new year is full of symbolism.
Renewal
Lunar new year is a time of renewal. It is a spring festival even though it often falls in winter. It’s a time to reflect, honor ancestors, and prepare for a new year. Symbols of luck and prosperity are everywhere.
Lunar Cycles
The lunar new year is a great way to incorporate the moon into your spiritual practice. Most western calendars are based on the cycles of the sun which bring us our seasons and which nature and agriculture are often reliant on.
But the moon, the next most apparent thing in our skies, is also very relevant. It regulates many cycles on Earth. In humans, our circadian rhythms are often tied to the moon. Many animals and plants also respond to the cycles of the moon.
So many cultures operated their festivals on a lunar cycle instead of a solar one.
Inspiration for Writers
For writers, stick to the prominent themes of this festival. Use themes of renewal, family, and fortune in your storytelling.
Character Development based on Animal Zodiac
The Chinese zodiac is a zodiac of 12 animals based on your year. The rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig make up this astrology system. Your personality can be dictated by these signs.
Think of these 12 personalities when developing your characters. Some basics to note are:
- Rat: (2008, 2020, 2023) adaptable, quick-witted, versatile
- Ox: (2009, 2021, 2033) prudent, cal, honest
- Tiger: (2010, 2022, 2033) confident, courageous, trustworthy
- Rabbit: (2011, 2023, 2034) Cautious, friendly, compassionate
- Dragon: (2012, 2024, 2035) Energetic, ambitious, intelligent
- Snake: (2013, 2025, 2036) Sociable, eloquent, wise, humorous
- Horse: (2014, 2026, 2037) easy going, positive, warm-hearted
- Sheep: (2015, 2027, 2038) hardworking, thrifty, reliable
- Monkey: (2016, 2028, 2039) enthusiastic, self-assured, innovative
- Rooster: (2017, 2029, 2040) foresighted, capable, quick-minded
- Dog: (2018, 2030, 2041) Righteous, loyal, brave
- Pig: (2019, 2031, 2041) Sincere, honest, generous
Check out my blog article on using astrology sun signs for character development.
Conclusion
Lunar new year is all about renewal and family. It marks the beginning of the moon cycle. This is especially prominent if the new or full moons fall near to the day of the festival. It’s based on a reverence for the moon and ties us to nature.
Although it’s a festival celebrated across Asia, it can be incorporated by anyone who follows a nature based spiritual path, or anyone who wants to live based on the seasons.
Do you celebrate the lunar new year? If you do, what are some traditions you hold? And what are you looking forward to this lunar new year?
And don’t forget to check out my articles on Astrology for writers and winter home.