My second favorite holiday ever: Lunar New Year!! This holiday is common in Asian cultures and is known by many names actually: Chinese New Year, Tết (Vietnamese), Seollal (Korean), and more. Lunar New Year celebrates the New Year following the lunar calendar. 

“In the white New Year… you wake up with a hangover. In the Chinese New Year, you wake up with money. You collect money in red envelopes!”

– Kane Lim, Bling Empire

Of course, Chinese New Year is not without the iconic red envelopes/packets (li xi, hongbao, angpao, etc). These symbolize prosperity for the new year and are given to friends and families. As kids, it’s what we look forward to most because of the cash found inside haha! Usually it’s crisp bills because again, new year means new everything. Also somewhat worth mentioning, the number 8 is seen as a lucky number! 

Another iconic tradition are the Chinese horoscopes for the Chinese zodiac signs. You can find your Chinese zodiac sign with a simple google search! They only go by birth years and each year is the year of a certain zodiac. 2021 is the Year of the Ox! The horoscope for the new year will tell you what your lucky colors will be, what you can expect for the new year, what/who to avoid, and more. 

Speaking of, there are also tons of superstitions with Chinese New Year. I’m not a huge believer of them but depending on who you ask, all the answers might vary! Some superstitions on New Years day are not cleaning or sweeping, not showering, not taking medicine, not fighting or crying, no lending money, and more. People will actually get their hair cut a few days before the New Year because it “brings good luck” for the new year! Every Chinese zodiac sign has their own lucky colors for the year, but generally, red is a lucky color you should wear for Chinese New Year! 

To celebrate, there’s typically prayers and fireworks. There are specific foods and rituals that take place. For example, ceremonial tea and rice laid out for your deity. Other food offerings such as fruits or meats may also be laid out. No one is to touch these offerings the entire day. Incense and prayers also occur. At the end of the night, there’s typically fireworks as a way to “ward off evil” and bring in the new year! There’s also traditional lion and dragon dances while these night festivities are going on! 

Do you celebrate Lunar New Year? What’s your favorite Lunar New Year tradition?