Lunar New Year: Traditions, Food, and Connection
Introduction
A few days ago, I watched in surprise as my family friend lifted two whole chickens into our shopping cart.
“It's New Year's,” he shrugged. Each year, there is a day when families around the world gather to watch the old year wane and the new year begin over good food and cheer. Lunar New Year is celebrated across the world in many Asian cultures as it marks the beginning of the new year on the Lunar calendar and the coming of spring. Each culture has its distinct traditions, with shared themes of renewal and good luck and an opportunity to celebrate the passing of time around family and friends.
Background and Facts
It’s hard to find the exact origins or specific cultural artifacts regarding Lunar New Year, as it is such a diversely celebrated holiday–even the date the new year falls on varies across cultures! Based on available information, though, the earliest mentions of the Lunar New Year can be traced back to Ancient China in the Shang Dynasty, based on the Chinese lunisolar calendar. However, many East and Southeast Asian cultures, like South Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines, and more, developed their unique celebrations over time.
Naturally, each culture developed its own myths around the holiday. In China, people celebrate 春节(chun jie) or the Spring Festival. The most famous Chinese myth is about the legendary monster Nian, who would attack villagers on New Year's, but feared shiny lights and the color red. This myth explains the Chinese tradition of setting off fireworks, wearing red clothes, and giving their children red packets with shiny coins inside–all to scare off Nian. In Korea, the new year is called Seollal and revolves around tradition and honoring ancestors and respecting elders. Tradition says that everyone, regardless of their birthdays, turns a year older on Seollal, symbolized by the traditional dish tteokguk, or rice cake soup, with coin-shaped white rice cakes that represent a clean start and prosperity in the new year. Koreans wear their traditional dress, the hanbok, and perform the sebae (or a deep bow) to their elders and sometimes receive money in return.
In Vietnam, people celebrate Tết Nguyên Đán, where the traditional food to eat is Banh Tet, a sticky rice cake wrapped in banana leaves and stuffed with mung beans and pork belly. People will clean their homes thoroughly before the new year, then avoid sweeping after the new year so they don't sweep away good luck.
Tsagaan Sar is the Mongolian Lunar New Year, also called the White Moon Festival, and it focuses on purity, cleansing the home, and strengthening connections for the new year. Mongolians will eat buuz (steamed meat dumplings) and other foods like mutton and rice with curds. Due to limited space, only some cultures and traditions that celebrate the new year are included, but each is equally unique and interesting, with recurring ideas of a fresh start, honoring traditions, and preserving good luck.
Student Voices
In a small survey of OHS students, many described Lunar New Year as a time centered around connection and food. Responses repeatedly mentioned eating dumplings, noodles, reconnecting with friends and family (even if online), and receiving money from elders. When asked about their traditions, one student wrote, “Celebrating the different days of the Spring Festival, including the Lantern Festival; red decorations; lion dances,” while another mentioned wearing red clothes.
Conclusion
Those two chickens our family friend bought ended up in various soups, and we enjoyed them with bamboo shoots, spring rolls, and homemade dumplings. I also had a lot of fun texting New Year well wishes to my friends and family. Since I was far away from home, I didn’t receive any red packets this year. Beyond the money, good food and red paper decorating the windows, the heart of Lunar New Year is really about celebrating the passing of time, the regrowth of spring, and the hope of a lucky year ahead with the people you love.