Celebrating Lunar New Year with the APASU

In January, the Asian and Pacific American Student Union (APASU) met right before the start of the Lunar New Year to discuss the history and celebration of the Lunar New Year in different Asian countries as well as how the Lunar New year is represented in America.

The APASU talked about the deep and rich history behind the Lunar New Year that makes it so special and important to celebrate in many Asian cultures today. The start of the Lunar New Year is the 2nd moon after the winter solstice and this marks the start of a new annual cycle based on the Chinese lunisolar calendar. The Lunar New Year, sometimes also referred to as “The Spring Festival”, coincides with the new planting period for farmers to plant crops since the Lunar New Year marks the end of winter and begins to look forward in anticipation for spring. In modern New Year Celebrations, it is common to see a large emphasis on food due to the roots the Lunar New Year has in agriculture. The first recorded mention of the Lunar New Year was during the Han Dynasty. Literature from the Han Dynasty describes the Lunar New Year as consisting of family gatherings to celebrate and honor familial history.

Traditionally, during Lunar New Year, there are lots of gatherings and celebrations with your loved ones. On the eve of the Lunar New Year, celebrators gather with close family members to bring in and celebrate the Lunar New Year. On the day of the Lunar New Year, they visit and greet their closest family and acquaintances. The system of visiting allows individuals to show respect and care for others. Celebrators visit the most important people to them at the beginning of the Lunar New Year and as days pass, they continue to meet with others in a more informal setting. These meetings are usually with people that they are not as close with. The day before the last day of the Lunar New Year is the start of spring on the Solar calendar (which is different than the Lunar calendar which is being celebrated but it is still acknowledged). On the last day of the Lunar New Year, there is a Lantern Festival which is a big celebration with a festival on the street that has a lot of activities and great food to eat. The celebration and activities are the grandest out of all the days during the Lunar New Year. 

Different Ways of Celebrating

The Lunar New Year is a celebration that takes place in many Asian countries but is celebrated in different ways throughout Asia. 

Hóng bāo (红包) or red envelopes

For example, in China, the Lunar New Year is celebrated through colors and symbols of prosperity and luck. Red is considered a lucky color so many of the decorations during the Lantern Festival are red and it is common to wear red clothing for good luck. A common tradition is the exchanging of hóng bāo (红包) which is money in red envelopes that symbolizes good fortune to come in the new year. A lot of the foods also hold meaning in terms of the new year. Fish is commonly eaten for abundance in the coming year and Tangyuan symbolizes family togetherness. There are also some superstitions that are implemented during the Lunar New Year such as not buying new clothes or shopping during this time. It is also tradition to do a deep clean of your house before the Lunar New Year so you aren’t washing out the good luck at the beginning of the new year. 

Tết Nguyên Đán celebration

While China is often associated with the Lunar New Year, it is not the only country which observes this holiday. In Vietnam, the Lunar New Year is called Tết Nguyên Đán. This celebration can last up to seven days which is similar to but different from how the traditional Lunar New year is celebrated. During this time, the people who celebrate Tết Nguyên Đán, participate in ancestral rituals and pay off as much debt as possible. During Tết Nguyên Đán, certain foods are considered special to eat. Traditional Vietnamese sticky rice cake snacks like bánh tét (a log-like, cylinder snack), and bánh chưng (a square cake) are usually enjoyed. Other served dishes like củ kiệu (pickled scallion), tom kho (dried shrimp), and mut tet (candied fruits) are eaten as well. Similar to hóng bāo in the Chinese New Year, Vietnamese parents give their children red envelopes called, lì xì. Traditional clothes called áo dài, which are silk tunics with slits on either side that are worn over pants in celebration of Tết Nguyên Đán

In South Korea, the celebration is called Seollal. The South Korean Lunar New Year is a three-day celebration that is used as a time to pay respect to their ancestors and elders. At the start of the Lunar New Year celebration, everyone ages one year in alignment with the Lunar Calendar. Following the theme of celebration through food, people who celebrate the South Korean Lunar New Year will usually eat Tteokguk, which is a rice cake soup, mandu which is a type of Korean dumpling, galbijjim which is just braised beef short ribs, and japchae or glass noodles. Tteokguk is served because the rice cakes in the soup resemble coins and it is a symbol of good fortune for the year.

Korean Tteokguk or rice cake soup

Nián gāo (年糕) sticky rice cake

Good fortune and positive messages are also the main focus of the Lunar New Year in Taiwan. The food made during this time helps convey these positive messages since they represent similar themes. During the Lunar New Year in Taiwan, people will commonly eat, nián gāo (年糕) which is a sticky rice cake that represents the promise of a better year. Dumplings, pineapple cakes, and turnip cakes are some other foods that can be enjoyed. Similar to other celebrations of the Lunar New Year, it is a common tradition to eat fish but not to finish all the fish during the Lunar New year but to save some for the rest of the celebration. Having extra or leftovers symbolizes the abundance that the people celebrating wish for in the new year. In more recent times, it has become a tradition to also visit Buddhist or Taoist temples with extended family members in celebration of the Lunar New Year in Taiwan. 

Furthermore, in the Philippines, the Lunar New Year is mostly celebrated by Chinese-Filipinos though it is still considered a holiday in the Philippines. A traditional celebration is Media Noche, where families get together and have a feast at midnight marking the start of the Lunar New Year. The table is usually filled with round fruits since they symbolize good fortune and this is a tradition originally from China. Sticky rice dishes, such as biko, bibingka, and nian gao are eaten, since these dishes, when eaten, are believed to help bind families together in the new year. Pancit which are long noodles are also eaten since they symbolize a long and prosperous life to come. In celebration and also tradition, fireworks are set off because it is believed that they will scare away bad spirits. All the lights are also turned on in the house to help bring in the new year since they symbolize a bright year ahead. 

Lion dance costumes

Lastly, The Malaysian Lunar New Year is celebrated in different ways depending on the ethnic group. During the Lunar New Year in Malaysia, there are dragon and lion performances in the streets throughout all the festivities of the celebration. Similar to all the other versions of the Lunar New Year, there are also big family gatherings where families feast on traditional Chinese foods. Some foods include, Yee sang which is a salad dish that represents good luck and prosperity. Mandarin oranges are also enjoyed during this time since they symbolize good luck. Just like some other traditions, red envelopes are also given out during the Malaysian Lunar New Year. Their red envelopes are called ang pow and they are given to children and unmarried family members.

Later in the meeting, the APASU discussed how the Lunar New Year is displayed outside of the Asian countries that primarily celebrate it. We discussed how the Lunar New Year has become recognized by some western countries such as the United States of America. It was noted that it has become heavily commercialized despite its strong traditions and history. Some of the products offered by different corporations have nothing to do with these traditions. For example, some companies release Lunar New Year-themed products that are inspired by the colors of Lunar New Year, but do not completley represent the culture or significance behind the celebration. Specific examples discussed at the meeting were Pat McGrath and Colourpop releasing Lunar New Year makeup collections and Gucci creating a Lunar New Year clothing and bag collection. These products failed to accurately represent the traditions that a celebration like Lunar New Year requires. On the contrary, for many people Lunar New Year is a celebration of family history and togetherness, not a celebration of red, gold, or the commercialization of a cultural event. 

To conclude, Lunar New Year is a tradition that celebrates time spent with the people one loves and has significant impact both in areas where it is widely celebrated, as well as in places where it is not.