The 1st of January is the day to celebrate the new and upcoming year, but what if I told you that there was another type of New Year?

More than 2 billion people all over the world celebrate the Lunar New Year also known as the Chinese New Year or Chunjie. This year it was on February 1, 2022 and is the Year of the Tiger. The year of the tiger occurs every 12 years and is the third year in the 12 year Chinese Lunar calendar.

You may be wondering why a tiger? Why not a cow or a horse? Well, the Chinese zodiac sign tells us why! The Chinese zodiac sign is based on a 12 year cycle just like regular new year. The zodiacs are represented by 12 unique animals who bring their own qualities based on their relationship to the tiger or whatever animal is for the year.

This holiday is particularly celebrated in East Asia which includes: China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, etc but anyone can celebrate it. It is a beautiful time of year where they all come together to celebrate and welcome the new and good, and remove the bad and the old. It is a time to worship our past ancestors, get rid of evil spirits, and to pray for good harvest in the new and upcoming year.

As a holiday that goes back hundreds and thousands of years, there are multiple Lunar New Year Traditions that get passed on every year. This includes putting up decorations, eating dinner with family and friends, lighting fireworks, watching parades, and giving the young ones red envelopes with money in it. This time of year is filled with the idea of superstition and symbolism. Usually the decorations that would be put up consist of the colors red, yellow, and orange to symbolize good fortune, luck, and celebration. Decorations rage from lanterns, fans, flowers, posters, and more. These all contribute to inviting prosperity into the new year. The more red the better!

Visiting your family over the holidays is a very important tradition worldwide, but especially during the Lunar New Year, because family is a vital thing in Chinese culture. Families from other places and other states or countries fly home and start the new year with their loved ones through the one week vacation period during the Spring Festival where everyone is traveling. It is known as “the world’s largest human migration”

The tradition that Lunar New Year is known for is the lion and dragon dances/parades because grandsons and lions symbolize luck, happiness, braveness and power. These dances are typically performed by two people who are bursting with energy and liveliness.

The year of the tiger has a lot in store for us this year and I’m excited to see it all!