The Year of the Dragon is just around the corner – here’s what you need to know about Lunar New Year celebrations

mario pocheski Professor of Buddhist studies and Chinese religion. University of Florida.

Among the traditional Chinese holidays and celebrations, none is more important than the Lunar New Year (Nongji New Year). Also known as Spring Festival (Spring Festival), or simply Lunar New Year, this day marks the beginning of the year according to the traditional lunar calendar.

Lunar New Year typically begins between late January and mid-February. In mainland China, the official celebration lasts for seven days as a public holiday. This year’s Lunar New Year, which falls on February 10th, is the Year of the Dragon.

I am a scholar of Chinese religious history and culture, born in the year of the Dragon. What intrigued me most is that this celebration is a reminder of the longevity and vibrancy of traditional Chinese culture.

food, gifts, celebrations

The essence of Chinese New Year is a celebration that brings families together. Preparations begin a week before his arrival and include cleaning and decorating the house, especially shopping for gifts and food, and preparing meals.

The central event is the New Year’s Eve family dinner. Cuisine choices vary, reflecting family customs and local culinary traditions. It often includes dumplings, spring rolls, cakes, fish dishes, and pork dishes. There is also a fair amount of drinking, especially traditional wine and liquor. Many of the dishes are assigned symbolic meanings. For example, dango is shaped like a gold nugget and brings good luck.

Other customs associated with Lunar New Year celebrations include passing red envelopes containing money, usually from elders to younger members of the family. Red, often used in Chinese New Year decorations, symbolizes prosperity and good fortune.

Traditionally, families and communities celebrate the New Year by lighting firecrackers to ward off monsters. According to legend, the origin of this custom goes back to a story about a monster called Nian, who was believed to have caused great harm to several villages. In response, villagers set off explosions to scare away the monsters, and the custom is said to have spread. However, recently the Chinese government has cracked down on this traditional practice, citing it as dangerous and polluting.

dragon year

Traditionally, dragons are an auspicious symbol of strength and power. It is also associated with good luck, wisdom, success, protection, and masculinity. In pre-modern China, the dragon was associated with imperial rule and featured prominently on the first Chinese national flag, established by the Qing Dynasty in 1862. To this day, the image of a dragon is often used to symbolize China itself.

Due to the auspicious relationship with dragons, birth rates tend to increase in the year of the dragon. Some express hope for next year’s baby boom, as some parents may be motivated to bring dragon children into the world, given China’s current population decline and deepening birth crisis. There are some too.

According to the Chinese Zodiac, each year of the lunar cycle is associated with a specific animal. This is repeated every 12 years. Thus, there are his twelve animals: Mouse, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig, each associated with his year of the cycle.

Among the popular myths about the origin of the Chinese zodiac is that of a great competition initiated by the celestial ruler, the Jade Emperor, to measure time. Because the rat won, it was ranked first among the zodiac. The positions of his other 11 horses reflect their final positions in the race. Each of the 12 zodiac animals comes to represent certain traits that are thought to shape the personality of those born that year, and the dragon is considered the most auspicious of them all.

Origin of the lunar calendar

Traditionally, the Chinese have followed their country’s lunar calendar, which is based on observations and measurements of astronomical phenomena. Although modern China adopted the Gregorian calendar in his year 1912, traditional festivals such as Lunar New Year still follow the lunar calendar.

The origins of the lunar calendar can be traced back to the dawn of Chinese civilization, where it is traditionally associated with the legendary Xia dynasty, which is said to have ruled from 2070 to 1600 BC. The origins of the Lunar New Year celebration are also not completely clear. Some scholars believe it likely dates back to the rule of the Shang Dynasty, which lasted from 1600 to 1050 BC.

Religion and Lunar New Year Celebrations

Although Chinese New Year is generally about family bonds, religious observances are also an integral part of the festival. These include domestic rituals associated with popular Chinese gods, such as the god of the kitchen and the god of wealth. Family members also make offerings and participate in other rituals related to ancestor worship. Typically, this includes food offerings and burning incense at shrines.

During this period, many people go to Buddhist and Taoist temples and other places of worship. They practice traditional piety, such as lighting incense sticks and praying for good fortune and fortune.

A modern element of welcoming the Lunar New Year is watching the New Year Gala, a popular variety show featuring singing, dancing, comedy, and drama. It was first broadcast in 1983 and has since been broadcast nationwide by state television station CCTV. This is the most watched television program in the world, with an audience of 700 million people.

The largest migration of mankind

In recent decades, China has experienced rapid demographic changes, especially the influx of rural populations into large cities.

Furthermore, China’s one-child policy has far-reaching implications for family structure and, by extension, traditional customs and observances.

Millions of rural children live with their grandparents or other relatives while their parents work in distant cities. As a result, the Lunar New Year marks one of the largest human migrations in the world, as students and migrant workers do their best to return to their families.

During this period, trains, buses, and planes will be crowded with travelers, so you should book your tickets early. That continues this year, despite the bleak outlook for China’s economy.

Celebrations outside China

Chinese New Year is also celebrated in other parts of Asia, such as Vietnam and Singapore, and in East Asian communities around the world. These celebrations usually have some unique features or incorporate local features. For example, in Vietnam, where the festival is known as Tet, there are parades and performances, as well as a variety of local delicacies.

In the United States and Australia, where many Chinese people live, Lunar New Year festivals and parades are held every year. Some feature traditional dragon dances, highlighting the communal aspect of Lunar New Year festivities.

For centuries, gathering together for Lunar New Year celebrations has remained an important cultural heritage for Chinese families everywhere, connecting past and present.

This is an updated version of the article First published by The Conversation on February 1, 2022. Republished under a Creative Commons license.