The Lunar New Year is a time of extraordinary celebration throughout Asia, where millions gather with fervour to bid farewell to the departing year and usher in prosperity, health, and good luck for the year ahead. Rooted in a millennia-old tradition, the Lunar New Year transcends borders, bringing together families and communities in a vibrant tapestry of cultural festivities that vary fascinatingly from country to country.
A Chinese Fiesta: Spring Festival in Full Bloom
In China, where the festival is commonly known as Spring Festival, or Chunjie, it is the grandest and most significant of all holidays. The celebrations commence on the first day of the first lunar month and continue for the next 15 days, culminating in the Lantern Festival. Preparations begin well in advance, with households meticulously cleaning their homes to sweep away ill-fortune and making way for ingoing good luck. Red, symbolising joy and fortune, is the colour of choice. Homes are adorned with red lanterns, and families don traditional attire accented with crimson hues.
The eve of the New Year is especially poignant as it is marked by the reunion dinner, a feast featuring symbolic dishes such as fish, which represents abundance, and dumplings, which resemble ancient Chinese gold ingots. The sounds of firecrackers echo through the streets at midnight, believed to drive away evil spirits. The following days are filled with visits to friends and relatives, the giving of money in red envelopes (hongbao), and heartfelt wishes of Gong Xi Fa Cai, hoping others may attain great wealth.
Korean Seollal: Harmony and Ancestral Tributes
Travelling to the Korean Peninsula, you find the celebration of Seollal, the Korean New Year, steeped in familial traditions and cultural heritage. This three-day holiday is a time of homeward return for many, as it centres on honouring ancestors and cherishing family bonds. It begins with Charye, an ancestral rite where offerings of food and drink are made to the family's departed elders, followed by Sebae, a deep bow that younger members perform to their senior kin, a gesture of respect and blessings.
Korean feasts during Seollal are generous, with Tteokguk, a rice cake soup, gracing the table to mark the gaining of another year of life. Festivities include traditional games like Yutnori, a board game encouraging team strategy, and flying kites. "Saehae bok mani badeuseyo" echoes as a popular greeting, conveying wishes for copious luck in the new year.
Vietnamese Tết: Flowers and Festivities
Vietnam welcomes the Lunar New Year with Tết Nguyên Đán, often simply known as Tết. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City transform with colourful flower markets, and the pink peach blossoms and yellow apricot flowers bloom, symbolising life and new beginnings. Vietnamese homes are also cleansed for Tết, with ancestral altars adorned in preparation for the holiday.
During Tết, families share special holiday dishes such as Banh Chung (glutinous rice cake) and Mut (candied fruits). Lion dances are a splendid sight, bringing excitement and good luck, while the country stops for the first few days of the Lunar New Year to focus on family and relaxation. Li Xi, the Vietnamese version of the red envelope filled with money, is distributed to children and the elderly to symbolise fortune and good health.
The Unity of Singapore’s Spring: A Melting Pot of Traditions
In the multicultural hub of Singapore, the Lunar New Year is a colourful mélange of Chinese, Malay, and Indian traditions. The Chingay Parade takes its place in the limelight, showcasing lion dances, flamboyant floats, and a myriad of performers representing the different ethnic groups of Singapore. The weeks leading up to the celebrations see the buzzing Chinatown market alive with festive goods, mouth-watering street food and various cultural performances.
Yu Sheng, a raw fish salad, is uniquely Singaporean during this period, with diners tossing the ingredients high in a lo hei ceremony, which signifies increasing prosperity. Greetings in various languages, such as "Gong Xi Fa Cai" and "Selamat Tahun Baru" (in Malay), resonate in the air, reflecting the inclusive spirit of Singapore's Lunar New Year.
Embracing Diversity in Lunar New Year Celebrations
Across Asia, the Lunar New Year is not merely a turn of the calendar; it is a heartfelt celebration of cultural identity, unity, and hopeful beginnings. From the crackling fireworks in China to the deep bows in Korea, the flower blooms in Vietnam, and the exhilarating parades in Singapore, the Lunar New Year is a testament to the mosaic of traditions that dance harmoniously across this vast continent. As families reunite and communities engage in age-old practices, the core sentiment remains the same: a shared hope for happiness, prosperity, and good health in the New Year.
As we explore these varied customs, we are reminded that while each country's practices are unique, the fabric of Lunar New Year is woven with common threads of joy, reflection, and togetherness. It is a time when millions pause in their busy lives to celebrate with loved ones, echoing the universal language of love and familial ties. Lunar New Year carries a message of renewal and unity, enchanting us with its diversity and the communal spirit that resonates from the bustling streets of Beijing to the lively markets of Singapore.