How to Celebrate Lunar Year as a Family
Are you ready to welcome the year of rabbit? Lunar New Year starts on January 22th this year. Here’s how to join the celebrations with your family.
The biggest holiday in many Asian countries is Lunar New Year. This is a spectacular fifteen-day celebration that includes fireworks, special food and parades. Lunar New Year in the United States is not a day off work or school. many Asian-American families They still celebrate it with their own traditions and customs. These are some ways you can teach your kids about Lunar New Year.
What is Lunar Year?
Lunar New Year dates back about 3,500 years. It marks the start of the traditional lunisolar system, which is based on the moon and sun cycles, which was created for agricultural purposes.
The holiday is commonly called the “Chinese New Year” in America, but it’s also celebrated in South Korea and other Asian countries like South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, Singapore, and Taiwan. There are many traditions and customs that vary from one country to the next. It’s a time for honoring ancestors, deities, eating customary food, and welcoming the new year.
Many people associate Lunar New Year and the Zodiac. It’s because the Chinese zodiac Each year follows a 12-year cycle. Each year is represented by an animal: rat. 2023 is year of the rabbit.
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What time is Lunar New Years?
Lunar New Year (also called Spring Festival) begins with the new moon on the lunisolar calendar. It lasts through the first full moon—a time period of 15 days. Each year, the holiday falls at an entirely different time. It usually falls between January 21st and February 20.
In 2023, Lunar New Year begins on January 22. The celebrations end with the Lantern FestivalTo commemorate the end of celebrations, a special event will be held on February 5, The Lantern Festival is full of parades and festivals featuring colorful lanterns and traditional foods that symbolize prosperity and community.
Lunar New Year Traditions
Families clean up their homes to remove negative spirits and welcome the Lunar New Year. After the path to good fortune has been paved, families will then participate in various celebrations. There are many traditions associated with the Lunar New Year.
Red lipstick
The color red is associated with luck so many people choose to wear it for the Lunar New Year. Red Chinese dresses are traditional for girls. However, in modern times, my sports-loving teenage daughter prefers red shirts, red scrunchies, and red socks.
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Host an event
Billions of people To celebrate the Lunar New Year, many people travel to visit their family members. They’ll be treated to a “reunion meal” to start the celebration. The holiday is associated with dumplings and sweet rice cakes as well as glutinous rice balls.
Set off Firecrackers
According to one legendFirecrackers are a Chinese tradition that grew from a fight with Nian, a monster who appeared on Chinese new year’s Eve. While most families would hide behind their doors, an old man bravely fought off the monster using firecrackers. To scare away evil spirits during Lunar New Year, fireworks have been lit.
Take part in a Lion Dance or Parade
Live performances of the Lunar New Year are held in communities to bring good fortune and prosperity. Exhilarating is watching a lion dance complete with clanging drums and cymbals. My children are delighted by the lions’ colorful dances, which make them look like big pets with googly eyes. A popular Lunar New Year tradition involves the dragon dance. This is where puppeteers control large dancing dragons.
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Red envelopes
One of the most popular Chinese traditions is the gift of a red envelope from parents and relatives. These packets are decorated using brilliant stenciling. This year, be sure to look out for cute bunny caricatures! They are usually filled with cash—but if you want a modern take, consider stuffing the envelopes with chocolate coins or other goodies instead. I was able this year to get $2 bills freshly minted to fill the Lunar New Year envelopes.
Decorate the house
Red is not only worn by people on Lunar New Years, but also homes are decorated in this vibrant color to symbolize good fortune. Red lanterns, red paper cutouts, and red painted doors are all common. Reusing red paper cut-outs, red painted doors and other holiday ideas is my personal holiday hack. Christmas decorations. My red lights will remain up through Lunar New Year.
How to Celebrate Lunar Year with Your Family
You can celebrate Lunar New Year by following the above traditions: cleaning your house, decorating with red and hosting a feast. Also, you can gift red envelopes and send out red envelopes. Consider these fun ways to celebrate the holiday with family.
Dumplings
For Lunar New Year, many families enjoy making dumplings with their children. Because I was unsure if raw meat would get in my children’s mouths, my kids used to make small pouches out of the dough when they were young. The delicious meatless recipes they created were still a huge hit with them. Dumplings not only taste great, but they also symbolise gold ingots, which are lucky symbols for the Chinese New Year.
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Share Stories
Share stories about the 12 Chinese zodiac animal signs to make Lunar New Year more fun for your children. Here’s one tale That’s pertinent for the year that was rabbit. The rabbit jumped at dawn and reached the Jade Emperor’s house to find it empty. The rabbit was the only animal to be seen. The rabbit was proud of its speed and snuck off to a corner to take a rest. Three other animals arrived when the bunny awoke. One of them was the ox. The rabbit loved to tease the ox for being slow. The fourth position in the zodiac cycles was the rabbit, which came in behind the rat and the ox.
There are many other wonderful options. Lunar New Year books for kids These are the explanations for various customs.
Do Arts and Crafts
Getting crafty with Lunar New Year cut-outs can be a calming family activity. Making red paper lanterns and constructing animals with paper plates are some ideas. After all, you’ve got a full cast of animals—like lions, dragons, and rabbits—to cut, draw, and color.
Spend time together
It is important to celebrate the holiday with your loved ones. My children participating in Lunar New Year traditions has helped me to feel secure that they are still true to themselves.