Lunar New Year 2023: Year of the Rabbit
Lunar New Year is an annual holiday celebrating the coming of Spring and the new year as determined by the lunar calendar. It usually falls between the dates of January 21 and February 20. Its history goes as far back as about 3,500 years ago, and is believed to have originated in the Shang Dynasty.
Celebrations can last up to 16 days, the 1st commencing with the first new moon of the lunar calendar. Although not popularly celebrated in Western cultures, it is the biggest holiday in Asian countries like China, Taiwan, Vietnam (Tet), and Korea (Seollal).
The Chinese Zodiac Story
Though there are many versions of the story, the one I (Alyssa Chiang) grew up with was this one:
Once upon a time, the Jade Emperor announced a race of the animals. There could only be 12 winners of the race, and in addition to racing across land, there was a treacherous river to cross just before the finish line. The rat and the cat, both vying for first place, hopped on the ox, the most generous and hardworking of the animals. The clever rat, eager to win the race, shoved the cat into the water, and the cat thus never made it to shore - and was excluded from the 12 zodiac finalists and forever involved in a longstanding hatred of the rat (talk about Tom and Jerry).
Once the ox, with the rat in tow, made it to the other end of the creek, the rat hopped off and rushed to the finish line. So he came first, with the ox coming in second. Third was the tiger. The agile rabbit was able to hop across the stones to cross the river - until it slipped into the water and quickly grabbed onto a log to float to shore - and so came in fourth. Then, came the noble dragon, which had been favored to be first. But it had kindly stopped to help some villagers along the way and also to send a puff of air to send the rabbit, hanging on for dear life, across the river. The horse was able to hold its own and galloped swiftly towards the line, shortly following the dragon. But little did the horse know that the sneaky snake had hung on behind the horse’s foot, and as they approached the finish line, the snake slithered into sixth place, followed by the horse in seventh. The sheep, monkey, and rooster worked together - they found a raft that carried the three of them across the river, and they landed in eighth, ninth, and tenth, respectively. The dog followed suit, despite being a fine swimmer - it had gotten distracted by the clean water of the river, and had paused to take a bath. Finally, the pig rolled in in twelfth place. It had gotten hungry so stopped for a snack before falling asleep, only to wake up to finish in last place.
And so we have our 12 zodiac animals, in case you ever wondered how we got the 12 animals on those zodiac placemats when you go to some Chinese restaurants! Some people are quite superstitious about the zodiac animals, with some couples timing the birth of a child around particular animals or avoiding giving birth during the year of others.
Traditions
Many of the traditions are based on welcoming in luck and prosperity in the New Year. Before ringing in the new year, households clean the house to sweep away bad luck and decorate with red, as red is believed to be auspicious. During the new year, families usually will come together to celebrate. Red envelopes, usually containing money, are given to children and retired seniors. Many places also will have festivals - check out the festivals near you! You may be able to catch a lion dance, which is believed to bring good luck for the year and scare away the bad spirits! The Lunar New Year period often ends with the Lantern Festival (February 5, 2023 this year) - many families will celebrate this with the famous glutinous rice balls dessert!
Decorations:
福 (fú; fortune) is typically seen in calligraphy on red squares of paper or red paper cutouts. The character is upside-down, because the word for “upside-down” is a homophone for the word 到 (dào; to arrive). This symbolizes the arrival of fortune into the new year.
Red slips of paper called duìlián with poems are put up around the entryway of the house.
Firecrackers scare away the evil spirits with their loud bursts of noise.
Foods:
Dumplings - symbolize fortune, as they are shaped like money bags
Fish - homophone for prosperity
Noodles - symbolize longevity
Glutinous rice cakes (nián gāo) - for a “tall” year
Chicken - having meat on the table is a symbol for prosperity
Check out our latest issue to find more ways to celebrate 2023 and learn more about our Lotus Magazine team members!
