There is a lot of confusion when it comes to the Lunar New Year, especially because the Chinese call it the “Year of the Dog”. The idea behind this year is to get rid of mischievous spirits, and we can see this through a lot of popular celebrations in Asia.
Not only that but there are 10 lesser known Lunar New Year celebrations in Asia, which will help you plan your trip in time.
1. The Chinese Festival Of Lanterns
It’s not just a festival for people in China. It’s also celebrated by people living abroad and by people who are travelling back to their home country during this festival period. This festival is celebrated across South East Asia and even as far as Australia and Canada where it was once an unofficial holiday on the western side of the ocean! The best way to celebrate on this day is to get out there with your family and community and reflect on how lucky you are to be alive right now. Let us know what you think about these 10 Lunar New Year festivities below! Enjoy!
2. Dragon Boat Racing
In China, dragon boats have been used for over 1000 years for performances like this one:
3. Fuyong Festival
In China, Fuyong Festival is a religious celebration which lasts from March 19th to 20th every year (this means that during 2014). It's a time for families to gather together at home with friends or relatives; eat food well-prepared; recite prayers; sing hymns; make offerings of food and drink; wear colorful clothes, hats, shoes etc.; go out into the countryside walking around at night; listen to music…etc…and receive blessings from heaven through attending prayer meetings! It's also a time for families to exchange gifts on both sides of the border…it goes without saying that these gifts should be fruit-bearing plants such as peach blossoms, tangerine melons or peaches etc.: http://www.fuyongfestivalwebpage.com/home/index_fuyongfestival2014_en.html#4 4. Day Of The Dead
Although often mistaken for Halloween or Yule Day (also known as All Souls Day), these days have nothing in common with either one of those holidays - they're entirely different events which were observed by several indigenous peoples throughout history before it became associated with Halloween or Yule Day (when children would decorate their homes with cardboard ghosts and goblins
2. South Korea: The Lantern Festival
With the onset of Lunar New Year, the traditional celebration in Korea is on its way back. This year the festival is being celebrated with a peaceful and positive atmosphere with a great number of new events being held across the country. But it isn’t just about partying and taking part in colorful celebrations. If you are planning to go out during Lunar New Year, you should know that there are lots of events that are going to take place for your whole family.
According to South Korean tradition, people celebrate Lunar New Year in their own way and nobody knows how exactly they will do this for their family. For example, some families will go outside to play games with their kids or have fun by playing the traditional Korean board game Go. Others like to dance or go shopping at local department stores where they can buy anything they want without getting caught by parents.
In order to give everyone a great time during Lunar New Year, it is important that you have a good idea of what kind of activities you really want to do during this occasion so you don’t waste any time thinking about them ahead of time. So as we move forward into 2018, here are 10 lesser known Lunar New Year celebrations across Asia:
1) The Lantern Festival in Hong Kong
2) The Lantern Festival in Thailand
3) The Lantern Festival in Singapore
4) The Lantern Festival in Korea
5) The Lantern Festival in Malaysia & Indonesia
3. Taiwan: Explosion of Spring
From 1946 to 1949 Taiwan was under Japanese occupation, at which time the traditional New Year celebrations were banned by the occupying forces. It was not until 1966 that the ban was lifted and Taiwanese citizens started to celebrate the Lunar New Year in style. [ Source ]
In recent years, several Chinese cities have been trying to incorporate Lunar New Year into their existing festivities. For example, in Shanghai, the city government announced that this year’s Lunar New Year will be celebrated on February 3 with a parade of songbirds and dragons. The parade will start at 9:30 am and will end at 9:30 pm.
In addition to Shanghai, a number of other Chinese cities have also introduced some sort of Lunar New Year festivities including Beijing (on February 10), Guangzhou (on February 11), Shenzhen (on February 12), Hangzhou (on February 13), Chongqing (on February 14), Xi'an (on February 15) and Sanya in Hainan Island Province (on February 16).
There are also large scale Lunar New Year events planned or held in various other cities including Guiyang, Taiyuan, Zhengzhou , Zhengzhou , Chongqing , Chengdu , Shenyang , Harbin, Jinan , Fuzhou , Nanjing and Guilin .
4. Japan: Coming of Age Day
Japan’s coming of age day is a time for celebration, but also a way to reflect on the history and traditions of the country. It is also a time for people to reevaluate what it means to be Japanese, how it fits into the larger context of Asian culture, and how that fits into the modern world.
Japan is known by many things — warriors, sumo wrestlers, cartoon characters — but at its heart, Japan is a land of tradition. It’s a land where events are repeated year after year with little change to the details and even less purpose. The concept of coming of age day comes from this land where both children and parents understand that each year brings with it new traditions and customs.
In Japan, children are given an opportunity to experience these customs during their first coming of age day , which falls on December 31st every year since 1889. For many young people this marks the first time they are officially allowed to view traditional Japanese customs in their own home country; hence making it extra special when they return home with gifts they have all worked so hard to produce themselves!
"Every year we all have an experience that we can share with our friends," said Hironao Ueda , 39-year-old producer for one of Japan's leading animation studios . "I think it's important for us as fans to share our experiences."
In addition to being able to explore traditional Japanese customs during their first coming of age day , you might want to consider taking some time during your holiday travels in Asia this December 5th or 6th (the precise dates depend on which side you're on), if you happen to be passing through Tokyo or Osaka!
日本は、夏休みにきて人々にとって大きな意味を持つとされる。原則的には、年が一つだから問題ない。自分達の世界観は変わることはない。もしかすると年したら折り目があって、映画を見たり食事をするのが身についたらそれでもいいに違いない。これで
5. China: Spring Festival
This year, the Chinese New Year falls on February 15th. It’s a day where you can go out with your family and friends, make new memories, and get some good luck.
There are several changes you should look out for during the Lunar New Year. The first is the changing of the calendar. In China, almost every day has two or three days of good luck that are named according to their Chinese zodiac symbols: “old man” for the year of the ox; “young woman” for the year of the rabbit; “middle-aged man” for the year of元龙 (a dragon); “middle-aged woman” for a tiger; and “older man/woman” for a cow. For example, in 2014, February 15th was called 雪儿马年 in which lucky numbers were 8 and 1.
In addition to these lucky days, every month has its own special day:
The first day of each month is 一个星期 (1st one week) 人生家族管他人童年 (family life). Each week it is 空谈日 (one meeting).
The second day of each month is 倒车停门 (turn over one's carriage), which means that something unexpected or surprising is going to happen.
The third day of each month is 假期 (mourning period) and it is called 日本暑假网站(Japan summer vacation website). This means that so many Japanese people will be visiting China during this time to enjoy holidays with their families.
Finally, on January 31st, 张长衣开山高庆(Ba Li Gao Gao) appears and represents a person who does not have any difficulties in his life but instead works hard for his achievements.
6. Indonesia: Chinese New Year Celebration
Indonesia has a unique way of celebrating the Chinese New Year. It’s called “Din Tai Fung”, literally “Axis of Good Fortune.” The event is hosted at the Jakarta International Convention Center (Jakarta Indonesia).
The event, which lasts for about two weeks and is considered to be the largest one in Southeast Asia, offers a host of opportunities to watch traditional Chinese dances, join in an elaborate performance of traditional dragon dances, visit famous Chinese restaurants and cafes and watch live performances.
The event is sponsored by Din Tai Fung, a global chain of fine dining restaurants that serves dishes derived from Chinese cuisine. It also aims to introduce Indonesian cuisine as well as other cuisines from around the world.
7. Malaysia: Harvest Festival
"In Malaysia, Lunar New year is the biggest holiday. In fact, it is the most important holiday here. It is also referred to as the “Harvest Festival of the Year” or during Chinese New Year as “Lunar New Year’s Eve”.
The harvest festival celebrates the renewal of everything from plants and animals to water, food and other resources.
It also coincides with the lunar new year holiday. The celebrations take place all over Malaysia and many of them are still in full swing.
"The traditional process of pulling up weeds in a field or garden dates back centuries before Europeans first arrived in Southeast Asia, and has been practiced by many different cultures all over Southeast Asia. This is especially true in Malaysia where we have a long history of farming and gardening." "Tendu Rakyat Malaysia"
8. Vietnam: Tet Festival
While many might see the Lunar New Year (Lunar New Year, 紅翔年) as a festival that celebrates good fortune, it is in fact not quite so simple. In fact, it is often perceived as a time for the government to collect tax from citizens. The truth is, however, that there are actually several more complex aspects to this year-long holiday celebration.
In Vietnam and much of Southeast Asia, the majority of people celebrate the Lunar New Year by attending religious ceremonies and worshiping deities. However, there are quite a few Lunar New Year celebrations that do not take place in temples or churches or areas devoted to traditional religious practices like Confucianism or Buddhism.
In addition to these secular celebrations such as dragon dance performances and lantern festivals (also called phục lý), there are also feast days dedicated to a number of other deities – such as Kẻ Tổng Yêu (King of Love), Đàm Mạch (Ascended Buddha), Nhà Thờ Dương Huyên Hương (Rising Sun Goddess), etc. – on January 1st and 2nd every year .
Even if you don’t have much interest in attending these festivals you don’t have to be afraid of them because they do not involve any kind of violence or force. It is also important to understand that these culture-specific festivals are very diverse in nature due to their ethnic background and cultures: some celebrate Dragons while others often celebrate Kẻ Tổng Yêu; some worship dragons while others venerate Buddha statues; some celebrate Đàm Mạch while others worship the Rising Sun; etc…
Vietnamese people use many different ways of greeting each other on their way into work in the morning: they will say “đây là ngày tôn giáo” (this is 2019) followed by five fingers pointing upwards toward heaven for good luck; they will give five fingers up towards heaven for good health; they will speak with one hand raised up towards heaven for prosperity; they will say “đây là ngày tôn giáo” followed by five fingers pointing down towards earth for the same reason but with words attached at
9. Thailand: Songkran Festival
Songkran is the celebration of the Thai New Year, which is celebrated on the 15th day of the first month of the year (which is usually March to April).
The Songkhran Festival, also known as Loy Krathong or Loy Krida (ลอยเกษต์), is a celebration that commemorates the arrival of spring. It is observed by many Thais during the Thai New Year and lasts for several days. The festival usually involves people congregating in rivers and streams, throwing rice balls into them for good luck.
It isn’t just a festival where you can throw rice into water; it’s a week-long event where you can throw water onto your rice as well.
The Songkran Festival has been celebrated in Thailand since ancient times. Originally it was a festival to recall King Chulalongkorn who had returned from his hunting expedition to raise Thailand from its previous state of chaos and famine (poverty). It was held on November 12 to commemorate Chulalongkorn’s return, but under King Rama I, it was moved back to November 14 because some people thought that it was harmful for children to celebrate this day at school during their vacation breaks.
While there are different traditions about how Songkran should be celebrated at home and in school, there are some common traditions shared by all Thais:
Thai people traditionally greet each other with an exchange of ‘Two-yee’ (ปี-๑) greeting before shaking hands and exchanging greetings like “Hello, Longya!” or “Good morning!” before bowing down with one foot on ground and placing outstretched palms towards each other. This greeting is called “Longya Syamain Boonchai” meaning “Longya Good Person! Longya Not Bad Person!” This greeting often ends with presenting palms or hands towards each other while saying “Kjoe Ong Tao Longya Syamain Boonchai! Kan Kao Ong Tao Longya Syamain Boonchai! Kaa Rae Ong Tao Longya Syamain Boonchai! Kjoe Ong Tao Longya Syamain Boonchai! Kan Kao Ong Tao Longya Syamain Boonchai! Kan Rae Ong Tao Longya Sy
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