Celebrating Lunar New Year Across Asia

Every Lunar New Year brings back cherished memories for me. My family moved from Seoul, South Korea, to Canada when I was five, and my parents made it a priority for me to stay connected to my Korean heritage and traditions—especially one as significant as Lunar New Year, known as Seollal in Korean.

Seollal was just one of the ways my parents helped preserve our cultural identity. I'm thankful they enrolled me in Sunday Korean school and encouraged me to engage with K-dramas and K-pop, ensuring I remembered my language. The stories they shared, the meals we enjoyed, and the customs we upheld have all shaped my identity as a Canadian-Korean woman.

Contrary to popular belief outside Asia, Lunar New Year is not solely a Chinese celebration. While it adheres to the Chinese Lunar calendar (in 2023, it falls on January 22, marking the Year of the Rabbit), this festival is celebrated throughout Asia, with each nation having its own unique customs and traditions. Typically, families gather to enjoy special dishes and partake in superstitions intended to invite good fortune in the year ahead.

Here’s how various Asian countries commemorate Lunar New Year.

Celebrating Lunar New Year in Korea

In Korea, Lunar New Year stands as one of the most significant traditional holidays, allowing people to honor their ancestors and elders. This three-day celebration marks the start of the Lunar New Year, where everyone ages a year. In Korean culture, while a person's international age increases on their birthday, their Korean age—starting from one at birth—changes at New Year.

We don traditional attire called hanbok, and children express their respect for elders through deep bows known as seh bae. As part of the festivities, children receive money and wise words for the upcoming year. A treasured photo I have is from when I was about four, wearing a bright yellow hanbok and bowing to my grandparents for seh bae don (New Year's money).

Following seh bae, we enjoy dishes like mandu (Korean dumplings) and dduk-guk (sliced rice cake soup). Other festive foods include mandu-guk (dumpling soup), galbijjim (braised beef short ribs), japchae (glass noodles), and ddeok (rice cakes).

Traditional games also play a role in the celebrations. Yut Nori, a board game using wooden sticks, offers a fun way to engage, and yeonnalligi (kite-flying) is performed for good fortune.

Lunar New Year in China

In China, the focus of celebrations is on New Year's Eve, when families gather to celebrate the occasion. It’s customary to wear new clothing, often in auspicious colors like red and gold, to welcome the new year.

In northern China, traditional Lunar New Year foods are primarily flour-based, including baos, pancakes, noodles, and dumplings. Families often prepare these dishes from scratch, and children typically search for a lucky coin hidden inside the dumplings. Dumplings are usually accompanied by fish, symbolizing prosperity for the upcoming year. Across China, it's also customary for family members to exchange red envelopes containing money.

Numerous superstitions are commonly observed throughout the country. For instance, it's believed that one should not buy new shoes during the Lunar New Year and that cleaning the house before the holiday is important to avoid sweeping away good luck. Similarly, people tend to refrain from cutting or washing their hair around this time to ensure a prosperous year ahead.

Lunar New Year in Vietnam

In Vietnam, Lunar New Year is referred to as Tết, a time for family gatherings. Traditional sticky rice cakes like bánh tét (a cylindrical cake) and bánh chưng (a square cake) are central to the festivities. Bánh chưng is especially popular in northern Vietnam, where it can be either fried or steamed. Other festive dishes include củ kiệu (pickled scallions), tôm khô (dried shrimp), and mứt Tết (candied fruits).

Similar to other countries, Vietnam has its own traditional attire—the áo dài— a silk tunic with side slits worn over pants by both men and women during the New Year celebrations. Children also receive red envelopes containing money from their older relatives.

Most families visit the temple together to pray for luck, health, and prosperity. Some superstitions include settling all debts and cleaning the house before the new year, as well as refraining from throwing anything away on New Year's Day, since it's believed to cast away good fortune.

Lunar New Year in Singapore

With about 75% of its population being Chinese, Singapore celebrates Lunar New Year with great enthusiasm. A variety of delicious treats, including nian gao (sticky rice cakes) and pineapple tarts, are enjoyed. Another popular dish during this time is yusheng, a traditional raw fish salad that is exclusively served during the holiday.

Red envelopes featuring the character 'Fú' (symbolizing good luck) are distributed during the celebrations. It’s also customary to honor ancestors by visiting a temple and lighting incense.

The Chingay Parade, held annually for Lunar New Year, is a spectacular event featuring everything from massive floats to lion dance performances. The largest Chinese New Year festival in Singapore is the River Hongbao, celebrated at various locations across the country each year.

Lunar New Year in Malaysia

In Malaysia, Lunar New Year is celebrated as the arrival of spring and an opportunity for families to gather for their annual reunion dinner. The festivities last for 15 days, culminating in the celebration of Chap Goh Mei. Specific days may vary by ethnic group; for instance, the Hokkien New Year is marked on the ninth day of the lunar celebrations.

Yee Sang, a salad dish found at nearly every festive table, symbolizes good fortune and prosperity. Nian gao, a rice flour cake, is another popular treat during this time. Mandarin oranges represent good luck, while red envelopes (known as ang pow) are given to children and unmarried relatives. Many Buddhist families also invite lion dancers to bless their altars and drive away negative spirits.

Traditional attire, known as cheongsam (or qipao), is often worn in red. It’s also said that if you are celebrating your zodiac year, wearing gold can attract even greater abundance throughout the year.

Lunar New Year in Taiwan

In Taiwan, most individuals return home to celebrate the new year with their families, creating a strong connection between the holiday and food. Nian gao (dumplings) is the most beloved dish, closely followed by pineapple. It’s considered auspicious to leave some fish uneaten, keeping leftovers from the festive meals.

During the celebrations, most Taiwanese people prioritize spending time with family and elders in their homes. They also partake in the tradition of exchanging red envelopes, and many neighborhoods organize firework displays.

Lunar New Year in the Philippines

As the clock strikes midnight in the Philippines, both children and adults leap with joy, believing it will help them grow taller. The most traditional Lunar New Year celebration is called Media Noche, where Filipino families gather for a midnight feast to welcome a prosperous year ahead. The table is typically adorned with round fruits—an homage to a Chinese tradition—symbolizing good fortune.

Common dishes enjoyed during Lunar New Year in the Philippines include sticky rice delicacies like biko, bibingka, and nian gao, as they are thought to strengthen family bonds. Pancit (long noodles) is also served, symbolizing health, longevity, and good luck for the coming year.

A unique superstition during Lunar New Year in the Philippines involves wearing polka dots, as their round shape signifies prosperity, wealth, and good fortune. Fireworks are frequently set off to create noise, scaring away bad spirits, while lights are illuminated and windows and doors are left open. Another common belief is to refrain from spending money on the first day of the year to foster better financial prospects.