By Beds SU
Tuesday, 1 February 2022
Beds SU would like to wish all our students and staff celebrating Lunar New Year ‘great happiness and prosperity’.
The Lunar New Year is a fascinating tradition, which, according to Forbes, is celebrated by around 2 billion people worldwide. Also known as Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival, it follows both the lunisolar Chinese calendar and features the 12 Chinese zodiac animals.
This means it comprises two elements - firstly, it is guided by the start of a new moon, so the new year can take place anytime between the 21 January to 20 February. This differs to the New Year that many of us are familiar with, that observes the Gregorian solar calendar and follows a 12-month cycle of 365 days.
Secondly, each year features one of 12 Chinese zodiac animals (Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig), with every 12 years being considered a cycle. inews recently published a feature focused on the history behind the animals including the belief that:
“The order of the years of zodiac signs are thought to be based on a folk tale known as the Great Race."
The year of the tiger
2022 is the year of the Tiger, the first since 2010. Each of the 12 animals are given their own specific characteristics with the tiger’s including strength and bravery, and those born in this year, as with others, are believed to embody some of the characteristics of the zodiac animal.
Ways to celebrate the New Year
The festival is seen as one of the most important holidays in Asia, with festivities traditionally taking place over 15 days.
Some traditions and celebrations include:
- Gathering with family and friends for a ‘reunion meal’ as is often observed with other festivals such Diwali, Christmas, and Thanksgiving
- Decorations – in parts of China and communities across the world, red decorations are often strung throughout the streets and homes during the festivities. However, floral arrangements are often used by those who celebrate the Spring Festival, while apricot and peach blossom play a role in Vietnam and decorative cranes are used in Korea (according to a recent article by the Culture Trip). Try making your own decorations and use them to decorate your home.
- The hanging of Door Gods pictures, commonly known as ‘mén shén’, Door Gods are believed to be the guardians of doors that protect homes from evil spirits
- Firework displays – traditional dance and celebrations followed by firework displays are often observed with the belief that the noise and light can ward off evil spirits
- Cooking traditional dishes – as with most festivities’, food plays a key role in these celebrations with dishes including dumplings, fish, towers of pastries and rice cake soup. Try making your own dishes using recipes provided by the BBC.
Further reading
If you are interested, you can find out more about the history of the Lunar New Year via the History.com website.
Events
There are several events taking place both in-person and online to mark this year’s festival in towns and cities around our campuses. Many have been scaled back due to the ongoing pandemic, but if you search Chinese New Year Festivals near me you will be able to see what's on including events and activities across: