The Nuances of Lunar New Year

In 2023, legislation was passed that allowed Lunar New Year to become a public school holiday in New York. According to Governor Kathy Hochul who signed said legislation, this legislation was passed in order to recognize the importance of the AAPI community and the rich diversity of New York. Nevertheless, there are several important differences within the term “Lunar New Year” to note.

For instance, the holiday was not initially named as Lunar New Year. Instead, the holiday was called Chinese New Year, as the holiday originated in China. However, China’s influence caused the holiday to spread to different countries, where it was celebrated differently than how the Chinese celebrated. Hence, now the holiday is commonly referred to as Lunar New Year.

To illustrate, one difference between countries’ Lunar New Years is the zodiac signs within the calendar. China splits the lunar calendar in periods of 12 years, having an animal to represent each year. It goes from rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. Many Asian countries who also celebrate Lunar New Year also use the same animals. However, according to the V-trust blog, “the Vietnamese replace the rabbit with the cat and the ox with the buffalo”. Additionally, there are different superstitions for Lunar New Year depending on the country. For instance, Chinese people refuse to sweep or take out the trash during the holiday as it would get rid of the good luck of the new year. On the other hand, the Philippines has a unique superstition of jumping at midnight in order to grow taller.  Furthermore, each country has different traditions. For instance, according to National Today, Koreans bow, which is called “sebae”, to their elders during Lunar New Year and play traditional games like Yut-Nori. On the other hand, Vietnamese and Singaporean families go visit a temple.

Another nuance within Lunar New Year is the calendar it’s based on. Despite the name of Lunar New Year, Lunar New Year is based on a lunisolar calendar not a lunar calendar. The difference between the two is that a lunisolar calendar uses both the sun and the moon to calculate the months, while the lunar calendar only uses the moon. An example of a lunar calendar would be the Hijri calendar. However, Lunar New Year isn’t the only new year that uses a lunisolar calendar. For example, the Jewish Calendar is also based on the moon and sun and therefore a lunisolar calendar. Hence, the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, is also technically a lunar new year. Another instance is the Hindu New Year, or Nav Varsh. The Hindu calendar is another lunisolar calendar, and therefore Nav Varsh is also a lunar new year. However, these lunar new years occur on very different dates due to the different ways calculations are used to calculate the calendars. To elaborate, typically Nav Varsh occurs within March-April, Lunar New Year January-February, and Rosh Hashanah September-October.

All in all, the term “Lunar New Year” has several nuances that significantly affect how the holiday is perceived. Additionally, despite the holiday originating in China, it is important to recognize that Lunar New Year is a holiday that many Asians celebrate and celebrate differently. Hence, the term “Lunar New Year” should be used rather than the term “Chinese New Year” when referring to the holiday.