Wolrd Celebrations of Lunar New Year

February 6th, 2017

The Year of the Rooster officially started on 28th January. Here are some of the ways it’s being celebrated around the world:

Portugal

Lunar New Year celebrations in Portugal started with a morning parade at the intendente Square and Martim Moniz Square. The community welcomes the new year by opening all galleries and museums to the public, as well as hosting daces and shows throughout the day.

United Kingdom

In central London, a parade featured lion dances, New Year mascots and cultural performances. There is also Baijiu Cocktail Week running until February 12th, which is an event where visitors can try out China’s national alcohol in participating restaurants.

Canada

In Canada, various celebrations are happening in major cities like Toronto and Vancouver. In Toronto, there are dragon dances in Chinatown and performances in local shoppnig malls. The NBA basketball team Toronto Raptors also made a special edition jersey to match with the festival. Meanwhile, Reel Asian International Film Festival is hosting their 3rd annual Lunar New Year Fundraiser and Silent Countdown to celebrate the event and support Asian-Canadian film productions. Reel Asian is a charitable non-profit organization that has been advocating for Asian representation in the media arts since 1997, click here to learn more about their work.

Singapore

Singapore has a variety of celebrations for Lunar New Year- the two significant events to look out for are the Chingay Parade by the Marina Bay Waterfront and the iconic River Hongbao . The former includes a multi-cultural parade with firecrackers, whereas the latter event includes a light festival with Chinese zodiac animals and a food market for visitors to enjoy traditional food.

Hong Kong SAR

Lunar New Year celebrations in Hong Kong are just as hectic as its regular activities. People prepare for the start of new year by visiting the flower market prior to the first day. The festival officially kicks off with a government representative paying visit to the temple on the first day, to pray for a good fortune on behalf of the city’s population. It is then followed by lion dances, New Year parade and fireworks show at night.

China

Lunar New Year is not only the biggest, but also the most important traditional festival in China. There is usually a 15-day holiday for 1.3 billion citizens to return home and celebrate the event- this massive festive migration is also called ChunYun. Lunar New Year customs vary in different places, as the country has 56 ethnic minorities alongside with the majority Han-Chinese ethnic group. Recent Years have seen an increase in the scale of festivities, with more performers and high-tech elements in the Lunar New Year gala.

Japan

Japan used to celebrate the Lunar New Year until the country switched their lunar calendar to the solar calendar in the 19th century. Regardless, Japanese people still celebrate the Lunar New Year for the benefit of tourists traveling to Japan. As one of the top travel destinations during Lunar New Year, cities such as Tokyo and Osaka often prepare shopping promotions and travel packages to meet increasing consumer demand. This year, companies and department stores also launched hassle-free mobile payment options to attract more tourists.

Philippines

The first known Lunar New Year celebrations in the Philippines were in the 16th century. As time goes by, the country’s Chinatowns are usually filled with dragon dances and firecrackers show on the first day of Lunar New Year. Filipinos also picked up the practice of gifting moon cakes and New Year’s rice cakes to their friends and families.

South Korea

Lunar New Year is also called Seollal in Korean. On the first day of Seollal, there are cultural activities and traditional performances in places such as Gyeongbokgung Palace. Families visit museums, folk villages to engage in traditional activities such as rice pounding, horse petting and trying on the traditional clothing (Hanbok).

Thailand

Although the Traditional Thai New Year, also called Songkran is in April, Bangkok is a popular location for those who celebrate Lunar New Year in Thailand . There are usually floral shows, light displays, stage shows and cultural performances at either the Chinatown in Bangkok or the Lumpini Park. However, the general public is less likely to wear bright-coloured clothing in town as the mourning period for King Bhumibol Adulyadej has recently ended.

United States

Lunar New Year is also an important festival in the United States, with events going on at places such as Asian Garden Festival in Little Saigon, Lion dances at Chinatown in Manhattan and a fireworks show in New York City.

Travel Trend during Lunar New Year

Despite the festivities, there is also a growing trend particularly in Asian countries to travel overseas during Lunar New Year. Family trips to other Asian destinations, or sometimes European countries, are increasing in popularity. People usually travel to make use of the relatively longer holidays they get from Lunar New year, or to avoid the stress of preparing new year activities.