Did you noticed a red supebundance lately? From clothing stores to the streets of cities, the burning tone will be very highlighted in the coming days.
It is all part of the fun, as the world is preparing to celebrate the Lunar New Year, considered the most important event of the year in China and the Chinese communities across the planet.
Marking the first new moon of the lunar calendar, falls on January 29, 2025, starting the 15 days of the Spring Festival. Celebrations vary depending on the country or the region, but there are some common traditions.
If you are not familiar with the occasion or need to refresh ideas, this guide to start the year of the serpent has everything it needs.
Why is this the year of the serpent?
Incredibly complex, the Chinese zodiac calendar is better described as a 12 -year cycle represented by 12 animals, by this order: ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, serpent, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig .
Its animal sign of the personal zodiac is determined by yours, which means that 2025 will welcome many snake babies. Children born in the last year of the lunar calendar were dragons, while those born in the Lunar New Year of 2026 or then will be horses, and so on.
Serpent -shaped facilities dazzle visitors to the 2025 Yuyuan Garden Lantern festival in Shanghai. Photo VCG/AP
Followers believe that for each Chinese zodiac sign, luck will depend on most of Tai Sui’s positions – a collective name for the stellar deities that are thought to be spinned in parallel and in the opposite direction to Jupiter.
The masters of geomance can interpret the data differently, but there is usually a consensus on the meaning of the year for each zodiac animal based on stars positions.
For many followers, Lunar New Year is the ideal time to visit a temple and make blessings, depending on what stars have to say about their particular zodiac sign for the coming months. (More about this below).
Why turn on fire fire and use red? Meet NIAN
There are numerous popular tales associated with the Lunar New Year, but Nian’s myth stands out as one of the most fun.
According to the legend, all the eve of the Lunar New Year, this fierce underwater beast, with sharp teeth and horns, crawled to terra firme and attacked a nearby village.
On one of these occasions, as the villagers hid, an mysterious old man appeared and insisted on staying around despite warnings of imminent misfortune.
To the surprise of the villagers, the old man and the village survived completely unharmed.
The man claimed to have chased Nian hanging red bands on his door, lighting fire fire and wearing red clothes.
It is for this reason that the use of this burning color, along with the placement of bands and the lighting of fire fire, are New Year’s traditions that are still followed today.
The preparations
Funning apart, the Lunar New Year can indeed be very laborious. The festivities often last 15 days – sometimes even more – with different tasks and activities taking place during this period.
It all starts about a week before the New Year.
The festive cakes and puddings are made on the 24th day of the last month lunar (January 23, in 2025). Why? The word for cakes and puddings is ‘gao’ in mandarin and ‘gou’ in Cantonese, who have the same sound as the word to ‘tall’.
This means that eating these goodies will lead to improvements and growth the following year. (If you haven’t prepared your own gou, here is one, a well -appreciated dish in the Lunar New Year).
And don’t forget our friend Nian. No preparation for the Lunar New Year would be complete without the mentioned suspension of red bands with auspicious idioms and idioms (called ‘Fai Chun’ in Cantonese and ‘Chunlian’ in Mandarin) at home – starting with the front door.
These will have a double function – keep Nian away and invite to good luck.
Some of the preparation works are not so pleasant. Many believe that a great cleaning at home should be done on the 28th day of the last Lunar month, which this year is picking on January 27.
The goal is to rid the house of any luck accumulated during the last year. Some believers do not even sweep or lay out garbage during the first five days of the new year, fearing that this can lie down all the recent good luck.
On the other hand, many say that you should not wash or cut their hair on the first day of the Chinese New Year.
Why? Because the Chinese character for the word “hair” is the first character of the word “prosperity.” Therefore, washing or cutting your hair is seen how to wash your luck.
Lunar New Year’s Eve: The Great Party
On the eve of the Lunar New Year, which this year is coming to 28 January, a great dinner with the whole family is usually held.
The menu is carefully chosen to include dishes associated with luck, including fish (the Chinese word for this dish also sounds “surplus”), puddings (which symbolize progress) and foods that resemble gold ingots (such as those dumplings).
In China, foods served at these classic dinners range from north to south. For example, the northern Chinese tends to eat dumpling dumplings and noodles, while southern Chinese cannot live without steam cooked rice.
New Year’s parties lunar can be very different outside China. In Malaysia and Singapore, meetings are not complete without a noisy and chaotic to “throw prosperity”, or Yusheng, when diners move and throw vegetable chopsticks cut into fine slices and raw fish before the meal.
Lunar New Year: Family visits and red packages
The early days of the Lunar New Year, especially the first two days, are often a test to resistance, appetite and social capabilities, as many people have to travel and visit direct family members, other relatives and friends.
The bags are full of gifts and fruits to distribute at the home of others. Visitors, in turn, receive a shower of gifts after exchanging conversations about the new year’s treats.
In many families, married people are expected to give red packages full of money to those who have not yet given the knot-both children and single young people.
These envelopes are believed to be known as ‘Hongbao’/’Lai See’-can protect children, removing the evil spirits, called ‘Sui’.
Other countries have their own traditions. In South Korea, for example, the Lunar New Year Festival is called ‘Seollal’. The first three days are filled with honors to ancestors, festive games and foods like rice cakes (‘tteokguk’) and pancakes (‘Jeon’).
Day 3: Visit a temple
The third day of the Lunar New Year (which, in 2025, falls on January 31) is called ‘Chi Kou’/’Cek Hau’, or Red Boca.
Discussions are believed to be more likely on this day, so some people avoid social interactions and visit the temples to make offerings and thus compensate for any potential bad luck.
As already mentioned, for many people, it is a time when the stars are consulted to know what will happen in the coming months.
Every year, certain signs of the Chinese zodiac have conflicted with the stars negatively, so temples visits are considered a good way to resolve these conflicts and bring peace in the coming months.
Day 7: The Birthday of the People
The seventh day of the Lunar New Year is said to be the day when Chinese mother goddess, Nuwa, created humanity. Therefore, it is called ‘Renri’/’Jan Jat’ (the birthday of the people).
Different communities in Asia serve several “birthday” dishes that day.
For example, the Cantonese eat dishes made with seven types of vegetables. In Malaysia and Singapore, the “launch of prosperity” can appear at the tables.
Day 15: The Lantern Festival
High point of the entire Spring Festival, it happens on the 15th and last day (February 12, 2025).
Called ‘Yuan Xiao Jie’ in Mandarin, it is considered the perfect ending for preparations and celebrations of the Lunar New Year, which last weeks.
The Lantern Festival celebrates the first full moon of the year – hence the name (‘yuan’ means beginning; ‘xiao’ means night).
Marks winter departure and early spring.
On this day, people light lanterns to symbolize the elimination of darkness and bring hope to the coming year.
In the old Chinese society, it was the only day girls could go out to admire the lanterns and meet the boys. As a result, he was also nicknamed Chinese Valentine’s Day.
Nowadays, cities around the world are still performing huge flashlights and fairs on the last day of the festival.
