Her crime? The “Chinese” that preceded “New Year.”Ī longstanding debate over the usage of “Chinese New Year” versus “Lunar New Year” has reignited in recent weeks as people around the world celebrated the holiday, with brands and celebrities coming under fire for using either phrase.Īdvocates of “Lunar New Year” point out that the holiday is celebrated by various countries, each with their own specific rituals, foods, histories and nuances – which are flattened and erased by an erroneous reference to “Chinese New Year.” A profuse apology followed two days later, in which she promised to “try to be more careful” and acknowledged the “hurt” she had caused. Although Japan officially adopted the Gregorian calendar, it still observes the Chinese zodiac calendar.Last week, K-pop singer Danielle Marsh asked her online fans what they were doing for Chinese New Year. In Okinawa, residents refer to the holiday as Soguwachi, and families pray and offer seasonal food to Buddha. 1.īut locals in the country’s major Chinatowns, like in Yokohama, Nagasaki, and Kobe still celebrate it, though on a much smaller scale. Shortly after the Meiji restoration of 1868, which signaled a major political transformation in Japan, the country adopted the 365-day, January-to-December Gregorian calendar, placing the civil and cultural Japanese New Year on Jan. Unlike China and many other countries in Asia, Japan as a society broadly doesn’t celebrate the Lunar New Year-although that wasn’t always the case. Japan has a different way of observing the Lunar New Year Originally, elders give these to children, but nowadays Vietnamese people can give it to anyone regardless of age.įor Koreans, older family members will give children who do their sebae, a traditional deep bow to wish good luck in the new year, New Year’s money called sebaet don, which are given out in traditional silk bags or envelopes. In Vietnam, the gifted money called tiền mừng tuổi is also placed inside red envelopes to wish people success, longevity, and growth. In South Korea, tteokguk, a broth with sticky rice cakes sliced into small circles, is served to represent longevity and prosperity-because the rice cakes look like coins. People in the Philippines, a predominantly Catholic nation with a significant Chinese population, may share tikoy, a sticky rice cake of Fujianese origin often fried in an egg batter the stickiness also represents close filial relations. Vietnam’s bánh chưng is a rice cake wrapped and twined in banana leaf that is traditionally prepared together as a family. Similarly, oranges are also a holiday staple because the Cantonese word for tangerine ( gam) sounds like the word for ‘gold’ ( gam).Īcross many cultures, sticky rice items are considered auspicious and some are emblematic of togetherness. For example, fish is a requirement at the Lunar New Year dinner table because in Mandarin Chinese, the word for fish ( yú), sounds like the word for “surplus” ( yú). Several Chinese dishes are served because of how they sound-thanks to the country’s homophonic languages. Food plays a special role during the Lunar New Yearĭuring the Lunar New Year, many food items are symbolic for luck and prosperity. So this year, when people in Vietnam celebrate the New Year or Tết Nguyên Đán, they will be ushering in the Year of the Cat, not the Rabbit. No one is sure how the cat appeared in Vietnam’s zodiac, but there is speculation that ancient local words for rabbit and cat sounded similar. Based on the original tale, the cat isn’t part of the Chinese zodiac because the rat had failed to inform the cat about the race after promising to do so. The zodiac animals are a little different, however, in Vietnam: the ox is replaced with the water buffalo, and the rabbit with the cat. Traditional practices like feng shui, the Chinese philosophy of managing the flow of energy in the home, are also often aligned with the Zodiac year. People born in the Year of the Rabbit are generally thought to be gentle, quick-witted, and easygoing, though they also are said to be hesitant and timid. Different personality traits and annual fortunes are ascribed to people born in each Zodiac year. Those born in 2011, 1999, 1987, 1975, and so on (every 12 years) were also born in Years of the Rabbit. This year represents the Year of the Rabbit. According to the legend, the animals crossed a rapidly-flowing river to get to the finish line in the following order: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. The order of the rotation is based on the tale of a “Great Race” of animals staged by the Jade Emperor-a revered god in Chinese mythology. There are 12 zodiac animals, each assigned a year, on a rotating basis. 22 this year ushers in the Year of the Rabbit.
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