How Lunar New Year Is Celebrated Around Asia

From China to Korea, here's how different countries turn the final page of the lunar calendar.

Fact checked by Elizabeth MacLennan

When the Lunar New Year arrives each year, it brings a flood of fond memories for me. My family immigrated from Seoul to Canada when I was five years old, and my parents wanted to make sure I didn't forget my roots, or the importance of tradition — especially one as vital as Lunar New Year, which is called "Seollal" in Korean.

Seollal was just one way my parents tried to keep our heritage alive. I'm so grateful that they did things like sign me up for Sunday Korean school at church and encourage me to watch K-dramas or listen to K-pop music so I wouldn't forget my language. The stories they told me, the food we ate, and the traditions that were passed down all played an integral part in who I am today as a Canadian-Korean woman.

Contrary to what many people may think, Lunar New Year is not exclusively a Chinese holiday. True, it follows the Chinese Lunar calendar, but the holiday is celebrated across the whole continent, and each country has its own customs and traditions. Lunar New Year is most often celebrated by eating specific dishes, usually with family, and observing superstitions meant to bring good luck for the coming year. Here's how Lunar New Year is celebrated in throughout Asia.

Korea

In Korea, the Lunar New Year is a three-day event offering a chance to pay respect to ancestors and elders. In Korean culture, people have an official age based on their birthday, but they also historically had a Korean age, which started at one on the day they were born and increased every first day of the year after that.

We dress in traditional costumes (known as hanbok), and children show their respect to elders with deep bows (aka seh bae). As part of the celebration, children also receive money and words of wisdom for the forthcoming year. One photo I'll always cherish is of myself when I was about four years old, wearing a traditional, bright yellow hanbok and bowing to my grandparents for seh bae don (New Year's money).

After seh bae, we eat dishes like mandu (Korean dumplings) and dduk-guk (thinly sliced rice cake soup). Other holiday foods include mandu-guk (dumpling soup), galbijjim (braised beef short ribs), japchae (glass noodles), and ddeok (rice cakes).

There are also traditional games people play during the holiday. Yut Nori, a board game played with wooden sticks, is a fun way to celebrate, and yeonnalligi (kite-flying) is done for good luck.

China

Celebrations around China primarily take place on New Year's Eve, with families coming together to mark the occasion. It's custom to wear new clothes to ring in the new year, usually in the lucky colors, red and gold.

In northern China, traditional food eaten during Lunar New Year is made using flour, like baos, pancakes, noodles, and dumplings. Families often make these dishes from scratch. The dumplings are usually served with fish, as it symbolizes abundance for the year ahead, and sometimes contain a lucky coin that kids eagerly search for. Throughout China, family members give each other red envelopes with money as well.

Superstitions around this holiday include not buying new shoes and cleaning your house before the holiday, so that you don't wash away good luck at the start of the year. For that same reason, people also avoid cutting and washing their hair.

Vietnam

Lunar New Year in Vietnam is also known as T?t, and it's spent with family. Traditional Vietnamese sticky rice cake snacks like bánh Tét (a log-like, cylinder snack) and bánh ch?ng (a square cake), play a vital role in the celebrations. Bánh ch?ng is preferred in northern Vietnam, where it can be fried or steamed. Other dishes include c? ki?u (pickled scallion), tom kho (dried shrimp), and mut Tét (candied fruits).

Just like other countries, Vietnam has its own traditional attire — the áo dài — a silk tunic with slits on either side that's worn over pants by both men and women for the New Year. Most families go to the temple together to pray for good luck, health, and fortune. Some superstitions include paying off all your debts and cleaning your house before the new year, as well as not throwing anything away on New Year's Day, as it's considered to be getting rid of good luck. Children receive red envelopes with money from their older relatives, too.

Singapore

With an approximately 75 percent Chinese population, Singapore goes all out for Lunar New Year. Nian gao (sticky rice cakes) and pineapple tarts are enjoyed, as well as yusheng, a traditional raw fish salad that's associated with the holiday. Red envelopes that display the phrase "Fú" (meaning good luck) are distributed. It's also custom to pay respect to ancestors by going to a temple and lighting incense.

The annual Chingay Parade is an extravagant celebration that includes everything from giant floats to lion dancers. Meanwhile, the largest Chinese New Year festival in Singapore is the River Hongbao, which is hosted at different locations across the country.

Related: 20 Best Places to Spend New Year's Eve

Malaysia

In Malaysia, Lunar New Year welcomes spring. It lasts for 15 days, ending with a grand finale day called Chap Goh Mei. (Depending on your ethnic group, there are some specific days for celebration. For example, Hokkien New Year is observed on the ninth day of Chinese New Year.) The holiday gives families a reason to come together for an annual reunion dinner.

A traditional spread includes yee sang, a salad dish that represents good luck and prosperity; nian gao, the Chinese New Year's cake; and mandarin oranges, symbolizing good luck. Red pocket envelopes (known as ang pow) are given to children and unmarried family members. Many Buddhist families invite lion dancers to their homes to bless their altars and ward off bad spirits.

People in Malaysia don traditional outfits, called cheongsam (also known as qipao). They say that if you're celebrating your zodiac year, you should wear the color gold to attract even more abundance.

Taiwan

Taiwan is another country that strongly associates the holiday with food. Dumplings are the most popular dish, closely followed by pineapple. It's considered good luck to not eat all the fish and keep some leftovers from your holiday meals.

Most Taiwanese people spend time with family and their elders in their homes. They exchange red envelopes, and many neighborhoods set off fireworks.

Philippines

When the clock strikes midnight in the Philippines, you'll see children and adults jumping for joy, as it's thought to make you grow taller. The most traditional celebration is called Media Noche, a midnight feast to summon a year of prosperity. The table is usually full of round-shaped fruits — a tradition that originates from China — as the shape represents family unity.

The foods typically eaten during the holiday include sticky rice dishes, such as biko, bibingka, and nian gao, all believed to help bind families together. Pancit (long noodles) is also enjoyed to help bring a healthy, long life and good luck for the year ahead.

One of the most unique superstitions is that wearing polka dots will bring prosperity, money, and good fortune, because of their round shape. Fireworks are also set off to create loud noises that scare away bad spirits, while lights are turned on and windows and doors are left open. Many people avoid spending money on the first day of the year to encourage better finances.

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