Lunar New Year 2022: Why is this holiday celebrated by 2 billion people around the world?

February 2, 2022 Events & Announcements

February 1, 2022 is the most important day in the Chinese calendar with the start of the Lunar New Year. This event is not only relevant in Asia, but also in other countries where this Chinese tradition is respected and celebrated. During this time, it is common to see parades, chants and outdoor celebrations, but these have currently been suspended in several territories due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

There seems to be a lot of confusion as to if the Lunar New Year and the Chinese New Year is the same thing. The answer is yes, they are equivalent. It is called Lunar New Year because it begins with the rise of the second new moon, after the winter solstice. Other communities prefer to call it the Spring Festival. All the activities that are organized are to say goodbye to the old year and attract luck and abundance for the new period that is about to begin.

Celebrating around the world
Throughout East Asia, countries also celebrate the new year according to the same lunar calendar. In Vietnam, that day is called Tt Nguyên án, or Tt, which means First Day First Morning Festival. People clean their houses and decorate them with fresh flowers, such as peach blossoms and kumquats. The pink of the peach blossom represents energy and the kumquat represents prosperity.

In North and South Korea, Seollal is celebrated, which lasts three days. Korean families serve food to ancestors in a ritual called Charye, to gain their blessings for the coming year. In South Korea, canned meat has become a favorite New Year’s gift, with people paying up to $75 for gift baskets.