The Lunar New Year is celebrated by all the different countries in the continent of Asia. This year, the zodiac animal is the year of the horse. The horse zodiac sign this year represents high speed and successful independence. The new year festivities start on Feb. 17 and end in March 3, which lasts for 15 days in total. The top Asian countries that celebrate the lunar new year are China, Vietnam, and South Korea. The Asian Heritage Club met last Tuesday to go over a slide show explaining all of this information and more. They are very active in ensuring that Damascus High School (DHS) Asian students feel heard and represented year-round, including during Lunar New Year. DHS math teacher and Asian Heritage Club sponsor Ms. Yee expressed how she came up with the celebration at
DHS by saying, “Lunar New Year is rooted deep in traditions like social gatherings, and the feeling of camaraderie. In order to portray the rich cultural festivities of the Lunar New Year, the central event would incorporate the cultural element of luck, which is deeply symbolized in tradition. Each bingo board had cultural elements and also encouraged social gathering. In addition, food also plays a big part in social gatherings to promote the traditional values of the Lunar New Year. We passed out Guava (traditional candy) to spread peace and prosperity among one another.”
They are planning on having an Asian Heritage Assembly soon to spread awareness to the community.
Social Media Manager, Jocelyn Fryer, expressed how she celebrated the Lunar New Year by “getting dressed up in traditional wear and bickering about which zodiac is better. Other than that, [they] spend most of the time in [their] own homes, trying to put leftovers in the fridge. [They] don’t follow any of the mainstream “traditions” like not washing hair, no cleaning or throwing anything away, and the need to wear red. [They] just enjoy the company of each other and warm food.” Fryer also shared how the AHC could “spread information about more cultures through [their] social media. [They] have also been trying to spread cultures through [their] meetings. [They] try to incorporate bits and pieces of each Asian culture to make sure everyone feels represented.”
China
In China, they believe in bad luck, and to get rid of the bad luck, they clean their house top to bottom to “cleanse the house.” Families also create and receive beautiful red envelopes that contain money that gets passed out to each family member. On the last night of the celebrations, people celebrate by blowing up fireworks and dancing. They also light up the houses with custom lanterns and eat foods such as rice balls and raw fish.
Vietnam
The week that the Lunar New Year takes place is called Tet. In preparation for the festivities, families in China clean their houses and replace objects. However, they do have their own fun-filled activities as well, such as planting red peach blossom trees in their backyard. After the new year, nuclear families don’t have many visitors entering the visibility of their house. This is because the first visitor to enter the house will set the overall tone for the new year. They eat rice cakes and candied fruits as a form of celebration. They also have the same tradition with the red envelopes being passed around the family members that were filled with money of any kind of sorts.
South Korea
During the New Year celebrations, Koreans wear traditional clothes and participate in Sebae. Sebae is a tradition where families gather to honor their elders by bowing respectfully and saying the phrase “Saehae bok mani badsaeyo.” In return for the respectful honoring of the elders, they smile back and give them red envelopes filled with money, similar to Vietnam and China. They also eat rice cakes as a sign of celebration and wealth.
What’s your Zodiac Animal?
Rat: 1996, 2008, 2020
Ox: 1997, 2009, 2021
Tiger: 1998, 2010, 2022
Rabbit: 1999, 2011, 2023
Dragon: 2000, 2012, 2024
Snake: 2001, 2013, 2025
Horse: 2002, 2014, 2026
Goat/Sheep: 2003, 2015, 2027
Monkey: 2004, 2016, 2028
Rooster: 2005, 2017, 2029
Dog: 2006, 2018, 2030
Pig: 2007, 2019, 2031
