Lunar New Year: celebrating the Year of the Tiger

The importance of the holiday and how people can honor it

ABBY CAVIZO / ASST. A&C EDITOR / THE USD VISTA

The new year brings promises of new beginnings, celebrations, and change. While many use the Gregorian Calendar to commemorate the new year, billions of others, most prominently in China and other East Asian cultures, honor the Lunar New Year. 

The holiday (also known as Chinese New Year) falls on a different date every year according to the lunar calendar. This year on Feb. 1, people around the world gathered to say goodbye to the Year of the Ox and hello to the “Year of the Tiger.” 

For those who do not know the special traditions of the Lunar New Year, the celebrations last up to two weeks and consist of customs that honor ancestors, protect against misfortune, and celebrate with large parades. 

Due to  COVID-19, many  could not celebrate in the traditional way. However, this did not stop people from partaking in certain  “COVID-safe” festivities. 

USD sophomore Riley Lim was thankful for the opportunity to spend the holiday at home with his family. As a Chinese-American, he loves participating in his family’s cultural traditions. 

“We have a lot of crazy different food that my grandma spends the entire day cooking,” Lim recalled. “After dinner, the married adults all give us red envelopes with money in it, and  we put it under our pillows for good luck, which is supposed to protect us for the year.”

USD  junior and member of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) marketing and publicity department, Leyun Yuan, had a similar experience.

“When we visit our relatives, the children will say ‘happy new year’ or give their best wishes for the year,” Yuan said. “Then, the elders will give them red envelopes.”

Red envelopes are exchanged for good luck. The giving and receiving of the red envelopes is a universal tradition. 

Wearing red throughout the celebratory period is highly encouraged for good fortune. Setting off fireworks, producing loud noises to help ward off evil spirits for 2022, and visiting ancestors’ graves and sending them prayers are other common ways to celebrate. 

The Lunar New Year also holds a great deal of significance to USD sophomore Kate Jordan and her family. To her, the holiday is all about spending time with family and honoring those who have moved on. 

“We celebrate by going to the temple for the first half of the day, making sure to pray and honor our loved ones who have passed,” Jordan said. “After fireworks are lit in the parking lots of all the Asian neighborhoods, everyone watches dragon dances performed by school kids.”

This year is the Year of the Tiger: a symbol for bravery and tenacity through the hard times. 

Everyone is encouraged to draw strength from the Tiger, welcoming change with an open mind and open arms. Each animal repeats every twelve years within the calendar, and they all represent different virtues. It’s a common belief that if it’s your birth year, the year will be extra lucky for you. 

Lim’s family takes pride in the fact that he has a family member born for all twelve of the zodiac animals. 

For those who don’t celebrate or don’t know much about the holiday, both Lim and Leyun recommend participating in the festivities by eating the food, spending time with friends, and educating yourself on the history and significance of this holiday. 

“In my culture, food is honestly such a big way of communicating. I think it’s really significant during the new year because it’s supposed to represent family and spending time with loved ones,” Lim said. “The best part of the Lunar New Year is that there’s no sense of judgement in the way you choose to celebrate because there’s not one way. Different families have different traditions; there’s solidarity and unity, but it’s also so diverse.”

There are multiple opportunities to immerse yourself in the new year. USD’s United Front Multicultural Commons held a “Lunar New Year Pop Up” on Wednesday, Feb. 9 from 2-3 p.m. at Colachis Plaza in order to spread information about the holiday. The “Chinese New Year Food and Cultural Fair” will be held from Sat. Feb. 12 at 10:00 a.m. to Feb. 13 at 7:00 p.m. located on the corner of 3rd Avenue and J Street in downtown San Diego. 

The House of China is hosting their annual “Chinese New Year Festival” at Balboa Park on Sat., Feb. 19, 11:00 a.m. to Sun., Feb 20, 4:00 p.m.

Yuan also mentioned that the CSSA had planned a traditional Lantern gala for the New Year, but because of COVID-19, the date is to be determined. 

If students would like to attend, the best way would be to follow @usdcssa on instagram for any updates about the event’s date. 

Attending any of these events paves a fun and educational way toward honoring another culture’s holiday traditions. 

As we welcome the New Year, may this Year of the Tiger further all your dreams of success and bring forth a fruitful 2022.