By Jill Lowe
Celebrated in several Asian countries, the New Year or Spring Festival in 2024 will mark the end of the Year of the Rabbit and the beginning of the Year of the Dragon, being driven by the Zodiac chart. It falls on different dates each year, based on lunar phases, solstices and equinoxes. Three overarching themes of Lunar New Year are “fortune, happiness and health” Traditionally New Year celebration, dating back 3500 years, was a time to honor deities as well as ancestors, today is focussed on the family reunions.
Thus, at the holiday time many millions of Chinese nationals travel to family (some statistics cite 2.1 billion domestic journeys, with some predictions for 2024 to be 6 billion visits). Very often workers in large cities return to their primary families where grandparents have been raising their children for the previous year. This migration or spring travel rush is known as chunyun.
The 12 zodiac signs of animals
have lucky meanings. Each
zodiac sign is rotated so that
each animal comes around
every twelve years.
Many customs are observed in the Lunar New Year, some having been observed for thousands of years. Look for a fuller list of customs here. Some popular customs are:-
Spring Festival Couplets which can be traced back over 1000 years. The couplets are painted with calligraphy on paper, and typically pasted on doorways to include two vertical scrolls two sides of the door and a horizontal scroll on the top.
Spring festival Couplets Photo courtesy Elizabeth Jia
Pasting the “Fu” character meaning good fortune or happiness. This custom involves pasting the “fu” on a gate or door during Lunar New Year.
Photo courtesy Elizabeth Jia
The custom of giving of Red Envelopes is extremely prevalent and popular. The “lucky money” is usually given after a reunion dinner and amount of money contained is ever increasing.
Decorating with lanterns and paper cut designs using auspicious words or patterns, is a custom for decorating inside the house and out.
Photo courtesy Elizabeth Jia
Paper cut design for Year of the Dragon
Meet Elizabeth Jia, so accomplished in calligraphy, painting, dressmaking, flower arranging, graphic design and cooking. (Likely these are the activities Elizabeth accomplished before lunch, so prolific are her skills.)
Elizabeth, a Chinese national came to Chicago in 2010. She is a member of the ”Chinese Calligraphers and Painters Federation” a national level organization. She is Vice President of the “US-China Culture and Art Center” in Chicago.
Sharing with me some of her childhood customs for Lunar New Year, you can get a glimpse into the rich traditions associated with this spring festival, as well as Elizabeths’s extraordinary, extensive skills and style.
Elizabeth R Jia
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Food is central to New Year Celebrations and fish and dumplings are central to the menu.
Elizabeth’s Lunar New Year Menu from a previous year:
Year of the Rabbit Menu from 2023
Elizabeth talked to me about some of the foods she will cook for the Lunar New Year and explained how she makes her dumplings.
For the Dumplings, being so important in New Year menus, Elizabeth uses special colorings ordered from China, to form “Monet” like dumplings for the special New Year’s menu.
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Restaurants often offer dumpling making classes.
Luna Lu Restaurant in Sydney offers dumpling making classes.
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The Golden Garlic symbolizes wealth and opportunity.
There are 14 main days for celebrating Lunar New Year and red and gold are the colors worn.
Here below is a selection of outfits Elizabeth will wear for the Year of the Dragon.
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…and another outfit for the celebration
Decorating with New Year Flowers is a popular custom. One such flower, grown in water, the Water Fairy Flower – “Narcissus tazetta subsp. chinensis (M.Roem.) Masamura & Yanagih” has been in China for over a thousand years, and was grown by Elizabeth’s family when she was a child.
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I was grateful for Elizabeth’s generosity on sharing with me some special aspects of Lunar New Year.
At the end of the Lunar New Year Celebrations is a Lantern Festival. Taking many forms in different Asian countries, and weather dependent, some lanterns are lit and sent to the sky.
Lunar New Year merchandise may still be available.
Paspaley Year of The Dragon Dive Charm with a 20mm pearl
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Chicago celebrates Lunar New Year 2024
The parade will begin at 1:00 pm at the intersection of 24th Street and Wentworth Avenue, and travel north on Wentworth towards the viewing stand at Cermak and Wentworth.
As part of the annual rhythm of Chicago, the Lunar New Year Celebrations include private gatherings and as well as the parades, rituals and traditions : sometimes dumpling making classes at Asian restaurants in Chicago are offered. There will special menus at Chinese restaurants.
THIS IS THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON
Notes, Links, further reading
Photo of Jill : Joe Mazza Bravelux inc.
Photos copyright © 2024 Jill Lowe. All rights reserved
Images with Shutterstock license
Chicago Chinatown Community Foundation
