It's the Year of the Tiger! Happy Lunar New Year!

Happy Year of the Tiger!

It’s the Lunar New Year, commonly known as “Chinese New Year,” but also a time of celebration throughout several Asian nations. For more than a billion people around the world, it’s considered one of the most important holidays of the year.

Businesses typically close for multiple days during the festive time. This can cause manufacturing backups and shipping delays for products exported to other countries. In some cases, the firms don’t reopen until after the Lantern Festival held on the 15th day of the lunar month.

So what is this unique holiday, and how is it celebrated?

The term “Chinese New Year is a misnomer. China observes the same Gregorian calendar as the rest of the world. The holiday’s official name in China is Spring Festival, and as noted, other Asian countries celebrate it as well.

The start of the holiday varies each year. It begins on the second new moon after the winter solstice. For 2022, it begins February 1. The holiday typically lasts several days, and will conclude this year on February 15 with the Lantern Festival. It’s a time for family, food, fireworks and festivities.

Why “Year of the Tiger”?

That comes from the Chinese zodiac. Each year represents one of 12 animals, similar to the sun signs of the Western zodiac. Each animal represents specific traits. The tiger is considered the king of all beasts, and represents strength, bravery, and natural leadership.

One popular legend of how the animals came to be in the positions that they occupy is that the Jade Emperor (a powerful deity) summoned all the animals to a great race across the river. The order in which they finished would determine their position in the zodiac. The animals finished as follows:

Rat: Won by jumping onto the back of the Ox to cross the river,  then jumping off at the finish ahead of:

Ox: who finished second.

Tiger: who was quite swift, but was carried slightly off course by the river current.

Rabbit: floated across the river on a log. Aided by:

Dragon: who paused to rescue villagers in distress, then saw the Rabbit struggling and blew the log safely to shore.

Snake: Wrapped itself around the leg of Horse, then startled the Horse enough to finish ahead of it.

Horse: finished seventh.

Sheep: Collaborated with Monkey and Rooster to float across the river on a raft. Sprinted to eighth place.

Monkey: took ninth place.

Rooster: finished 10th

Dog: Was playful during the race, was overtaken by the first 10, finishing 11th.

Pig: Stopped for food, took a nap, and sauntered into the final zodiac position.

*Cat: Asked Rat to wake it up for the race. Rat failed to do so, and Cat was too late to enter the race. Sorry, Al Stewart, but that’s why there is no Year of the Cat. Of course, you could say the Year of the Tiger is really the Year of the (Big) Cat!

(source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zd9nd6f)

How is the New Year Celebrated?

The Lunar New Year typically is a time for travel to visit loved ones. Large parades and gatherings are popular. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic temporarily curbed much of that tradition in 2021. But to the extent they can do so safely, families and friends still gather and share traditional foods of the holiday.

Much is made of food names that sound like similar words for prosperity. For example, fish dishes are popular in China because the Chinese word for fish sounds similar to the word for “surplus.” In a similar vein, long noodles symbolize a long life.

Traditions vary among nations, of course. Vietnamese families show respect for ancestors by placing a tray of sweets at a family altar.

In China, gift-giving is also popular. Children often receive red envelopes containing “New Year’s money.” Parades are colorful, featuring costume lions, dragons and other creatures, as well as fireworks. Abundance is a theme in many ways, with high hopes for the new year. One should not wash their hair on New Year’s Day to avoid washing prosperity away. Use of sharp objects such as scissors, needles, and knives is to be avoided to prevent cutting abundance or luck. Sweeping is also discouraged, so as not to sweep away good luck.

With that, we wish you a happy and prosperous Year of the Tiger!