Made up of shredded fruit and vegetables – such as carrot, ginger and pomelo – and topped with raw fish, usually salmon, the salad is placed in the middle of the table.ĭiners gather around the plate, chopsticks at the ready, tossing the ingredients and the dressing together and sharing new year wishes with their fellow diners. In Malaysia and Singapore, yee sang is a popular appetiser to get the celebrations under way. Red lanterns hang across the courtyard of Kuala Lumpur’s Thean Hou Temple ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrations ![]() The most important part of the celebration is the “Reunion Dinner” when the family gathers on the eve of the new year to enjoy a banquet with dishes chosen not only for their taste but for what they symbolise. How is the festival celebrated?Ĭustoms and traditions often differ depending on country and the Chinese dialect the family speaks, but for everyone everywhere family and food are central to the Lunar New Year. It was also the start of the Arab Spring protests and the year the United States announced it had killed Al al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.įamous people born in the Year of Rabbit include scientist Albert Einstein, footballer David Beckham, actress Angelina Jolie and her fellow actor and ex-husband Brad Pitt. More than 22,000 people were killed and the Fukushima nuclear plant destroyed. The last rabbit year was in 2011 when northeastern Japan was rocked by a tsunami triggered by one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded. But each person’s prospects for the year and in life are also influenced by the “five elements” of wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Each zodiac animal also has a raft of lucky colours, numbers and directions. The rabbit – and anyone born in a rabbit year – is seen as quiet and thoughtful. The rabbit year will start on Sunday and come to an end on February 9, 2024. The zodiac is seen as crucial to understanding people, their health, wealth and love lives. The dragon is seen as the most auspicious sign and there is often a spike in births during dragon years. The Chinese zodiac is made up of 12 animals, starting with the rat and running through the ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. In Malaysia, for example, the 15th day is known as Chap Goh Mei (15th night) in the Hokkien dialect and is when young, single women throw oranges daubed with their name and contact number into the sea in the hope it will be found by the partner of their dreams. The New Year celebration usually ends with the Lantern Festival although some countries have their own traditions as well. Lunar New Year only became a nationwide public holiday in 2002, four years after Soeharto was toppled. They were forced to give up Chinese-style names and their own language, and not allowed to celebrate the festival openly. In Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country, millions of citizens of Chinese descent endured decades of discrimination during former President Soeharto’s repressive rule. ![]() Kumquat trees are popular – and auspicious – decorations to mark the Lunar New Year Vietnam also has its own zodiac, which does not include the rabbit, so it will celebrate the arrival the Year of the Cat. Vietnam calls the festival “Tet”, South Korea, “Seollal” and Indonesia, “Imlek”. Many cities around the region will be far quieter than usual. There are also raucous celebrations in Cambodia, even though it is not an official holiday there.īusinesses and government offices will close for seven days of public holidays in China and at least a few days elsewhere. The event is also celebrated in Taiwan, Mongolia, Vietnam and many countries in Southeast Asia – such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. In China, the 15-day celebration is also known as the Spring Festival and is the most important holiday of the year. This year, the celebrations start on January 22. The Lunar New Year, as its name suggests, is based on the cycles of the Moon and falls on a different day each year – usually between late January and the middle of February. ![]() Here’s what you need to know: What is the Lunar New Year? But it is also an important event for people of Chinese descent in places such as Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore, as well as for Vietnamese and Koreans.īut what is the Lunar New Year and how is it celebrated? ![]() Many of those welcoming the Lunar New Year are from China, where the festival is marked by a week of public holidays. Hundreds of millions of people from around the world are about to celebrate the Lunar New Year and the arrival of the Year of the Rabbit.
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