WYOMING — Today, Feb. 1 is the start of the 2022 Lunar New Year. Countries in Asia that celebrate the Lunar New Year include China, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. In Korea, Lunar New Year is called Seollal; in Vietnam, Tet; and in Tibet, Losar. Also known as the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, it is the most important holiday in China.

In the past, the University of Wyoming Chinese Student and Scholar Association has hosted a Chinese New Year celebration but events have been canceled this year because of COVID-19. Wyoming Public Radio’s Naina Rao interviewed students at the University of Wyoming about their experiences.

Chinese New Year

The exact origin is unknown but historians date the first Chinese New Year back some 3,500 years ago.  During the Shang Dynasty, people held sacrificial ceremonies in honor of gods and ancestors at the beginning of the end of each year. The date of the festival, the first day of the first month in the Chinese lunar calendar, was fixed during the Han Dynasty.

group of people standing near stage
Photo: Lalitphat Phunchuang

In the Wei and Jin dynasties, apart from worshiping gods and ancestors, the celebrations shifted toward entertainment. The customs of a family getting together to clean their house, having dinner, and staying up late on New Year’s Eve originated among common people and is still apart of traditional Chinese New Year celebrations.

In 1912, the Chinese government abolished the Chinese New Year and the lunar calendar, adopting the Gregorian calendar. The official start of the new year was moved to January 1.  

In 1949, the Chinese New Year was renamed the Spring Festival and became a national holiday. According to National Geographic, Chinese New Year is “the largest annual human migration in the entire world.” China holds 1.4 billion people or 18.4 percent of the world’s total population. Every year, nearly three billion people travel across the country, returning to their hometowns.

During the Chinese New Year celebrations, people can be seen wearing red, which represents prosperity, happiness, and luck, protecting those who wear red from misfortune and the unknowns of the new year.

Marked by the new moon, the festivities last about 15 days until the full moon, which is celebrated with the Festival of Lanterns. 

A new moon occurs when the moon is on the same side of Earth as the sun. New moons cross the sky with the sun during the day, and the moon’s shadow side is pointed toward Earth. A new moon is visible only during a solar eclipse.

Festival of Lanterns

The Festival of Lanterns falls on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese calendar year and the first full moon of the year. This year the full moon and Festival of Lanterns is on Feb. 15.

At the beginning of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Emperor Hanmingdi was an advocate of Buddhism. He heard that some monks lit lanterns in the temples to show respect to Buddha on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. He ordered that all temples, households, and royal palaces should light lanterns for the full moon. The custom evolved into the festival celebrated to this day of lighting and appreciating lanterns, decorated in traditional Chinese symbols and imagery. The lantern festival holds cultural, spiritual, and historical significance.

Dancers perform the traditional lion and dragon dances during the festival, to ward off evil and pray for good fortune and safety. In Chinese culture, the lion is a symbol of bravery and strength and was thought to drive away evil and protect people and their livestock. 

The year of the Tiger

2022 is the year of the Tiger. The Chinese calendar is on a 12-year cycle, with each year linked to one of a dozen animals — the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

In Chinese culture, the tiger is the symbol of bravery, wisdom and strength. The last year of the Tiger was in 2010. In the past century, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986 and 1998 were all Tiger years.

Traits attributed to people born in the year of the tiger are natural leaders, bravery, thrill-seekers, and attention-craving.

“They are courageous and energetic, love a challenge or competition and are prepared to take risks,” according to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. “They can also be rebellious, short-tempered and outspoken, preferring to give orders rather than take them, which often leads to conflict.”

Chinese astrologers warn that the year might be challenging for someone during years that match their zodiac sign. In China, many will even go so far as to wear red each day of the year to help ward off bad luck.

Lindsay is a contributing reporter covering a little bit of everything; with an interest in local policies and politics, the environment and amplifying community voices. She's curious about uncovering the "whys" of our region and aims to inform the community about the issues that matter. In her free time, you can find her snowboarding, cooking or planning the next surf trip.