WYOMING — Tuesday, Feb. 17, is Lunar New Year, which marks the beginning of the lunar calendar. The date also marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year, kicking off an annual 16-day celebration in China.
This will be the Year of the Horse, according to Chinese zodiac. It follows the Year of the Snake and precedes the Year of the Goat. Countries in Asia that celebrate the Lunar New Year include China, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam 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 considered the most important holiday in China.
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. The Lunar New Year marks the transition of these zodiac signs. Every year, the animal is paired with one of the five earthly elements (metal, water, wood, fire and earth); this year will be the Year of the Fire Horse.
Recent years of the Horse include 2014, 2002, 1990, 1978, 1966 and 1954. The Year of the Horse will be back again in 2038. The Fire Horse rolls around every 60 years, with the last appearance happening in 1966.
According to Chinesenewyear.net, the horse represents confidence and motivation, and those born during these years are thought to be energetic and free spirits. Horses are celebrated for their intelligence and physical and mental toughness. According to Today, the fire horse is considered charismatic and powerful, and portends an action-oriented, fast-paced year.
Chinese New Year
The exact origin is unknown, but historians date the first Chinese New Year back some 3,500 years. During the Shang Dynasty, people held sacrificial ceremonies in honor of gods and ancestors at the beginning and 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.
In the Wei and Jin dynasties, apart from worshipping gods and ancestors, the celebrations shifted toward entertainment. The customs of a family getting together to clean their house, have dinner and stay up late on New Year’s Eve originated among common people and is still a part 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 Jan. 1.
In 1949, the Chinese New Year was renamed the Spring Festival and became a national holiday. During the Chinese New Year celebration, 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 16 days until the full moon, which is celebrated with the Festival of Lanterns.
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 Tuesday, March 3.
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 modern festival celebrated by lighting lanterns that are 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.
This article runs annually.
