One Lunar Calendar, Many Celebrations
The Lunar New Year — also known as the Spring Festival — is one of the most widely observed holidays in the world. Based on the traditional lunisolar calendar, it falls on a different date each year in late January or February. While the occasion is shared across much of Asia, the way it is celebrated varies enormously from country to country, shaped by distinct histories, religions, and local customs.
China: Chūnjié (春节)
In China, the Spring Festival is the biggest holiday of the year — a 15-day celebration culminating in the Lantern Festival. Key traditions include:
- Family reunion dinners on New Year's Eve, featuring dumplings (jiǎozi) in the north and fish, which symbolizes abundance, across the country.
- Red envelopes (hóngbāo) filled with money given to children and unmarried adults as tokens of good luck.
- Fireworks and firecrackers to ward off evil spirits — though many cities now restrict these for safety and environmental reasons.
- Lion and dragon dances performed in streets and shopping centers to bring good fortune.
The holiday triggers what is considered the largest annual human migration on earth, as hundreds of millions travel home for the celebrations.
Vietnam: Tết Nguyên Đán
Vietnam's equivalent, Tết, shares some similarities with Chinese customs but has its own distinct character. Vietnamese families clean their homes to sweep out the bad luck of the old year, and streets are lined with vivid yellow hoa mai (apricot blossom) in the south or pink hoa đào (peach blossom) in the north.
Traditional Tết foods include bánh chưng — sticky rice cakes filled with pork and mung beans, wrapped in banana leaves. Visiting family tombs and making offerings to ancestors is also a central part of the holiday. Notably, Vietnamese people pay close attention to who the first visitor of the year is, as this person is believed to set the tone for the year ahead.
Korea: Seollal (설날)
In Korea, Seollal is a deeply ancestral holiday. Families gather to perform charye — a formal ancestral rite where food offerings are laid out on a table for the spirits of deceased relatives. After the ceremony, family members bow in a traditional deep bow called sebae to their elders and receive blessings and gifts of money (sebaetdon) in return.
Traditional foods for Seollal include tteokguk, a soup made with sliced rice cakes. Eating it is said to symbolically add a year to one's age — so the question "Have you eaten your tteokguk?" is a lighthearted way of asking if someone has officially entered the new year.
Mongolia: Tsagaan Sar (Цагаан Сар)
Mongolia's White Moon festival is a quieter but deeply meaningful holiday. Families dress in traditional deel garments and visit relatives in strict order, starting with the eldest. Guests receive airag (fermented mare's milk), mutton, and stacks of fried dough pastries called ul boov, which are arranged in towers symbolizing mountains of prosperity.
Shared Themes Across Borders
Despite the regional differences, some themes unite Lunar New Year celebrations across Asia:
- Family reunion — the holiday is fundamentally about coming together with loved ones.
- Ancestor veneration — honoring those who came before is central in many cultures.
- Food as symbol — specific dishes carry meanings of luck, longevity, and prosperity.
- New beginnings — cleaning the home, wearing new clothes, and settling debts before the new year begins.
Experiencing Lunar New Year as a Visitor
If you have the opportunity to be in Asia during Lunar New Year, it's an extraordinary cultural experience — but plan ahead. Many businesses close for several days, transport is heavily booked, and popular sights can be extremely crowded. Embrace the energy, accept any red envelopes you're offered graciously, and be ready to eat — a lot.