I followed all of these traditions this year because I want good luck in the year of the snake.
For thousands of years, people in China and Chinese-influenced cultures have been celebrating the Lunar New Year. People used a different calendar than we do today that followed the lunar (moon) cycle. This means that every year, the LNY is on a different date. This year it was on January 29th but next year it will be on February 17th and will be the year of the horse.
Celebrating the new year is a time to celebrate ancestors, and gods as well as to take the opportunity for a fresh start. We all need time to reset! It is a time for giving thanks and gathering with family and friends. While Taiwan uses the same calendar as we do in the United States for daily life, they still celebrate this ancient and important tradition.
This tradition is very closely linked to the cycles of the moon! That is where it got its name of Lunar New Year. The holiday always lands on a new moon which means there is no moon visible in the sky. Usually, it happens on the second new moon after the winter solstice. The winter solstice happens in December and is the longest night of the year for the northern hemisphere which is where China (and the United States) are located. This new moon symbolizes a fresh start. A common theme of the Lunar New Year festivities is the fresh start that it brings.
