Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year is this Saturday, February 10, 2024. Lunar New Year “is a celebration of the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar.” It is widely celebrated in countries like China, South Korea, Vietnam, and any other countries with “a significant overseas Chinese population”. You may find many colleagues who celebrate the holiday to be busy with festivities for quite some time around this time of year, as the events are spread out over a 11 day time period and end in a Lantern Festival, which takes place on February 24th. Festivities traditionally begin on the eve of the new year with an annual reunion dinner. You may also see those who celebrate lighting firecrackers and giving money to friends and family members in red paper envelopes.
The red envelope is an important detail as the color “symbolizes good luck and prosperity in Chinese (and other East Asian) cultures”. The amount of money within the envelope is usually dependent on the relationship between the person gifting and the person receiving the money. Parents and grandparents should expect the most money while colleagues and even casual acquaintances might still receive a red envelope just with a smaller amount of money inside.
The lanterns represent the end of the celebration. During the Lantern Festival, celebrants have tangyuan (sweet glutinous rice balls) and “children carry lanterns around the neighborhood at night” to mark the end of the festivities.
There is a 12-year cycle of Chinese zodiac signs that represent each year. 2024 is the year of the Dragon, which is the 5th animal in the 12 year cycle. If you were born in the year of the Dragon (1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, or 2012) and you’d like to read more about your Chinese Zodiac Sign, you can find more information here.
Houston Area Events
There are a few Lunar New Year events happening around Houston if you will be in town this weekend. The Texas Lunar Festival will be held this Saturday, February 10, from 10:30am-4:30pm at the Alief Career Center (12160 Richmond Ave, Houston, TX 77082). If you can’t make it in person, the event will also be televised through STV 21.8, streamed online at scdaily.com and also streamed through the app Southern News TV.
There will also be a Lunar New Year celebration presented by Discovery Green on Sunday, February 11th from 5pm-7pm at 1500 McKinney Street, Houston, TX 77010. This event will include “Lee’s Golden Dragon and other performers, crafts, and food vendors”.
The Chinese Community Center is also hosting a Lunar New Year celebration on Saturday, February 10, from 10am-4pm at their location (9800 Town Park Drive, Houston, TX 77036). “The Festival will kick off a series of exciting Asian Heritage seasonal programs that will highlight the culinary delights, artistic wonders, and ancient traditions of Asian cultures.”
Further Reading
Chinese New Year Taboos to Avoid
Lunar New Year 2024
The Lunar New Year: Rituals and Legends