3 minute read | By: Dustin Khong
“View a glimpse of the colorful array of festivals that honor the heritage and roots of the communities that make us whole.”
How Asian Communities Celebrate the Coming of a New Year
Lunar New Year celebrations are major calendar events for Utah’s Asian communities.
Celebrations are also known as the Spring Festival in China, (simplified Chinese: 春节; traditional Chinese: 春節), as Seollal (설날) in Korea, and the “Tết New year” (short for Tết Nguyên Đán) in Vietnam.
Each community celebrates the traditional festival in their own way, but all sponsor vibrant and joyous events, welcoming the Asian communities with those curious to welcome the beginning of the lunar calendar.
One of the highlights of Utah’s Lunar New Year celebrations are vibrant street parades featuring colorful lion and dragon dances or processions of community members in traditional dress.
Many local Asian businesses host dragon or lion dance companies during the holiday to parade through dining halls, pantomiming eating lettuce hanging from the ceiling. Dancers also are likely to hand out traditional red envelopes (also called: Red Packet, Hongbao, Ang Pau; traditional Chinese: 紅包; simplified Chinese: 红包) to spectators.
In some countries, Lunar New Year celebrations include family reunions and other events that can last as long as two weeks. Homes are decorated with lavish red paper crafts and adorned with gold motifs that symbolize the entrance of a new year filled with good health, prosperity, and good fortune.
Many Korean families also participate in Charye (차례, 茶禮), a traditional ritual where food is prepared to serve as an offering to ancestors. Eumbok (음복, 飮福) is the finale of the practice, where the family gathers for a feast, seeking the blessings of their ancestors for a prosperous new year. Variations of this ritual might sound familiar to Chinese and Vietnamese communities, as well.
Preparations for Lunar New Year celebrations typically begin weeks in advance. The Cambodian/Khmer often spotlights colorful beautifully arranged flowers, abundant fruits, and banners made from paper crafts.
Learn more about planned Lunar New Year celebrations, which typically take place in January or February, timed with the new moon:
- Utah Chinese New Year Celebration Committee
- Wat Buddhikaram – Utah Cambodian Community Buddhist Temple
- Vietnamese American Community of Utah — Community Advisory Council
- Utah Chinese Association
- Jung Hing Lion Dance Club
- Vietnamese American Student Association — University of Utah
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More festivals and celebrations may be added as part of Magnify Utah’s dynamic resource building.