Thursday, March 27, 2025
Children and families gathered at the North Bellmore Public Library to celebrate Lunar New Year with a festive story time, featuring traditional tales, music and crafts. The event on Jan. 29 brought the community together to learn about the holiday’s rich cultural traditions while ushering in a year of good fortune and prosperity.
Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, marks the beginning of the lunar calendar. Celebrated by millions worldwide, particularly in China and other East and Southeast Asian countries, the holiday typically lasts 15 days, culminating with the Lantern Festival. This year marks the Year of the Dragon, a zodiac sign associated with ambition, courage, and passion.
The holiday’s origins date back thousands of years, rooted in agrarian traditions and legends. One well-known tale tells of Nian, a mythical beast that terrorized villages until it was driven away by loud noises, bright lights, and the color red — elements now central to the celebrations. During Lunar New Year, families gather to share meals, exchange red envelopes filled with money for good luck, and clean their homes to sweep away bad fortune. Other traditions include setting off firecrackers, honoring ancestors, and displaying decorations such as red lanterns and paper cutouts symbolizing happiness and prosperity.
The Year of the Snake began on Jan. 29 in the Chinese zodiac cycle. The Chinese zodiac is based on a 12-year cycle, with each year associated with an animal that reflects certain personality traits and characteristics. The Snake, the sixth animal in the zodiac, is often seen as a symbol of wisdom, intuition, and elegance. Those born in the Year of the Snake are thought to be deep thinkers, resourceful, and mysterious
The Spring Festival is celebrated by millions worldwide, particularly in East and Southeast Asian countries, where the holiday typically lasts 15 days, culminating with the Lantern Festival.
In Vietnam, the holiday is known as Tết, and it includes traditions such as paying respects to ancestors, cleaning homes to remove bad luck, and enjoying dishes like bánh chưng, a square sticky rice cake filled with pork and mung beans. In Korea, the holiday is called Seollal, and it is marked by families wearing traditional hanbok, performing ancestral rites, and playing folk games like yutnori. Additionally, Korean families often enjoy tteokguk, a rice cake soup believed to bring good fortune and signify growing a year older.
In Malaysia and Singapore, families and friends gather for reunion dinners, and people exchange mandarin oranges as a symbol of prosperity. A popular tradition in these countries is the yu sheng or “prosperity toss,” a dish of raw fish salad that is tossed high into the air with chopsticks to bring luck. In the Philippines, Filipino-Chinese communities blend traditional customs with local influences, such as preparing sticky rice cakes like tikoy, which symbolize unity.
In Western countries with significant Asian populations, Lunar New Year parades and festivals are often held in cities like San Francisco, Vancouver, and Sydney. These events feature dragon and lion dances, firecrackers, and cultural performances.
The Lunar New Year celebration at the North Bellmore Public Library provided children with a hands-on opportunity to learn about cultural traditions while embracing the spirit of the holiday. The event fostered a sense of community, bringing families together to celebrate and appreciate the rich traditions of Lunar New Year.
