All across Asia, Lunar New Year is a time of appreciation, reflection and celebration with family and friends. At Multnomah County Library, Lunar New Year is a special time for fun and engaging library programs that share the history and traditions of this celebration with the local community.
Being with family as a reunion, to say goodbye to the old and to welcome a new beginning is what this time is about,
Lunar New Year, the start of a new lunar calendar year, occurs at the end of January or early February. A zodiac animal guides each lunar year. 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit for the Chinese community and the Year of the Cat in the Vietnamese calendar.
Lunar New Year traditions vary by country and region. They can last anywhere from 3 to 16 days and often include large gatherings consisting of performances, music and fireworks.
Lan Phan, bilingual Vietnamese library assistant, shares that on the first day of the new year in Vietnamese culture, "everybody celebrates their birthdays. We have the tradition of wishing the new age, which is called ‘mừng tuổi,’ in which everyone gets a gift. The red envelopes containing newly printed paper money are for kids and sometimes adults, too, if they are not married. Usually, the grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles give out red envelopes to kids. Additionally, some employers can choose to give out red envelopes to their employees as a token of wishing for prosperity and good luck in the new year."
Lunar New Year offers a chance to “reflect on the past year and look forward to the upcoming one,” says Lan. Families will “give well wishes to the elderly for the new year; clean the house; prepare gifts; cook bánh chưng, a traditional and delicious sweet rice cake; and share the red envelopes as a token of good luck.” Besides cleaning and decorating the house, many families also prepare an altar to offer gifts to their ancestors and deceased family members.
Each region has its own culinary tradition and unique foods to begin the new year.
“In the north of China, there are many foods with a base of wheat flour, then in the south of China there are many dishes with a rice flour base,” says Toan. “In the southern part of China, where my family came from, we eat sweet rice balls with sesame seeds filling (汤圆/Tāngyuán). The round shape symbolizes harmony and togetherness.”
While culinary traditions differ from region to region, one similarity across cultures is the two types of dances performed during the Lunar New Year— the lion dance and the dragon dance. They are meant to bring prosperity and success in the coming year. The lion dance consists of two performers, and the dragon dance consists of more than five.
For the past 10 years, the library has hosted Lunar New Year events and activities, which often draw hundreds of patrons of all ages. This year, the library will offer a Vietnamese craft project at Gregory Heights Library on January 13 in Vietnamese, and a spring couplet workshop at Woodstock Library on January 15 in Chinese. For more information, visit the library website.