Today officially heralds the Spring Festival, not only in China, but around the world where this ancient holiday is celebrated. While in my country (USA) and beyond, New Years is celebrated on 1 January (and, to be fair, by many in China, as well!), the majority of the world’s population does not celebrate New Years on 1 January. When you combine the populations around the world of people who celebrate New Years on a variety of different dates other than 1 January, it far outnumbers those celebrants of 1 January. And Lunar New Year - or Spring Festival - as it is more traditionally referred to in China, is one of the biggest New Year celebrations in the world. So if you are celebrating - or just wondering about what your colleagues who do celebrate the holiday are doing - here are my Top Ten Tips for celebrating Lunar New Years just about everywhere!
For one thing, remember, although China is the biggest celebrant, the holiday is NOT “Chinese” New Years: the holiday is Asian Lunar New Years, and it is celebrated in many nations around the world beyond just China. Most nations where Buddhism has had a significant impact as a religious and philosophical tradition celebrate the lunar New Year: Taiwan, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Singapore and among the celebrating populations of many other countries, Asia and beyond, including Malaysia, Cambodia, Bhutan, the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and many others. In China, it is known also as the Spring Festival, for it heralds preparations for the Spring planting, harkening back to China’s agricultural roots.
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