Ten Top Tips to Help You Celebrate Asian Lunar New Year’s…Everywhere!
It’s a physical law over which we have zero control that determines when the earth goes around the sun, but it’s a cultural choice when people decide when and how to mark the beginning or end of this annual solar journey. Some of us may be still just getting over our 1 January celebrations (or at least struggling with those absurd resolutions that we made), while many of us are smack in the middle of the Asian Lunar New Year celebrations this week! And for those of us who just like the possibility of celebrating whenever and wherever possible, there’s always Mardi Gras and Carnival this week, as well, being celebrated from Rio de Janeiro to New Orleans to Venice, and beyond. Take your vitamins no matter where you are, as all these celebrations can be intense. For those of us looking to celebrate the Lunar New Year this week, I thought it might be appropriate to share some important “do’s and dont’s” that will help you celebrate this ancient tradition in the best of all possible ways. Gong Xi Fa Cai! So below are my Top Ten Tips for a great Asian Lunar New Year celebration! (Hurry up! You only have a few more days to celebrate!):
For one thing, remember, although China is the biggest celebrant, the holiday is NOT “Chinese” New Years (except, of course, in China): 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,
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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