Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year is a holiday signifying the beginning of the new year on the lunar or lunisolar calendar. It is celebrated in many parts of the world including Eastern and Southeastern Asia. It is also known as the Spring Festival, Chinese New Year, Seollal in Korea, T ế t nguyên Đán in Vietnam, Tsagaan Sar in Mongolia, Losar in Tibet, and so on.
Each year is represented by one of the twelve zodiac animals, with 2021 being the year of the ox. One version of the zodiac story is that the Jade Emperor invited the 12 animals to a banquet. The ox agreed to give the rat a ride across the river on the way to the palace, but at the last minute the rat jumped off ahead of the ox. This is how the rat became the first on the zodiac calendar, with the ox coming in second. The animals who followed after were the tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.
The exact date of Lunar New Year changes every year because it follows the lunar calendar in which each month begins during the new moon. In 2021 it will begin on February 12th.
Download our PDF instructions to learn more about this holiday and create some beautiful traditional decorations!
