ieExplains: What is Lunar New Year and how do people celebrate?
The Lunar New Year is a major festival celebrated in several Asian countries - and closer to home. Picture: Andres Poveda.
The Lunar New Year — known as the Spring Festival in China, Tet in Vietnam and Seollal in Korea — is a major festival celebrated in several Asian countries.
With roots tracing back some 3,500 years to ancient China, it signifies the end of winter and the arrival of a new year and begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ends on the first full moon of the lunar calendar, 15 days later.
The lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon so the dates of the holiday vary slightly each year, falling between late January and mid-February.
This year, the Lunar New Year begins on Wednesday, January 29.
Each Chinese astrological year is defined by one of 12 zodiac animals with their own personality.
The circle of 12 animals, which includes the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig, measures the cycles of time.
2025 will see the Year of the Dragon come to an end and the Year of the Snake begins.
The Year of the Snake in the Chinese zodiac is associated with wisdom, charm, elegance, and transformation.
People born in the Year of the Snake are believed to be intuitive, strategic, and intelligent.
In Chinese culture, the snake carries the meanings of malevolence, cattiness, mystery, as well as acumen and divination.
Lunar New Year is a festival rich in traditions and customs. Asian countries share many similar traditions, but each also has some unique traditions.
People usually start preparing for the New Year a week or half a month in advance of the actual date of the holiday by shopping for gifts and food, cleaning the home and decorating with lanterns and New Year paintings, and sending off 'Kitchen God'.
Sending off the ‘Kitchen God’ is a very old custom. On the 23rd day of the 12th month of the Lunar Calendar, according to Chinese tradition, Kitchen God departs to deliver an annual report on the household's activities to the Jade Emperor in heaven.
According to the report, the Jade Emperor will decide to bless or punish that family in the New Year.
People therefore prepare abundant offers to show their thankfulness to the Kitchen God and wish that he would say good things about them to the Jade Emperor.
All these activities share a common theme, that is: 'bid farewell to the old and welcome the new'.
Traditions that are celebrated over the course of the festival include making offerings to ancestors before the New Year's Eve feast or at midnight on New Year's Eve, visiting family and friends, setting off firecrackers and fireworks, and giving and receiving red envelopes and extending New Year greetings.
The fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year known as the Chinese Lantern Festival signals the end of the New Year festival period.
Traditional activities include eating tangyuan, appreciating colorful paper lanterns and guessing lantern riddles.
In Dublin city centre, business group Dublin Town, in partnership with Dublin City Council City Coordination Office and local businesses including the Asia Market, is once again organising street events to bring people together, share traditions and highlight the capital’s rich cultural tapestry.
The celebrations on Sunday, February 9 on Drury Street, Suffolk Street and Capel Street will mark the start of the Year of the Snake with an Asian cultural extravaganza of food, music, dance and a 10-metre long Asian dragon and snake.
There will be street performances from Asian musicians and cuisine at every turn, with local businesses offering everything from dumplings to noodles.
In Cork, the Lunar New Year will be celebrated with a variety of events and activities at Firkin Crane on February 8 and at Nano Nagle Place on February 9.
Chinese New Year was celebrated with a variety of activities at the Marina Market in Cork over the weekend, with the Chinese Ambassador to Ireland He Xiangdong and Lord Mayor of Cork Dan Boyle visiting the market on Saturday last.
Cork became the first Irish city to twin with a Chinese city in 2005 when it began its relationship with Shanghai. Since then, Cork city has entered partnership agreements with Hangzhou, Wuxi, and Shenzhen.
