In the United States, the Lunar New Year may become the following federal holiday.
Rep. Grace Meng, a Democrat from New York, has introduced legislation to declare the day, which falls on February 1 this year in China, sections of Asia, and Asian diaspora populations across the world, the US's 12th legally recognized holiday. It would be the first since President Joe Biden signed a law in June last year making Juneteenth an official holiday.
Meng told The Washington Post, "It really sends a strong signal to the Asian American community — as the fastest-growing group in this nation — that they are cherished and regarded as [part of] the fabric that makes up this society."
The Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival in China, began on Tuesday, but the celebrations will go for more than two weeks, with feasts, family reunions, street parades, and pilgrimages to shrines.
The conclusion of the Year of the Ox and the beginning of the Year of the Tiger were commemorated this week.
Here's all you need to know about the Lunar New Year, also known as the Year of the Tiger, and how it may become a government holiday in the future. For more on China, read up on the Winter Olympics, which begin this week in Beijing, and the country's nuclear energy boom.
What is the Lunar New Year?
The Lunar New Year is celebrated as more than just the start of a new calendar year; it is also a time of reunion and rebirth, signaling the end of winter and the beginning of spring.
According to one tradition, at the start of each year, a monster would rise from beneath the Earth and devour the inhabitants. Because the monster, known as Nian (Chinese for "year"), was terrified by bright lights, loud noises, and the color red, these were employed to drive him away, and have since been synonymous with the celebration.
When is Lunar New Year 2022?
Because many Asian civilizations have historically used a Gregorian calendar rather than a solar calendar, the Lunar New Year occurs on a different day each year on the Gregorian calendar: in 2022, Lunar New Year's Eve occurred on Jan. 31, and the new year began on Tuesday, Feb. 1.
Though festivities frequently begin the weekend before and go for weeks, only the first seven days, from January 31 to February 6, are designated as public holidays.
The Lantern Festival, which occurs on the first full moon of the year, marks the conclusion of the New Year season in China. It falls on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese calendar, which falls on February 15 this year.
Which Chinese Zodiac animal is honored this year?
Each year is associated with a different animal in the Chinese calendar: the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.
The year 2022 has been selected as the Year of the Tiger in the Gregorian calendar.
"The tiger is a symbol of courage, wisdom, and power in Chinese culture. However, the tiger is not referenced in the Bible, and the lion, a Western astrological sign, is not represented in the Chinese zodiac "In a statement, the Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang remarked. "Various cultures exist in different regions and among different peoples. This is understandable, but it should not prohibit us from knowing, respecting, and admiring each other's history, culture, and heritage."
The Tiger's last year was in 2010.
What are the personality traits of people born in the Year of the Tiger?
The tiger, not the lion, is the king of the jungle in Asian cultures, and those born during a Tiger Year are regarded to be natural leaders who are fearless and thrill-seeking, with a strong need for attention.
According to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, "they are daring and active, like a challenge or competition, and are willing to take risks." "They may also be defiant, irritable, and vocal, preferring to give rather than accept directions, which frequently results in confrontation."
The years 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, and 2010 were all Tiger years in the previous century.
Queen Elizabeth II, Fidel Castro, Marilyn Monroe, Shawn Mendes, Lady Gaga, and Tom Cruise are among the famous personalities born in the Tiger Years.
How do people celebrate Lunar New Year?
Different Asian civilizations have different means of ringing in the new year: The Lunar New Year in Vietnam is known as Tt, and it is marked by the consumption of bánh Chung (sticky rice cakes), bushels of yellow ochna flowers, and visits to friends, family, and neighbors. In Malaysia, yee sang, a meal of raw fish and shredded veggies are served to commemorate the occasion.
Americans are most acquainted with Chinese New Year celebrations, in which the beginning of the new year is marked by dragon parades, boat races, and pyrotechnics and firecrackers to ward off bad luck.
On the Lunar New Year, many people wear red, and children are given red envelopes loaded with money, which signify good fortune.
The Lantern Festival marks the conclusion of the New Year season with the release of paper lanterns and the consumption of turnip cakes and tangyuan, a sweet rice-ball dumpling Chinese treat.
Many families will arrange feasts, clean their houses thoroughly, and pay tribute to dead relatives.
Chi Kou Ri, or "Day of the Red Mouth," is the third day of the Lunar New Year. This year's holiday, which falls on February 3rd, is said to be a time when individuals shun social engagements and instead stay at home or visit temples.
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted more subdued celebrations, as it did last year, with remarks from former US President Jimmy Carter at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, an exhibition of Chinese lanterns and a light show at the Kennedy Center, acrobatics and winter sports demonstrations, and a reunion of giant pandas Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, and Xiao Qi Ji at the Smithsonian's National Zoo.
How would Lunar New Year become a federally recognized holiday?
Congress has the ability to declare federal holidays. Rep. Meng is one of more than 40 House supporters of the Lunar New Year Day Act, which was submitted on Jan. 28 with a resolution "recognizing the cultural and historical significance of Lunar New Year in 2022."
If the law is brought up for a vote in the House, it only needs a simple majority (218 votes out of 435) to pass. The bill would next have to go through the Senate. Its chances, according to the Washington Post, are unknown and still in the early stages.
Nonessential federal offices, as well as many banks and schools, are closed during federal holidays. Each state, on the other hand, determines whether or not to recognize a certain holiday: For example, until a 1992 voter referendum, Arizona did not legally recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a state holiday.
The law does not designate a day for the holiday to be acknowledged because the Lunar New Year is based on the Chinese lunar calendar and falls on a different day each year in late January or early February.
According to the New York Post, the Lunar New Year is already celebrated at public schools in New York City, Montgomery County, Maryland, and Iowa City, Iowa.
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