When Is Lunar New Year?

The date of the Lunar New Year changes each year because it follows a very old calendar which is linked to the phases of the Moon.

Lunar New Year is always in January or February.

Who Celebrates Lunar New Year?

People in different parts of the world celebrate Lunar New Year.

It is a very popular festival in many parts of East Asia.

Different countries may celebrate Lunar New Year in different ways.

Preparing for Lunar New Year

Many people clean their houses and gardens to sweep away any bad luck. Often, houses are decorated with paper scrolls with good luck messages on them.

Preparing for Lunar New Year

Lanterns are often hung up in homes and in the streets.

In some places, there is a special lantern festival at the end of the celebrations.

Lunar New Year Food

During Lunar New Year celebrations, many different foods can be eaten and shared with friends and family. These include:

• jiaozi, which is a steamed dumpling;
• nian gao, which is a sticky, sweet rice pudding.

Lunar New Year Food

Different countries will have different traditional food, such as:

• banh-chung - a square cake made from rice, pork and beans;
• tteokguk - a soup served with sliced rice cakes.

Lunar New Year Food

People may eat fortune cookies and find the lucky messages hidden inside them. Other people will have their own special food for New Year, which they share with family and friends.

Lucky Fruit

Many people have special fruit at Lunar New Year to bring them luck. These lucky fruits can include mandarins, apples and bananas.

Lunar New Year Fireworks

In some places, people celebrate Lunar New Year by attending firework displays.

Lunar New Year Clothes

As part of the celebrations, some people choose to wear traditional clothes or have brand new clothes to wear.

For lots of people, red is a very popular colour to choose as it is thought to be lucky!

Red Envelopes

In many places, children wake up to find red envelopes filled with money or sweets under their pillow.

Worship at Lunar New Year

Some people will worship together either at a temple or at home.

Lion and Dragon Dances

There may be lion or dragon dances in the streets. Groups of people dress up as large lions or dragons and perform dances and routines together for everyone else to watch.

Lion and Dragon Dances

There may be music from drums or the sound of firecrackers so it can be quite noisy!

Celebrating Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year is a happy festival when people celebrate together and hope for a good year to come.