Lunar New Year, sometimes called Chinese New Year, is an important spring festival celebrated across East and SouthEast Asia. It is the big family festival in the Asian world with family gatherings, house cleanings, gift-giving and firecrackers to scare away evil spirits.
Today Lunar New Year is one of the great human migrations because everyone who can travels home to visit family for at least a week or two. In the United States, Thanksgiving is the American equivalent.
The celebration begins on the new moon between January 21 and February 20. Though it is celebrated during what we now consider winter, Lunar New Year is a spring festival.
We light firecrackers to scare away evil spirits, but many of the traditions are similar to other New Year celebrations around the world.
Asians Are Humans Too!
Don’t pick on Asians. We are Latins too. The ancestors of Indigenous Americans came from Asia. More recently we come to New York from Gold Rush California and from the Caribbean. Discrimination against Asian New Yorkers is sad because we are attacking ourselves. We are One!
Lunar New Year 2022, Year of the Tiger
Tuesday, February 1, 2022 ~ The new Year of the Tiger begins.
Lunar New Year 2021, the Year of the Ox
Friday, February 12, 2021 ~ People will celebrate at home, but we don’t expect there to be public events this year.
There is a Lion’s Troupe dance and confetti display outdoors at American Legion Kimlau Memorial Square in Manhattan Chinatown from 11:30am to 1pm. betterchinatown.com
Lunar New Year 2020, the Year of the Rat
Saturday, January 25, 2020 ~ The 21st Chinese New Year Firecracker Ceremony & Cultural Festival is at Sara D. Roosevelt Park in Chinatown, NYC from 11am to 3:30pm. FREE
Please be safe and sane. This cultural ceremony is done with the guidance of the FDNY. It is produced by the Asian American Arts Alliance.
Sixth Generation American Families
Our former fake president demonized all things related to China so some Americans have become abusive towards Americans with a Chinese heritage.
Chinese Americans helped build our country. New York’s Chinese communities have been American families for over six generations. Most came to New York City after the outburst of violent racism after Chinese finished building the Transcontinental Railroad through the mountains of California.
Racism in general and racism against Asians is unjust and just plain wrong. We are better than this! Let’s support Chinese New Year in New York’s nine Chinatowns.