Washington [US], January 24: Many Asian countries celebrate Lunar New Year with different customs and traditions, but they all have in common the wish for good luck in the new year.
In addition to Vietnam, many other countries in Asia such as China, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines... are also bustling to celebrate the Lunar New Year. With different cultural traditions, each place welcomes the Lunar New Year in its own way, but they all have in common the occasion of family reunions around the spring feast and wishing for good luck and prosperity. Notably, some countries such as Korea and China have added more days off this year to boost consumption and support economic recovery. Below are the customs of celebrating the Lunar New Year of At Ty 2025 in some countries in the region.
Korea
The Lunar New Year in Korea is called Seollal and is one of the most important holidays in the Northeast Asian country. According to The Korea Times , citing an announcement from the Ministry of Human Resources Management, the country's cabinet has approved a proposal to add an additional day on January 27, making the holiday last for 6 days from January 25 to 30, including 2 weekends. The additional day will help people have a long holiday and stimulate domestic consumption to promote economic recovery.
Seollal is an occasion to pay respect to ancestors and elders. Koreans often wear traditional costumes (hanbok), children bow to show respect to grandparents and parents, receive lucky money and advice for the new year, before the whole family eats traditional New Year's dishes. Participating in folk games is also a popular activity to celebrate Seollal in Korea.
China
According to China Daily , Chinese people will have a one-day longer Lunar New Year holiday this year, after the government announced in November that the holiday would last from January 28 to February 4. This encouraged many office workers to take two days off in advance and add the weekend before Lunar New Year to extend the total holiday to 11 days. The Chinese tourism industry is excited by the news, as the longer holiday will give people more flexibility in their travel and make them more likely to travel. According to Reuters, there are expected to be 9 billion trips during this holiday in China.
Known as the Spring Festival, the Chinese New Year is filled with red, from decorations to red envelopes, with the wish for a peaceful and lucky new year. On New Year's Eve, people often give each other gifts, stay up to experience the last moments of the old year and welcome the first moments of the new year. Each family member will give each other wishes and lucky money for the new year. Lion dance performances are also a popular activity in China during the New Year.
Singapore
During the Lunar New Year holidays this year, Singapore celebrates the Spring Festival with notable events such as the Lantern Festival, the Singapore River Hongbao Festival (from January 27 to February 5), the Chingay Street Festival (from February 7 to 8), and many other activities. Singaporeans often eat tang yuan (rice balls) with the meaning of reunion and gathering. In addition, family members give each other red envelopes to wish for good luck.
This year's Chingay Street Festival will take place in Singapore with the theme Joy, an opportunity for people to "reflect on shared experiences that transcend ethnic, linguistic and age boundaries through food," according to the organizers.
Malaysia
In neighboring Malaysia, the Chingay Street Festival also takes place during the Lunar New Year, with the cities of Johor Bahru and Penang hosting important multicultural events. Malaysia and Singapore are expected to celebrate this street festival this year as the two countries have planned to propose UNESCO to recognize the event as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Like other countries celebrating Lunar New Year, this is also an occasion for people in Malaysia to reunite and gather. Along with the customs of decorating, dragon dancing and family gatherings during the New Year, a unique custom that takes place on the last day of Chap Goh Mei (full moon of the first lunar month) is that single girls throw tangerines into the sea to pray for love.
Philippines
Since 2012, the Philippines has officially recognized the Lunar New Year as one of its major holidays. Filipinos often go to temples or churches to pray for a happy, peaceful and prosperous year. Many people also consider this an occasion for family reunions. In addition, the Binondo neighborhood in Manila, also known as Chinatown, is home to many exciting festivals with lion and dragon dances and firecrackers to celebrate the New Year.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
