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Happy Lunar New Year!

By Ethan Shea

"Paper Lanterns"

On Feb. 1, it will officially be Lunar New Year 2022! Because of the lunar calendar that dictates when festivities occur, this celebration can take place, on any given year, between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20. Lunar New Year is celebrated throughout most of Asia, and although many Lunar New Year celebrations take place on the same date according to the Chinese Lunisolar Calendar, there are several differences in how celebrations are carried out in different nations.

The term “Chinese New Year” is often used synonymously with “Lunar New Year,” but celebrations in Vietnam or Thailand, for example, are obviously not the same as Chinese New Year, even if they fall on the same date. Not to mention the Lunar New Year celebrations that take place in other parts of the world like the Middle East and North America.

"Phases of the moon"

Phases of the moon

Regarding the Chinese Lunisolar Calendar, 2022 will be the first Year of the Tiger since 2010, as the calendar operates upon a 12-year cycle. Anyone who was born in 2010, 1998, 1986, 1974, 1962, 1950, or 1938 is in luck this year, as those are all the most recent Years of the Tiger.

To celebrate Lunar New Year yourself, there will be many opportunities to do so near our area, especially in Center City. If you’re able to take a trip to Philadelphia over the weekend, you should check out the festivities in Dilworth Park on Jan. 29. There will be dancing, ice skating, and lots of delicious food!

Additionally, we have plenty of resources here at Falvey Library to help you celebrate or learn more about Lunar New Year. For example, you can take a look at the book The Spring Festival, which is titled after another name for the holiday period surrounding Lunar New Year, to find out more about these holiday traditions.


Headshot of Ethan SheaEthan Shea is a first-year English Graduate Student and Graduate Assistant at Falvey Memorial Library.

 

 


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Last Modified: January 27, 2022

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