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Originally published January 25, 2022

Many people have heard of the Lunar New Year, also commonly known as "Chinese New Year", but the origins of this holiday are less widely known. The Lunar New Year is celebrated by many different people around the world, and there are many different traditions and origins associated with it. The upcoming New Year is the Year of the Tiger, and eleven other animals are also connected to this holiday.

The origin of the Lunar New Year is surrounded by legends from many centuries ago. It is believed that a monster would attack villagers at the start of each new year, and that the villagers would use bright lights, the color red, and loud noises to scare it off each time. This is why you will commonly hear about the color red being associated with the Lunar New Year.

"For Lunar year, red means good luck and good fortune," sixth-grader Phoebe Nguyen said, "so we usually wear a lot of red stuff during New Year's."

The color red is often worn during the Lunar New Year because of the legends, and the color red is also used when young people are given money in red envelopes. The money found in the envelopes can be anywhere between just a few dollars and a few hundred dollars, and sometimes other presents are given such as candies, fruits, or tea.

Many families will celebrate Lunar New Year by eating certain foods. According to an article found on China Highlights, some of the foods that are often associated with the New Year are fish, dumplings, spring rolls, Tang Yuan, good fortune fruit, Nian Gao, and longevity noodles. Most families will eat meals together on New Year's Eve during a reunion dinner, since it is a time for families to spend time together.

The animals associated with the New Year are the Ox, the Tiger, the Rabbit, the Dragon, the Snake, the Rat, the Pig, the Dog, the Rooster, the Monkey, the Horse, and the Ram. These animals go through a cycle, and depending on what year you were born in, these animals will determine your personality. An example of this is according to National Geographic Kids, people who were born in 2022, 2009, 1997, 1985, 1973, and so on were born in the year of the Ox, and are typically respectful and good listeners. The upcoming year will be the year of the Tiger, and it is currently the year of the Ox. Do you know which animal you're associated with? If not, try to find out! You might just learn something about yourself that you didn't know before.

Other traditions or celebrations that happen during the New Year include traditional dances, setting off fireworks or firecrackers, making offerings to deceased family members, cleaning houses a few days before the new year, and many more things.

The New Year starts Feb. 1, so maybe you'll even have the chance to become a part of some of these celebrations or learn a little more about the origins of the Lunar New Year!