Luna New Year
Backstory and Travelguid
GUEST BLOG
Foreword by Matze: Welcome to the first guest blog on CommunityTee. The concept behind CommunityTee is to offer various communities a platform to express their ideas and preferences, and I design beautiful designs that highlight their uniqueness for them. CommunityTee went online on November 1st, and thanks to your support, everything is slowly taking shape. What do I mean by "living out ideas and preferences"? You can suggest your core topics to me, and we'll figure out how we can best represent your community, for example, with a blog post that is then published and discussed on social media. Inspired by your themes, I can design prints that we offer as prints on t-shirts/sweaters/hoodies of your community in my shop. If you are keen on giving your community a long-term voice, I can dedicate a separate community page to you on CommunityTee, which we build and maintain together. My dream is that one day CommunityTee will become an interactive platform where we can exchange ideas, present your community, and offer beautiful designs in the form of textile prints, as well as free goodies like mobile backgrounds.
Now for the first guest post by my friend Tai, don't be surprised that the writing style is similar; he is my critical proofreader for my blogs :-)
Hey folks, I'm Tai, and those of you who know Matze probably know me too. In this blog, I want to introduce you to one of the most celebrated holidays in the world, which you usually only hear about when it's happening or has just passed. This will be a blog about the background of, combined with holiday tips for the Lunar New Year (LNY), or more commonly known as Chinese New Year (CNY).
LNY is not just a festival marking the transition to a new year in the lunar calendar, but also a time where deep symbolic meanings and historical roots are celebrated. It's a time for family gatherings and often the only opportunity in the year for widely dispersed family members to come together. So, it's comparable to Christmas but for Asians and anyone interested in this culture. LNY is calculated according to the lunisolar calendar, usually falling between January 21 and February 20, symbolizing the beginning of spring.
Each year is named after one of the twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac cycle, combined with one of the five elements, which together form a complete cycle every 60 years. The 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac calendar are in the following order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat or Sheep (both animals share the same character), Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. In Chinese astrology, there are five elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. These elements influence the zodiac sign, similar to our ascendants.
Fun Fact: Vietnam, uniquely, has the Cat in the place of the Rabbit in its zodiac, unlike China. The other zodiac signs and elements and their order remain the same.
This year, on February 10th, we usher in the Year of the Wood Dragon. The Dragon, being the only mythical creature in the Chinese zodiac, is often seen as a symbol of strength, luck, and bravery. The Wood element represents growth, life, and renewal. Together, the Year of the Wood Dragon symbolizes a period of unfolding, growth, and new beginnings. People born in this year are considered to be visionary, ambitious, and determined.
Fun Fact: Many Asians try to plan their offspring to bring little Dragons into the world. That means: every 4 years, there is a noticeable increase in the birth rate.
As for travel tips: Of course, celebrating LNY in the big cities of Asia with the locals is the most beautiful experience! BUT it is also the most expensive travel time of the year, with massive crowds on the streets, which is not for everyone. In many countries worldwide, there are cities with large Asian communities, such as "Chinatown," "Little Tokyo," "Koreatown," "Vietnamtown," and similar areas. In these cities, streets turn into vibrant markets decorated with red lanterns, while dragon and lion dances express hope for happiness and prosperity in the new year. Choosing to celebrate LNY in Europe, America, or Australia offers several advantages. Not only do you avoid the peak travel season in Asia, which comes with high costs and crowded attractions, but you also get the opportunity to see how different cultures embrace this festival in their unique way. It's a unique opportunity to experience the global diversity of the Asian community while discovering the local specialties of the host city.
Sources and related links (last visit 06.2.2024):
Buide London: London Chinese New Year Celebrations
AFAR: Everything you need to know about luna new year 2023
TimeOut: The most beautiful Lunar Chinese New Year celebrations in the world
Your Chinese Astrology: Chinese Zodiac Five Elements
South China Morning Post: Lunar New Year: China tips cross-border travel to hit pre-pandemic levels
South China Morning Post: All you need to know about dragons
Here, I've summarized the key hotspots in Europe for you:
Paris, France: Paris celebrates LNY with a spectacular parade in Chinatown, located in the 13th arrondissement.
Milan, Italy: Milan's LNY is celebrated on Via Paolo Sarpi, the heart of the Chinese community.
London, Great Britain: In London, LNY is grandly celebrated in Chinatown around Gerrard Street, complete with fireworks!
Manchester, Great Britain: Manchester boasts a vibrant Chinatown on Faulkner Street.
Amsterdam, Netherlands: Amsterdam celebrates LNY with various events, particularly around Chinatown near Nieuwmarkt.
Rotterdam, Netherlands: Rotterdam, with its own Chinatown, also offers celebrations for LNY.
Of course, LNY activities in metropolises outside of Europe, such as New York, Vancouver, or Sydney, are much larger, but this blog focuses on our continent.
That wraps up my blog and the first guest blog on CommunityTee. To conclude Tai's thoughts and practical tips: especially in the current time, when voices from extreme camps are getting louder, it is even more important to celebrate the beautiful sides of cultural diversity. What Matze and I look forward to the most at such events is the food! Festivities always come with an abundance of food, and there are always special dishes or desserts available only at this time. Unfortunately, we won't be able to attend any of the LNY celebrations this year, but we've already planned some trips we'll tell you about. Please don't be too critical of my first blog & stay tuned…