Lunar New Year / Spring Festival
If, like me, you are from a Western / white background, you may have been introduced to Chinese New Year, but…
Lunar New Year is celebrated in many Asian cultures.
Focusing on Chinese New Year (新年) means you marginalise many cultures and countries, such as: Korea; Vietnam; Japan, Thailand; Myanmar; Singapore; Malaysia.
Yes, many of these countries’ celebrations may have originated as a result of Chinese colonisation or immigration, but each have their own identity now.
For example, you may have heard of Tết (short for Tết Nguyên Đán, ‘Festival of the First Day’), which is the Vietnamese spring / lunar festival.
Koreans celebrate Seollal (설날).
Chinese New Year is also called the Spring Festival (春节).
Each culture has their own ways of celebrating and commemorating the Festival. But they have many commonalities. These are just a few.
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Family!
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Food!
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Firecrackers!
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Luck-wishing food! (symbolic of prosperity, health, fortune, and luck).
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Lion (and dragon) dance!
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Lanterns and/or lights!
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Kites!
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Cleaning!
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Red envelopes!
29 January 2025 to 16 February 2026 is the Year of the Wood Snake.
As well as the 12 animals of the zodiac, which most of us are familiar with, there are five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, earth.
The wood snake symbolises a time of wisdom, transformation, growth, stability, and creativity.
Some storytime ideas:
Chinese Zodiac Song:
Fireworks Action Rhyme:
The (New) New Year’s Song:
Five Holiday Presents:
- BRINGING IN THE NEW YEAR by Grace Lin.
- TWO NEW YEARS by Richard Ho and Lynn Scurfield.
- OUR FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR by A. E. Ali and Rahele Jomepour Bell.
- ALL ARE WELCOME by Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman.
- BANG BANG NOODLES by Nessie Sharp.
- HOT POT NIGHT! by Vincent Chen.
- AMY WU AND THE WARM WELCOME by Kat Zhang and Charlene Chua.
Check out our resources on other new year traditions:
For more information, including more book recommendations, check out MaiStoryBook’s blog: Celebrate Lunar New Year.
