The Lunar New Year is known as Chun Jie (Spring Festival) in China, Tet Nguyen Dan in Vietnam and Seollal in Korea. It’s also celebrated in other countries and cultures, mainly in East Asia.
The Lunar New Year begins on the first new moon of the new year, which means the dates of the holiday vary in relation to the Gregorian calendar. It calls for celebration and togetherness and signifies the beginning of a new sign in the zodiac. Host Mindy Ratner explores the significance of the holiday and the zodiac signs in Spring Moon – A Musical Celebration of the Lunar New Year in celebration of the Year of the Snake, which begins Jan. 29.
To encourage good luck in the new year, new clothes are worn (mainly in red, which is the color of happiness and prosperity), and money is given in red envelopes to help transfer good fortune from older generations to the younger ones. In the street, you can see dragon dances that are meant to scare away monsters and bad luck, and at night you can see fireworks lighting up the sky.
If you want to greet someone during the Lunar New Year, there are a few different ways to do so:
LISTEN — Lunar New Year Greetings (spoken by Eric Romani)
Playlist
Traditional (China) — Small River Flowing - Yolanda Kondonassis, harp
SUN Yiqiang — Dance of Spring - LANG Lang, piano
Traditional (Vietnam) — Elope in Spring - Percussion Group “Phu Dong”; Thang Long, reed pipe
TAN Dun — Silk Road from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - Yo-Yo MA, cello; Studio Orchestra/TAN Dun, cond
TAN Dun — To the South from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - Yo-Yo MA, cello; Studio Orchestra/TAN Dun, cond
GAO Hong — Flying Dragon - GAO Hong, pipa
Jian-Zhong WANG, arr. Yi-Wen JIANG — Five Yunnan Folk Songs/Dragon Lantern Tune - Shanghai Quartet
Hu-Wei HUANG, arr. JIANG — Pictures from Bashu - Six Sichuan Folk Songs/Spring in Chengdu Eugenia Zukerman, flute; Shanghai Quartet
TAN Dun— Eight Memories in Watercolor, Op. 1 Blue Nun - LANG Lang, piano
DENG Yuxian — Spring Wind - LANG Lang, piano
Traditional (Korea) — Chambu Taryong - CHI Young-hee, p’iri; SUNG Keum-yun, changgo
Traditional (Korea) arr. KIM Hee-jo — Milyang Arirang - KBS Symphony Orchestra; Vakhtang Jordania, cond
HUANG Hai Hwai, CHEN Rao Xing and SHEN Li Chun, arr. LANG Lang and LANG Guo-ren — Horses - LANG Lang, piano; LANG Guo-ren, erhu
CHEN Yi — Romance of Hsiao and Ch’in - Beijing New Music Ensemble members
Traditional (Korea) — Binari/Greeting to Good Luck - Chung Woong Korean Traditional Music Ensemble
Traditional (China), arr. Xuefei YANG — A Moonlit Night on the Spring River - Xuefei YANG, guitar
Traditional (China) — Small River Flowing (reprise) - Yolanda Kondonassis, harp
More information
Chun Jie (Spring Festival) — China
‘The Splendid Table’: Lunar New Year food traditions of China, Vietnam and Korea
Gallery
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