Celebrating the Lunar New Year

The Lunar New Year tradition is observed in China and several Asian countries, and among Chinese Americans. It normally arrives in late January or early February based on the lunar calendar. In 2023 the Lunar New Year’s Day falls on January 22nd.

Lunar New Year Celebration
The Lunar New Year (Xinnian in Chinese) is often called Spring Festival (Chunjie), because it is the beginning of the spring season on the lunar calendar. It is called Seollal in Korean and Tết in Vietnamese.

The celebration begins on the New Year’s Eve (January 21st this year), when families gather for a banquet and entertainment. Auspicious red paper cut-outs and signs are decorated on walls and windows. Firecrackers and fireworks are popular, though restricted in large cities. Over the following days, people visit their relatives, enjoy more food and entertainment, and go to temple fairs. There is a week-long public holiday, but traditionally the festival lasts 15 days till the Lantern Festival (February 5th this year).

For more information about the Chinese Lunar New Year, view this short video produced by the History Channel.

As Covid restrictions are lifted in China now, hundreds of millions of Chinese will soon travel for family gatherings during this Lunar New Year festival season. I hope the Covid-19 infection rate will peak by then and pray for the safety and health of those travelers.

Zodiac Animals
Based on the Chinese zodiac, 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit. The Rabbit is the fourth of the twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac, as shown on the stamps below. As a symbol of peace and prosperity in Chinese culture, the Year of the Rabbit is predicted to be a year of hope. Previous years of the Rabbit include 2011, 1999, 1987, 1975, 1963, 1951, and 1939. Although the Rabbit is a good sign, the Chinese believe that, if you were born in those years, you may encounter more challenges this year. Maybe this is the yin-yang philosophy at work.

Reflection on Multiculturalism
After living in Ohio and Florida for over three decades, I have experienced various festivals of Chinese/Asian Americans and other groups. As a cultural anthropologist, I always enjoy the rich cultural and ethnic diversity of my adopted country.

Multiculturalism has been held as an ideal component of our society, and I hope the trend will continue. Respecting differences while maintaining unity is our national strength. We should work together to improve cross-cultural understanding in order to make the world a better place for future generations. That is why I am interested in volunteering for OLLI-USF, the JCC Multicultural Café – A Taste of China, ReDefiners World Languages, and Asian Heritage Festival in Tampa.

Later this month, several celebration events are scheduled in Tampa. First, the Tampa Jewish Community Center, in partnership with OLLI-USF, will host a Lunar New Year event as part of its Multicultural Café series on January 18th. In the following weekend (January 21st and 22nd), two more events will be hosted by the Chinese American groups in Tampa Bay. (More information about these events is provided at the end of this article.)

May the Year of the Rabbit bring peace and prosperity to all!

The following poem illustrates the spirit of multiculturalism in expressing the human desire to celebrate renewal and light at the conclusion of winter holiday festivals. Written for New Year 2023, the author’s words and images echo our universal reliance on the traditions of our ancestors in marking the passage of one year to the next. — Editor

New Year
Patricia R. Antolino 
Though the days always follow
Swiftly
Deftly
From one to another
We say…
It’s a new year
So close your eyes
The eyes that
Have seen so much
Blue skies
Dark days
New growth
Frayed edges
Think now…
This new moment
And each new moment
That comes
And vision your dream
What new do you call in
What light is drawn 
To your journey
What freshness comes
Through your window
Call the Ancestors
Offer a prayer
Speak your yearning
To Guides and
Guardians
Who stand so close
Who want your words
Who want to serve
Who will wrap you
In ancient wisdom
Ancient knowing
They will whisper softly 
This is your time
What do you want
What is your desire
What feels true
What are your dreams
Let’s awaken them
Awaken you
Let the world be yours
Even with small steps
Even with what ifs
Even with gloom
Shifting
Aligning
Holding
Grounding
Now Pause
Take a beat
Give thanks
Raise your eyes
Your arms
Your heart
Step forward
Look up
Reach out
With heart and hands
Even with tears
Gather your faith
Your strength
Your trust
Your hope
Move to this holy place
Like a soft kiss
Reach and hold
Let your heart
Hold compassion
Your mind will
Your throat truth
Your belly intent
Your hands kindness
Your eyes awe
Call to you what you need 
And what needs you
Weave new beginnings
Create interconnection
A whole of beauty
And the Sacred

Three events in Tampa to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year:
• January 18th (Wednesday): Multicultural Café - A Taste of China at 5:00-6:30pm, Tampa JCC and OLLI-USF (registration required for food and performance; for registration, scan the QR code on the flyer or contact JCC’s Pnina Levermore at 813-291-2253)
• January 21st (Saturday): Lunar New Year Show starting at 2pm, Gaither High School Auditorium (admission $10, free for children under 12; hosted by CAAT - Chinese American Association of Tampa)
• January 22nd (Sunday): Chinese Lunar New Year Celebration at noon to 3pm, Waterworks Park (event is free; hosted by SACA - Suncoast Association of Chinese Americans)

Kun Shi holds a Masters Degree in cultural anthropology from The Ohio State University. He worked as a program evaluator for an Ohio state agency between 1999 and 2005 and was program director at the OSU K-12 Chinese Flagship Program from 2006-2010 and for USF World from 2010-2019. He has taught OLLI classes since 2011 and was awarded the Faculty Roll of Honor in 2016. He is a co-coordinator of the OLLI-USF China SIG.

Patricia R. Antolino was born and raised in the Bronx in the 1950s. A self-avowed hippie, she couldn’t have asked for a better time to grow up. The civil rights movement, protests against the Vietnam war, and the women’s movement kept her engaged and solidified her desire to bring peace and remembrance of our connection to each other.  After she retired, she moved to Tampa where she considered herself lucky to connect with Marilyn Myerson’s Imaginative Writing Group, and became a member of her “Crew.”  Patricia’s lifelong desire is to bring hope, joy, and a smile to those she meets and through the stories she shares.