ELAC Lunar New Year Temple Fair

Join us in the E3/E7 Quad next Wednesday, February 8th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for the 2023 ELAC Lunar New Year Temple Fair! This event is sponsored by the ELAC Associated Student Union, International Student Club, ELAC Theatre Department, and The President's Office.

ELAC Lunar New Year Temple Fair
Wednesday, February 8, 2023
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
E3/E7 Quad

There will be live performances, food, giveaways, and more! Learn more about Lunar New Year below and why it holds such cultural importance.

Year of the Water Rabbit

2023 is the year of the Water Rabbit, starting on January 22nd, 2023 (Chinese New Year), and ending on February 9th, 2024 (Chinese New Year’s Eve). The sign of the Rabbit is a symbol of longevity, peace, and prosperity in Chinese culture. 2023 is predicted to be a year of hope.

Lunar New Year Traditions

Dumplings: As the Spring Festival approaches, family members meet up and celebrate this significant holiday through a feast on Spring Festival Eve. Dumplings are undoubtedly one of the most traditional yet representative foods during Lunar New Year as it is a tradition for families to gather around and wrap dumplings together. People eat dumplings because dumplings mimic the shape of ancient Chinese currencies, gold, and silver ingots, all of which symbolize wealth. People believe that the more dumplings one consumes during the New Year, the more wealth she/he will make in the coming year.

Lion Dance: The lion dance is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture and other Asian countries in which performers mimic a lion’s movements in a lion costume to bring good luck and fortune. The lion dance is usually performed during Lunar New Year and other Chinese traditional, cultural, and religious festivals.

Cultural Variations

Lunar New Year usually falls between January 21 and February 20 each year. It is celebrated across several countries and other territories in Asia, including South Korea and Singapore. People in East Asia will celebrate when the New Year arrives, relax with their families, and face the new year with a rejuvenated spirit. The Lunar New Year celebration is one of the largest and most attended festivals in East Asia each year.

Despite having many similar traditions, many Asian countries celebrate the Lunar New Year differently. The Chinese decorate the house with as many red items as possible because red is considered a festive and auspicious color. The Vietnamese tend to decorate their house with red and yellow. People from both Chinese and Vietnamese cultures typically reunite with their families during the New Year, and Koreans usually worship their ancestors.

Various cultures also have different eating habits during the Lunar New Year. The Chinese usually make and eat traditional foods such as dumplings; the Korean diet consists of rice cakes and foods that recall ancestors; the Vietnamese usually consume a lot of fruit. Despite the differing methods of celebration, Lunar New Year is a day when people express their optimism for the future.

A Story of the Twelve Zodiacs

What is your Zodiac? In Chinese culture, the zodiac is an animal that corresponds to an individual’s birth year. Each birth year is assigned one of the 12 zodiac animals, which cycles every twelve years (see the circle chart below for the specific years). Each zodiac animal is associated with particular personalities, compatibilities, and more. 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit.

The Great Race

The Jade Emperor (the Emperor of the Heavens created a calendar based on the twelve-year cycle that would allow humans to measure time. To celebrate this feat, he summoned the animals of the world to a Great Race, in which the animals would have to cross a river to a designated finish line. The order in which they completed the race would determine the order of the calendar. The race began at dawn.

Back then, the Cat and the Rat were friends, and they were both terrible swimmers. They convinced the Ox to let them ride on his back; in return, they would guide him to the finish line. When the crossed the river, the Rat pushed the Cat off the Ox’s back. As the Ox and the Rat neared the finish line, the Rat jumped off the Ox’s head, securing the first position in the race ahead of the Ox. The Ox was able to capture the second position. After came the Tiger, followed by the Rabbit, the Dragon, the Snake, the Horse, the Goat, the Monkey, the Rooster, the Dog, and finally, the Pig. The Cat never completed the race in time for a slot on the calendar, which is why today, Cats and Rats are enemies. This is just one of the many editions of the story of the Great Race.