If the solar calendar new year doesn’t resonate with you, the Chinese, or Lunar New Year might! Synced with the moon cycles and more aligned with nature, rather than a set date, this New Year can feel more natural.
Chinese New Year starts on January 22, 2023 and is celebrated for 16 days. According to the Chinese calendar we are setting ourselves up for the next 21 year cycle. The year 2023 is the year of the Water Rabbit. The rabbit represents prosperity, peace and longevity, meaning 2023 is year of hope and repair.
Here are some tips and traditions that can help you align with the Lunar New Year and welcome in a prosperous year!
In preparation for the start of the Lunar New Year, January 21 is a good time to put up red decorations to protect the house from evil. Red is seen a lot around the Chinese New Year because is symbolizes good fortune. It is also a day to make offerings to our ancestors in the form of meals or wine for them at the table or bringing things to their grave. This is to show respect, as ancestors are believed to help bring prosperity to our lives.
Lunar New Year is an important time in Chinese culture to visit with family and gather together. It’s important to make lots of good food together and take quality family time. Eating round things is considered good luck, symbolizing longevity and togetherness, such as dumplings and tea-cooked eggs (recipe here). Long noodles are also eaten during this time to symbolize a long life. Other important Chinese New Year foods are spring rolls (symbolizing wealth and prosperity, as they look like bars of gold), as well as fish (symbolizing abundance), and sweet mooncakes (symbolizing family reunion).
Leading up to January 22 it is important to clean your house and sweep the floors to move out the old and make room for the new. However, on the 1st and 2nd days of the New Year (January 22 and 23) make sure to not sweep, vacuum or clean, as this is believed to brush the good luck out of your home.
Another thing you can do on January 22 to bring luck in 2023, is to buy red flowers to put in the South section of your home. On February 4 transfer them to the north side of the house. This is because in Chinese astrology the fire star and lucky star will be flying to the North on that day. It is also important to wake up early on February 4 and open a window in the South or SW of the house. This to let fresh air come in from this direction, since this is where the flying lucky star is coming from in the New Year. This star is known as the Tai Sui (Grand Duke) and changes direction each year. It is important to respect which direction this star goes each year as Chinese astrology says if you disturb or offend the Grand Duke, bad luck and misfortune will come your way.
Since Lunar New Year marks the transition from winter to spring, it’s important to keep your feet and legs warm to preserve Yang Qi, which will begin to rise with the spring. You want to conserve the young yang Qi that is emerging after the Yin of winter, so it can have maximum potency to rise in the spring. Eating sprouts on February 4 is helpful to continue raising your liver Qi in preparation for spring. Think of how sprouts sit dormant in the soil and then push through into the light in the spring. This is the energy that we are moving into as the days get longer and the cold of winter transforms into spring.
Try some of these fun and tasty traditions to help align for an extra great year!