The New Year is an incredibly important time that represents hope, new beginnings and cultural unity around the world. Every year, the whole world comes together to celebrate the start of a new year, regardless of their own cultural and ethnic background. This collective celebration is a reminder that no matter how different our cultures may be, we are all united by one common time; the start of a new year. The start of a new year occurs at different times, depending on your calendar and culture. In 2024 the Lunar New Year which begins on February 10 is celebrated by many Asian cultures. Yet each ethnic group may celebrate the lunar new year differently, for example with fireworks, lion and dragon dances in China, singing and dancing in Korea, or traditional dishes in Vietnam. Other cultures celebrate their new year on different calendar dates–for example, the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah), Iranian/Persian New Year (Nowruz), Islamic New Year (Muharram), and the Gregorian calendar New Year on January 1, to name a few. No matter when you celebrate a new year, typically this time is filled with joy, excitement, and family gatherings. It’s inspiring to see so many people come together for something bigger than themselves and it makes us feel proud to be part of a global community. 

For many ethnic groups, the Lunar New Year is a celebration of the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year on the lunar calendar. It is the most important holiday in China, and it is also widely celebrated in North and South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and Vietnam and countries with a significant overseas Chinese population. 

The Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays celebrated in Asia. For some families, it is marked by one large feast, for others it is a fifteen-day celebration filled with traditions. To prepare, families spend weeks cooking traditional foods, cleaning the house, and decorating doorways with spring couplets. To kick off the celebration, a New Year’s Eve Reunion Dinner is usually held with symbolic dishes such as long-life noodles, abundance cakes, and a whole fish for prosperity. Over the following days, families spend time visiting friends and offering lucky red envelopes and sweet treats. The Lantern Festival is the fifteenth and final day of the holiday. On this day, children carry red lanterns and people eat sweet tangyuan (a Chinese dessert made of rice balls that are served in a hot syrup). For many families that work far from home, this is their only opportunity to reconnect with loved ones. For this reason, it is one of the world’s largest holiday travel days.  

The Lunar Zodiac is made up of twelve animals—rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. This year 2024 is the Year of the Dragon. We also recognize that many Asian American and Pacific Islanders do not observe the Lunar Zodiac. 

The children in our programs are incredibly lucky to have us, as their early educators who are equipped with an anti-bias lens and professional development training to support their cultural identity development. By sharing different ways people celebrate the new years holidays, we are providing both mirrors and windows for the children in our classrooms, in some ways we are the same and in some ways we are different and we can appreciate the differences. 

Families in our programs are a good place to seek knowledge and cultural resources when we lack information related to a community or family celebration. Families can teach us valuable cultural lessons and offer teaching staff and the children fascinating cultural learning about the children in our classrooms. 

In conclusion, a new year is an opportunity to celebrate our collective cultural unity. The Lunar New year provides an opportunity to come together, regardless of our backgrounds or beliefs, Asian or not, and appreciate the beauty of our shared humanity. Everyone is welcome. It reminds us that we are all part of something much larger and more meaningful than ourselves. In this way, Lunar New Year serves as a reminder that when we join our hearts and minds together, in the field of early childhood education, there's no limit to what we can accomplish.