By: Kai Wang

Although many of us have celebrated New Year in the west, some are still celebrating Chinese New Year. What’s the difference? It turns out there are a few significant ones I will talk about.

Western Culture has a set date to celebrate New Year, the first day of the year. Chinese New Year’s calendar uses the lunar calendar, so the date varies between late January to mid-February every year.

Western New Year and Chinese New Year also have different focuses. In Western Culture, people dream of the possibilities of the year ahead of them. For Chinese New Year, the focus is family; It’s a special reunion day for every Chinese household. Chinese New Year is the largest human migration on earth annually. People who are working or studying out of their hometowns will rush home to reunite with their families.

Chinese New Year has a few taboos. In Chinese culture breaking plates and bowls means good luck will be broken for the entire year. Another taboo is cleaning the house. They believe sweeping the floor will “sweep away” good luck for the year. During Chinese New Year, Elders will traditionally bring red envelopes with money to the kids.

Both New Year’s in the West and Chinese New Year share two common traditions; fireworks and parades. In China, traditional parades will feature elaborate lion and dragon performances, music, and dancing. The traditional parades in Western culture include “floats,” large displays with flowers, singers, and dancers atop.