Everything you need to know about celebrating Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year is celebrated by many Asian cultures, and many early childhood education and care (ECEC) services will also incorporate this learning into the curriculum. In 2024, Lunar New Year will signal the end of the Year of the Rabbit, and commence the Year of the Dragon.

Lunar New Year lasts for 15 days, and in 2024 will commence on 10 February. The dates for Lunar New Year are dictated by the arrival of the new moon. Dragons and lions, food, the colour red, and money are all part of the celebrations. 

As with many other cultures, the Lunar New Year is seen as a time for a fresh start and it is important for those who celebrate to clean the house, have a haircut and buy new clothes. The Lunar New Year is also about good luck for the year ahead and this is celebrated in many ways such as:

• children are given money in red envelopes for good fortune
• special food is eaten to bring good luck
• people wear red clothes and decorate their houses with red banners, as red is thought to be a lucky colour
• fresh flowers are often used as decorations
• noisemakers and firecrackers are used to scare away bad luck

Some ways that services have celebrated Lunar New Year include: 

• Wearing cultural outfits
• Practicing calligraphy or other writing from relevant cultures 
• Eating foods from Asian cultures 
• Decorating the service with red items
• Learning more about Lunar New Year and sharing this with the children 
• Listening to music from Asian countries
• Inviting lion dancers in to the service
• The giving of mandarins is representative of wishing someone happiness and prosperity for the year to come

Learn more about exploring celebrations of all types in ECEC settings using this link.