What is Lunar New Year? Traditions and celebrations for the Year of the Tiger.

© Steven Saphore/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock A Lunar New Year celebration in Sydney’s Chinatown on Jan. 29.

What is Lunar New Year?

Lunar New Year, or the Spring Festival, is celebrated in China and much of Asia, including Korea, Vietnam and Singapore, as well as among the global Asian diaspora. It has many origin stories. The most common is a legend that the celebrations began in order to scare away a beast called “Nian” (which means “year” in Chinese) who stalked cities and villages each spring, attacking people. Because Nian was afraid of loud noises and the color red, people used firecrackers and red paper to frighten the mythical creature.

What is the meaning of Lunar New Year?

The far-reaching holiday symbolizes a hopeful transition from the cold winter to the season of renewal. It is a largely secular holiday but includes cultural rituals that derive from Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, as well as from ancient myths and folk traditions.

Some of the world’s biggest Lunar New Year celebrations are now held outside Asia, with one of the most noteworthy in San Francisco. Lanterns and gifts of money in red envelopes are ubiquitous, along with dragon dances aimed at chasing away evil spirits.

When is Lunar New Year?

The clue is in the name. Celebrations for Lunar New Year are determined by the phases of the moon. Technically, the holiday begins during the second new moon after the winter solstice. As a result, it falls on different dates each year.

This year, New Year’s Eve is on Jan. 31, and the New Year will begin on Feb 1.

Celebrations often last several days — with people expected to visit their families — and the new year period culminates with the Lantern Festival, this year held on Feb. 15.

Which animal zodiac sign is celebrated this year?

The Chinese zodiac system assigns each year to one of 12 animals. In 2022, it will be the Year of the Tiger.

© Chiang Ying-Ying/AP A tiger mural in Taipei, Taiwan, on Jan. 29.Those born in tiger years, according to the zodiac system, are said to be natural leaders, strong, assertive, brave and inspiring — but can also be aggressive, arrogant and hungry for attention.

The tiger is third in the 12-year cycle of zodiac signs. Previous years of the tiger include: 2010, 1998, 1986, 1974, 1962, 1950 and 1938.

Last year was the Year of the Ox, a zodiac animal that symbolizes strength, diligence, stubbornness and down-to-earth characteristics.

How do people celebrate Lunar New Year?

Food, family and friends play a significant role. Each family may have their own special traditions to ring in the Lunar New Year, but there are a few common staples.

Red envelopes, known as “hong bao” in Mandarin, are stuffed with crisp bank notes and given by elders to young children as gifts. Many people wear red or hang up red and gold decorations — these are colors that traditionally signify good fortune.

© Katherine Frey/The Washington Post Emily Liu, left, and Megan Zhong wait to perform a welcoming ceremony at a Lunar New Year celebration in Gaithersburg, Md., in 2019.Fireworks are also common and are traditionally believed to drive away bad luck and spirits. They normally accompany large parades featuring dancing, floats and costumes of lions and dragons. Some people clean their homes thoroughly, hang out lanterns and visit religious temples.

Food is central to the celebrations, with feasts served and family members preparing dumplings together. Food is also symbolic. For example, long noodles signify hope for a long life, while fish is also popular because the Chinese word for fish sounds like the word for surplus, granting plenty for the year ahead.

In Vietnam, families make “mut tet,” a tray of sweets placed at a family altar as a sign of respect to ancestors. In Korea, many eat “tteok guk,” a rice cake soup symbolizing that they are officially a year older, with hopes for another prosperous year ahead. A raw fish dish, “yusheng,” also known as “prosperity toss salad,” is traditional to the celebrations of the Chinese diaspora in Malaysia and Singapore, while “kue nastar,” or pineapple tarts, are eaten in Indonesia.

With modern times come new ways of celebrating, and last year, Barbie doll maker Mattel announced the release of its first “Barbie Lunar New Year Doll.”

© Laura Chase de Formigny for The Washington Post/food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Po…

How has the coronavirus affected Lunar New Year celebrations?

As with most holidays, the coronavirus pandemic has upended traditions and necessitated novel ways of celebrating.

Instead of dispensing cash-filled red envelopes in person, many have sent money or gifts online. Cities have also had more subdued affairs, with social distancing at parades and gatherings and people testing before they meet. Limits on households mixing have also been common in many countries and will continue as the omicron variant gains pace, with people opting to spend time on Zoom and video chats to connect with relatives they can’t visit.

In Singapore, the government urged families to avoid saying the “lo hei” out loud to mitigate the virus’s spread — the ritual involves tossing up the ingredients in the yusheng dish while shouting out auspicious phrases. In the United States, an annual parade has been canceled in D.C.’s Chinatown because of the pandemic. However, there are plenty of other ways to welcome the Year of the Tiger throughout the Washington area.

You can wish friends and colleagues a happy new year by saying “Gong Hei Fat Choy” in Cantonese or “Xin Nian Kuai Le” in Mandarin.