Get ready to welcome the Year of the Dragon! Our Remitly team is lighting up your Lunar New Year plans with this guide to the festivities.
From the start of the celebrations to the final day, known as the Lantern Festival, these are ten of the top countries for Lunar New Year in 2024.
- China: Dive into vibrant traditions from Temple Fairs in Beijing to Shanghai’s Longhua Temple celebrations.
- South Korea: Reunite with family for charye rituals and savor traditional rice cake soup in Seoul’s lively atmosphere.
- Taiwan: Experience 16 days of firecrackers, lanterns, and “lucky money” envelopes amidst the red and gold streets.
- Singapore: Wander through Chinatown’s LED-lit streets and catch the dazzling Chingay Parade.
- Vietnam: Join the Tet Nguyen Dan celebration in Ho Chi Minh City with fireworks, flowers, and festive dragon dancers.
- Malaysia: Mix cultures in Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown, and don’t miss Georgetown City’s illuminated temples.
- Thailand: Enjoy dragon parades and traditional offerings in Bangkok’s Chinatown and Chiang Mai’s Warorot Market.
- San Francisco, USA: Marvel at the largest Chinese New Year parade outside of Asia, complete with a flower market fair.
- Sydney, Australia: Delight in lion dances and lunar lanterns in the bustling Chinatown district.
- London, UK: Experience a grand parade from Trafalgar Square to a downtown fireworks display.
Celebrations in China, Korea, and Taiwan
Many Lunar New Year celebrations and traditions take place throughout Asia. Here are some of the top places where residents and visitors may take part in these exciting events.
China
Chinese New Year activities date back to the Shang Dynasty in the 14th century B.C. when carrying out rituals on the first day the traditional Chinese calendar year first began. The Chinese New Year’s Eve festivities celebrate the harvest and worship the gods while asking for good harvests to return.
Today, the Chinese New Year is officially called Spring Festival, and hundreds of millions of people hit the roads to visit family.
In Beijing, there are cultural performances at places of worship called Temple Fairs. Some people celebrate at the Great Wall, in bars, or in the main city center with more modern celebrations. Shanghai celebrates with a gathering at its oldest shrine, Longhua Temple, where a massive 3.3-ton bell is hit 108 times at midnight.
For Chinese New Year celebrations, common cultural customs include eating fish as the last course of a New Year’s Eve dinner for good luck. Moon-shaped rice cakes (called New Year’s cakes) and dumplings are also popular dishes.
A clean coin may be tucked inside a dumpling for good luck, while dances, Lunar New Year fireworks, and parades help to mark the final night of the holiday.
South Korea
In Korea, the Lunar New Year is a three-day family holiday and spring festival where people return to their hometowns to visit their parents and other close relatives for a reunion dinner. An ancestral ritual called charye is performed.
In Seoul, the holiday is important because it marks a time when families can get together and catch up on each others’ lives, and many family-run businesses and restaurants close so people can be with their families. The three-day celebration includes rituals like making sliced rice cake soup, buying new clothes, and giving money in white envelopes to family members.
Many major Korean cities hang red lanterns and hold special events, including street dances, folk games, and musical performances.
The Lunar Year is called Seolall in Korea and includes customs like cleaning the home and hosting family members for special meals. Families pray for good luck, health, and prosperity as younger members show respect to their elders.
Taiwan
The Taiwanese Lunar New Year is an important, 16-day-long holiday filled with celebrations and parades. Many people take to the streets to light firecrackers since the loud noises are thought to drive evil spirits and bad luck away. Tourists flock to Taiwan during this time of year to attend its many parades featuring ornate costumes, live music, and the beautiful annual Lantern Festival.
Homes and streets are decorated in red and gold during the Lunar New Year festival in Taiwan. Many family members give each other red envelopes stuffed with “lucky money” to symbolize prosperity. Families also gather to enjoy meals and play games like mahjong and dice.
If you plan to visit Taiwan for a Lunar New Year event, DiHua Street, in the heart of the historic Dadaocheng, is a great place to find traditional snacks and souvenirs. Long Shan Temple in Taipei City hosts lantern-lighting ceremonies while worshippers thank gods for the past year and pray for a good, prosperous year ahead.
In 2024, the popular Lantern Festival will be held in Tainan.
Festivities in Southeast Asia
Vietnam
Tet Nguyen Dan is the Vietnamese New Year, Spring Festival, or Lunar New Year in Vietnam and is a major celebration. The festivities focus on family reunions, making and eating special food, and giving gifts. These “Tet traditions” vary based on region, but they all have a central focus on family.
In Ho Chi Minh City, locals attend parties and enjoy a variety of live entertainment. A huge fireworks display occurs on the eve of the Lunar New Year’s final day, and many beautiful flowers are placed throughout the city.
In Hanoi, daily activities include midnight fireworks at Thong Nhat Park, calligraphy exhibitions, and parades featuring people dressed in traditional costumes.
Tet festivals take place throughout Vietnam during the Lunar New Year, featuring colorful flowers, traditional local food, and fireworks. Candied fruits, sticky rice cakes, and pork cubes are some of the most popular foods during this time. Families may ask dragon dancers to come to their house, and they pay them for their services.
Singapore
Chinatown Lunar New Year festivities are popular in Singapore, where you’ll find bright red lanterns, banners, and ornaments symbolizing good luck and prosperity. The Chinese New Year Light-Up Festival features over 80,000 LED lights illuminating the Chinatown district.
Visit Singapore to see the Chingay Parade, featuring floats, performances, and people in costumes from a variety of ethnic communities.
Malaysia
In Kuala Lumpur, the Chinatown district lights up with fireworks and parades, while Georgetown City on Penang Island features ornate temples beautifully illuminated for the festivities. The 15-day celebration features a lion dance to usher in prosperity, and special festival dishes are served during this time.
Malaysia is a multi-cultural society with many native Malays, Chinese, and Indians who fuse their traditions during the Lunar New Year.
Thailand
In Bangkok, Thailand, dragon parades and firecrackers are abundant in the Chinatown district, and Chiang Mai holds various events at the popular Warorang Market. Thailand celebrates Songkran, which melds traditional Thai and Chinese celebrations through various parades, dances, and dinners.
Many people visit sacred temples and bring food such as whole steamed chicken to serve as a symbolic offering, while some burn paper money or clothes for ancestors to use in the afterlife.
Lunar New Year celebrations beyond Asia
You don’t have to visit Asia to celebrate this special festive period. Here’s how to celebrate Lunar New Year in other parts of the world.
San Francisco, USA
The San Francisco Lunar New Year annual parade is the largest Chinese New Year parade outside of Asia and features a flower market fair, a community street fair with street food, and a Miss Chinatown pageant.
Visitors may purchase candies, fresh fruits, and flowers to bring home for celebrations, and the Chamber of Commerce gives out thousands of “Lai Sees” or red envelopes to children.
These Chinese New Year celebrations are a unique blend of Asian and American traditions due to a population of over 37% of Asians living in or near the city.
Sydney, Australia
Sydney, Australia, hosts a variety of Lunar New Year celebrations, including a lion dance, lunar lanterns, and special meals in the Chinatown district. The Melbourne Museum hosts lion and dragon dances in Melbourne, and Brisbane hosts a three-week BrisAsia festival.
Many of the festivities celebrate Chinese culture by incorporating multicultural elements featuring Asian and Australian food along with common Chinese traditions.
London, United Kingdom
London’s Chinatown hosts a Chinese New Year parade starting at Trafalgar Square and ending with a fireworks display downtown. Manchester hosts a Dragon Parade at Picadilly, Liverpool hosts parades and performances, and Birmingham holds a two-day Lunar New Year celebration.
Many cultural showcases and parades can be found throughout the UK, including special live entertainment and restaurants serving traditional Chinese New Year meals.
All about Lunar New Year
The Lunar New Year is an annual celebration that welcomes the arrival of spring and the start of a new year on the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar. This holiday is one of China’s most important celebrations, but it’s also honored in many other countries, including South Korea and Vietnam.
The actual dates that the Lunar New Year takes place vary depending on each nation and culture. No matter when people celebrate, the holiday is a wonderful time to reunite with friends and family. Participants will celebrate the Year of the Dragon for the 2024 Lunar New Year.
A range of longstanding traditions mark this festive time of year. In many countries, windows and doors are adorned with bright red paper cuttings, and families host special reunion dinners.
From traditional festivities on the streets of China to parades in San Fransisco, these top Lunar New Year Celebrations of 2024 and Chinese New Year traditions are cause for celebration.
Remitly would like to wish you a prosperous and joyous Lunar New Year.