Join Beamafilm in celebrating the Lunar New Year

As we celebrate a new cycle on the lunar calendar this is a good time to acknowledge the different ways that New Year’s is celebrated in the Chinese and East Asian cultural calendars for the new moon between 21 January and 20 February. Different cultures celebrate the event in different ways and even on different dates, as the first day of a new lunar year tends to vary from culture to culture. In Japan, for instance, the solar new year is usually celebrated with some aspects of the lunar new year noted as Little New Year on the 15th day of the first lunar month. Read on for more detail on celebrating Lunar New Year across Asia and beyond. CHINA: The Chinese lunar new year festival is the most notable of all ancient Chinese celebrations, commonly referred to as "Guo Nian". The Lunar New Year’s festival marks the advent of spring and all the celebrations that come with the arrival of a new year. Family dinners are a focus for Chinese lunar new year festival celebrations with other traditions such as pasting Spring Festival couplets on the right and left sides of a door with a scroll usually pasted above the door and elders gifting ornate red envelopes filled with money. Stream Transmitters of Heritage, Empire of Silver or Snow Flower and the Secret Fan to celebrate Chinese culture and traditions. TAIWAN: Indigenous Formosan Taiwanese did not celebrate the New Year festival as they had other ceremonies they acknowledged and it is thought that the Taiwanese lunar new year festival came in with the Hakka or Hoklo people who migrated from mainland China during the 17th Century. Since Taiwan’s population is mostly Han Chinese today, the lunar new year is celebrated in a similar way to China’s but there are variations in the foods that are eaten such as pineapple cakes or white turnips in Taiwan and more of a focus on visiting temples with the extended family. Stream Warriors of the Rainbow for an indigenous Taiwanese story on Taiwanese history. KOREA: Seollal is a traditional Korean national holiday that commemorates the beginning of the lunisolar calendar. It usually occurs in either January or February on the second new moon after the winter solstice (unless there is an intercalary eleventh or twelfth month in the lead-up to the new year which means that the new year falls on the third new moon following the solstice. Lunar New Year, which is celebrated in both North and South Korea, is one of the most important Korean traditional holidays celebrated by the Korean diaspora all around the world. The word Seol translates as ‘year of age’ as it is also the date when Koreans grow a year older. The lunisolar calendar in Korea is derived from China and during this time, many Koreans visit their families, commemorate ancestral rituals, and enjoy traditional foods and folk games. Today, many Koreans receive money from their elders after making a formal bow another tradition that is most likely adopted from Chinese customs. Korean New Year donations, however, are usually made in white envelopes instead of the traditional ornate red envelopes that are used in China. Stream Finding Joy to channel some Korean culture your way. SINGAPORE: Lunar New Year is officially referred to as "Chinese New Year" in Singapore and it is primarily celebrated by the Chinese diaspora living in Singapore who comprise around three-quarters of the Singapore population. Different Chinese ethnic groups in Singapore have their own traditions and create new customs incorporating new cultural traditions from cultures such as the Malays and Indians. Stream Singapore Sling Collection for a gripping drama series set in 1990s Singapore. MALAYSIA: each of the three main ethnic groups, Malay, Chinese and Indian, enjoy unique cultures and traditional festivals in multi-cultural Malaysia. Public holidays are recognised on each of the three most important festivals celebrated by each group with the Malayan festival of Hari Raya Puasa, the Chinese New Year and the Indian Deepavali each receiving national recognition. The timing of each of these three festivals revolves around lunar calendars and so dates fluctuate and can occasionally line up, once every 33 years. In Malaysia, this event is called Kongsi Raya. Stream Shadowplay for a movie referencing Malaysian culture, language and geography. VIETNAM: The Chinese brought their own cultures and traditions with them when they migrated to Vietnam including the Lunar New Year which has endured in a relatively intact manner throughout the centuries, in spite of the uneasy and sometimes hostile relations between the two countries. The main difference between the Chinese and Vietnamese lunar calendars is that the Vietnamese generally replace the Ox and Rabbit in the Chinese calendar with the Buffalo and Cat. The Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, which is celebrated in late January or early February coincides with the onset of Spring in Northern Vietnamese regions and parts of Southern China Vietnamese people often celebrate the holiday with painted tattoos, rice liquor, special Vietnamese foods such as spring rolls, betel nuts, Chung cake and pickled onions. Vietnamese lucky money is also exchanged on Lunar New Year. StreamThe Third Wife or The Journey of Vaan Nguyen to channel a little Vietnamese culture and tradition your way. INDIA: A variety of different lunar calendars are used across India in traditional religious life and these are different from the Chinese lunisolar calendar used in East Asia. Most commonly, Indians celebrate Diwali, the festival of light, which typically falls in October/November and Gudi Padwa/Ugadi/Puthandu in April. Stream Faith Connections for insight into Hindi religious events. SOUTHEAST ASIA: Lunar New Year celebrations in Southeast Asia that are influenced by Indian Hindu traditions include Nyepi (Balinese New Year) and Rija Nukan (Cham New Year). Southeast Asian Lunar New Year celebrations that are influenced by Islamic traditions include Stu Suro (Javanese New Year). Stream Marlina the Murder in Four Acts , The Look of Silence, and The Act of Killing for a taste of Indonesian culture and history. MIDDLE EAST/WEST ASIA: Lunar new year celebrations originating in the Middle East fall on other days. The Hijri calendar, widely used by most of Islam, comprises 12 lunar months with a year that is shorter than the Gregorian calendar by about ten days per year. Islamic New Year’s Day might therefore fall in any season and occasion, such as in 2008, there can be two Islamic New Year’s in one Gregorian year. The Judaic lunar new year can be observed up to four times in one year. The Hebrew calendar is lunisolar and so the days always fall in the same season. Stream Family on the Edge to join a Hebrew family embracing a special family holiday together. Join Beamafilm in celebrating Lunar New Year by streaming from our watchlist below. Please note: some titles may not be available in your region – you can only stream titles marked as available.

Watch for FREE with a participating library card or on a 30-day trial. Also, you can rent a film for 48 hours.