January 29, 2022
Celebrate the year of the Tiger.
If you’re not done ringing in the New Year, you’re in luck. February 1 marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year and another reason to celebrate 2022. Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year and Spring Festival, is a 15-day celebration filled with family, food, movies and little red envelopes intended to bring you prosperity. Despite often being referenced as Chinese New Year, the festival is actually celebrated across various Asian countries, including South Korea, Vietnam and Singapore. 2022 marks the Year of the Tiger, learn what that means and how you can partake in the festivities.
What the Year of the Tiger Means
The Lunar New Year follows a zodiac chart that originated over 2,000 years ago during the Qin Dynasty. As the story goes, the Jade Emperor challenged all the animals in the Kingdom to a race. The chart was assigned based on the order each animal arrived. The Tiger overestimated his ability to win and ended up placing third behind the Rat and Ox. So, what does the Year of the Tiger have in store for us in 2022? The Year of the Rat (2020) was about survival, and the Year of the Ox (2021) was about adapting to our new reality. Look for the Year of the Tiger will to bring about big changes filled with adventure. After two challenging years, 2022 is filled with some much-needed enthusiasm for a brighter tomorrow.
Traditions
Similar to the way New Year’s Eve is celebrated in America, the Lunar New Year is meant to let go of the past and welcome prosperity for the upcoming 365 days. Traditionally, people will begin cleaning their homes in the days leading up to Lunar New Year’s Eve to sweep out the past and invite the new.
This time of year is known as the largest human migration in the world, as millions of people from all around the globe travel to be with their families and loved ones. For many, the Lunar New Year is the only time migrant workers take time off to visit the families they had to leave behind in search of jobs in other countries. During this 15-day extravaganza, families will eat, drink, cook and exchange red envelopes.
Many will gift these little, red envelopes filled with cash to kids, friends and coworkers as a way to wish them happiness and good fortune. While there are no rules about how much money to give, Chinese culture suggests you avoid the number four as it’s seen as unlucky. So, any dollar amounts starting with the number four, such as 4, 40 and 400, should be a no-no.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many families have been unable to travel and have shifted to a virtual celebration thanks to wifi. Traditions like giving a red envelope have been altered in the recent years to sending money via apps like Zelle or Venmo. Additionally, families will gather virtually using video chat platforms such as Zoom, while others will enjoy watching movies from the comfort of their homes.
Chinese New Year Movies to Stream
For those who are planning to stay in this year, here’s a list of Lunar New Year movies you can stream on Netflix. Just say the film’s title into your Contour Voice Remote, and begin watching in no time:
Tigertail is a 2020 drama set in New York centered around an immigrant named Pin-Jui. Pin-Jui reflects back on his life by telling his estranged daughter stories from his youth in Taiwan.
This 2008 film chronicles the story of Bruce Lee’s trainer, the martial arts grandmaster, Ip Man. A loose interpretation of real-life events, the movie is set during the Sino-Japanese War in the mid-1930s. If you love this one, the good news is it’s the first in a series of films, so you can binge away!
This romantic drama is about two strangers that meet on a train and fall in love. They eventually separate only to reunite by chance while traveling to Beijing for the Luna New Year. They end up getting stranded together and reflect on their love story. Stream it to find out if they give their love a second chance.
