VNSNY Salutes the Lunar New Year!

Welcome to the Year of the Rat! This year’s Lunar New Year celebration officially began on January 25th, and staff members across the organization have been recognizing the holiday in their own way.

The VNSNY festivities include two official celebrations: On January 23rd, VNSNY’s Chinatown Community Center held a Lunar New Year event for VNSNY’s Chinese-speaking hospice team members and a number of community partners… and the Center is hosting a Lunar New Year Celebration and Open House on Wednesday, February 12th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. that will be open to the public.

We’ve also created an animated VNSNY display for the screens at our 220 East 42nd Street office. See it by clicking on the video below.

Celebrate The Year of the Rat by Taking Our Lunar New Year Quiz

1) The Lunar New Year is celebrated for…

a) One full month

b) 15 days

c) Just one night, but it lasts all night long

Answer: (b). The Lunar New Year celebration begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar (which can fall in either January or February) and ends 15 days later with the first full moon of the lunar year.

2) The Lunar New Year is celebrated…

a) Just in China

b) In all nations that have significant Asian populations

c) Throughout Asia and the Pacific

Answer: (b) and (c). While the Chinese New Year is the best-known celebration of the Lunar New Year, many countries throughout Asia and the Pacific recognize the Lunar New Year in some fashion—among them, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Tibet and the Philippines. In addition, Asian communities around the world are also celebrating the Lunar New Year—including many people right here at VNSNY!

3) The Chinese Lunar New Year features the color(s)…

a) Red

b) Gold

c) Red and Gold

Answer: (c). Red is the predominate color in Chinese New Year celebrations, used for decorations as well as for the lucky red envelopes containing money that people exchange during the New Year. Besides signifying happiness, good fortune and success, red is believed to scare away evil spirits—especially the Nian, a legendary beast who appears at this time each year. (Scaring demons is also why fireworks are a big part of Chinese New Year festivities!) But the color gold is an essential element of Chinese New Year celebrations as well, representing prosperity in the year ahead as well as completeness.

Here are some photos of the colorful New Year decorations now hanging in our various offices:

4) The Chinese zodiac follows a 12-year pattern, with a different animal assigned to each year. 2020 is the Year of the Rat. The Rat, representing wisdom, wealth and hard work, is actually the first animal in the 12-year cycle, because…

a) According to legend, the Rat was the first animal to arrive at a party held by the Jade Emperor, having tricked the Ox into giving him a ride.

b) The Rat has four toes each on its front paws and five on each of its back paws. This unusual toe arrangement is a unique combination of even (“yin”) and odd (“yang”) numbers, making the Rat exceptionally rare, and thus first in value among the 12 zodiac animals.

c) The Chinese zodiac also applies to times of day—and the Rat, which becomes active around midnight, is the first animal to stir in the daily cycle.

d) All of the above

Answer: (d). Between traditional lore and historical conjecture, each of these has been cited as a reason why the Year of the Rat comes first in the Chinese zodiac!

5) The Chinese New Year traditionally concludes with…

a) A big family dinner in which all disagreements are set aside

b) The Lantern Festival

c) Visiting your in-laws

Answer: (b). The other two items listed here also play a big part in Chinese New Year celebrations, but they take place earlier in the 15-day holiday: Families traditionally gather for a dinner on the evening before the start of the New Year, while the second day of the celebration is devoted to visiting in-laws. The Chinese New Year culminates in the Lantern Festival, held on the last day of celebrations. The festival, which dates back 2,000 years, features the hanging of colorful lanterns as well as dancing, moon-gazing and feasting on rice balls, which symbolize family unity.