New Year’s: Reflect and Anticipate

Exploring New Year’s Traditions in Asian Culture

By Seth Meyer, Contributor

New Year’s is a time of great reflection and a chance to look ahead. But how do other cultures revere this time? In parts of Asia, New Year’s is the most important holiday and until somewhat recently, the Lunar Calendar was the only one celebrated and the celebrations lasted for 15 days, not just one. What changed?

The Gregorian calendar labels New Year’s day as one day on Jan. 1. This is what we celebrate in the United States and most western countries. It is also celebrated in Japanese culture. It wasn’t always this way, though. The country of Japan celebrated the Lunar New Year until the year 1873 during the Meiji Restoration. During this time, Japan revered the western culture as the modern culture and felt they would be left behind if they did not adopt western ideals. In 1873 the Meiji government announced they would be adopting the Gregorian Calendar. This was 20 years after admiral Matthew Perry sailed into Tokyo Bay to open up trade between the USA and Japan.

This was not adopted by everyone in Japan at first, though. For years, the Lunar Calendar continued to be used by rural regions of Japan. By the early 1900s though, the Gregorian Calendar was almost entirely adopted. This New Year celebration is called Oshôgatsu. One place where the Japanese community celebrated the Oshôgatsu was on Terminal Island in the early 1900s. Terminal Island was once the location of a large fishing and canning community.

Construction of the area started in 1915 and facilities were fully operational by 1917. Strongly employed by Japanese immigrants, known as Issei, as well as American born Japanese citizens, the area became known for Japanese cultural inclusion. How was their New Year’s celebrated?

Although Japanese culture celebrated the Gregorian New Year, old traditions were still kept from previous lunar celebrations. The holiday is not a single day affair, rather multiple days of preparation leading to multiple days of food and celebration. It is customary not to cook during the holiday so cooking and “the big cleaning” occurs on the days leading up to the new year. On the day of, assorted food plates called Osechi are enjoyed as well as different foods representing ideals such as happiness, strength and fertility. Examples of Osechi include candied chestnuts representing luck and prosperity, kuromame sweet black beans representing good health and tazukuri herring roe representing bountiful harvest. Along with food, many Japanese descendants on Terminal Island remember otoshidama, spending money given to kids by adults. New Year’s on Terminal Island was remembered as a time for relatives and friends to visit households paying respects to their families. The men would travel giving gifts, such as money and food to other households; while the wives and kids stayed home to receive the same offerings. New Year in the Japanese culture then focuses on family and good fortune for the future.

Lunar New Year has some similarities to the Japanese Oshôgatsu. In Lunar New Year celebrations family is incredibly important and food is a major part with dishes such as dumplings in China, pastries in Mongolia, and rice cake soup in Korea. Every country has specific foods they revere during this time and different traditions akin to them. In China, the red pouches called lai see or hong bao are well known symbols during New Year gifted to children and unmarried adults and are similar to the monetary gifts otoshidama in Japan. Unlike the Oshôgatsu, where celebrators spend more time visiting friends and family, many Lunar New Year  celebrations include loud fireworks as well as markets selling decorations. The literal duration of the Lunar New Year is a big difference as well. Although there is no set duration of Japanese celebrated New Year, it typically is around three days long, whereas Lunar New Year is a 15-day event, during which time much of Asia is shut down for observance.

We all love New Year’s for the symbolic new start and mental reset we are given. This time of year is also very symbolic to many other countries and their traditions. Whether you celebrate the Gregorian Calendar or the Lunar Calendar, grab the opportunity for a mental reset, visit some family or light a firework. If you are looking to celebrate Lunar New Year in the area, make sure to check out the Lunar New Year Festival by the Port of Los Angeles being held on Jan. 21, 2023 at the Cabrillo Way Marina. There will be food, lion dancers, entertainment and more.

Seth Meyer is a graduate of Long Beach State University’s marine biology program, with interests in science, photography, culinary arts and music.