Many Korean families participate in a ritual called “charye,” where female family members prepare food and male members serve it to ancestors. Gambling and playing traditional games is common during this time across cultures.Īncestor worship is also common during this time. People dress up in red attire, decorate their homes with red paper lanterns and use red envelopes to give loved ones and friends money for the new year, symbolizing good wishes for the year ahead. In many Asian cultures, the color symbolizes good fortune and joy. Red is considered an auspicious color to ring in the new year.
To this day, the Lunar New Year celebration is centered around removing bad luck and welcoming all that is good and prosperous. Because the beast feared the color red, loud noises and fire, people put up red paper dragons on their doors, burned red lanterns all night and set off firecrackers to frighten and chase away the monster.
One well-known ancient legend speaks of Nian, a hideous monster that feasted on human flesh on New Year’s Day. What are some beliefs and traditions around the Lunar New Year?
