The global celebration of Chinese New Year 2024 commences on February 10 with joy and cultural reverence, marking the advent of the ‘Year of the Dragon’. This cherished festival, deeply rooted in Chinese culture, unites people of Chinese heritage in festivities that symbolize fresh beginnings and familial bonds.
So what does the Year of the Dragon mean?
The occasion signals the beginning of the lunar calendar, inviting vibrant parades, dragon dances, and feasts amid fireworks and reunion dinners. The festivities last for about 15 days, culminating in the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the lunar month.
Celebrating Lunar New Year 2024
Associate Professor Xiaohuan Zhao, from Chinese Studies in the School of Languages and Cultures, shares what it means to be born in a Year of the Dragon or to live through the Year of the Dragon in 2024.
What is Lunar New Year? And how is it different from the Western New Year?
There are two distinct celebrations that signify the beginning of a new year in Australia among people of East Asian origins: the Western New
As vibrant hues adorn streets and the tantalizing aroma of traditional delicacies wafts through the air, Chinese New Year 2024 heralds a time of renewal, prosperity, and cultural celebration. Ushering in the Year of the Dragon in 2024 provides a perfect opportunity to extend warm wishes, heartfelt messages, and inspiring quotes to loved ones, friends, and colleagues.
The origins of Lunar New Year customs date back thousands of years, rooted in Chinese mythology to ward off a tormenting beast. Families lit fireworks, covered doors with red paper, and left lanterns on overnight. Today, red lanterns decorate neighbourhoods, and giving cash in red envelopes is a common practice, symbolizing good fortune.
As the world celebrates the joyous occasion of Chinese New Year 2024, the Year of the Dragon promises a year filled with hope, prosperity, and unity.
Year and the Lunar New Year. Also known as the Gregorian New Year, the Western New Year is observed on 1 January, while the Lunar New Year, also referred to as the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year, is celebrated according to the lunisolar calendar and generally falls between 21 January and 20 February.
While both celebrations share some similarities, they also have their own unique customs and traditions that make them truly special. The Western New Year is widely celebrated around the world and marks the start of the Gregorian calendar year in many countries, particularly in the Western world. On the other hand, the Lunar New Year is a major festival in the Sinosphere or the Sinic world (Chinese-speaking countries and regions, and countries and regions historically under Chinese influence), including mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Vietnam, and Korea.
Chinese lion dance for Chinese new year celebrations.
New Year is a joyful event that is celebrated globally, without any cultural or religious restrictions. People throw parties, enjoy countdowns to midnight and engage in various activities to celebrate it. In the Sinic world, Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year is particularly significant and has deep cultural and traditional roots. It is a time for families to gather, pay respect to their ancestors and welcome the arrival of spring. So, whether one celebrates with fireworks and parties on 1 January or
enjoys traditional foods and dragon and lion dances during the Lunar New Year, both celebrations offer a wonderful opportunity to welcome the new year with joy and excitement.
Why is 2024 Lunar New Year called, the Year of the Wood Dragon?
The Chinese zodiac is a 12-year cycle that links each year to an animal sign. The 12 animal signs are Rat (shu 鼠), Ox (niu 牛), Tiger (hu 虎), Rabbit (tu 兔), Dragon (long 龍), Snake (she 蛇), Horse (ma 馬), Sheep (yang 羊), Monkey (hou 猴), Rooster (ji 雞), Dog (gou 狗) and Pig (zhu 豬). The order of the animal signs is fixed, with the Dragon being the fifth in the cycle, hence the Year of the Dragon (longnian 龍年) in 2024. Last year, 2023, was the Year of the Rabbit (tunian 兔年) and 2025 is the Year of the Snake (shennian 蛇年).
Each year also corresponds to one of the five basic elements (wuxing 五行) in Chinese cosmology, namely Metal (jin 金), Wood (mu 木), Water (shui 水), Fire (huo 火) or Earth (tu 土), creating a 60-year cycle. The universe is believed to be composed of the five elements that interact with each other in a cyclical way. These five elements are the fundamental building blocks of everything around us. The 60-year cycle is a combination of the 12 animal signs and the five elements. The understanding and application of the five elements is an essential aspect of Chinese astrology, cosmology, medicine, philosophy, and feng shui in particular.
Dragons at the Lantern Festival for the 2024 Chinese New Year
The Chinese lunisolar calendar determines the specific animal and element associated with a particular year. The Year of the Dragon in 2024 is associated with the element of Wood. The combination of the animal sign (Dragon) and the element (Wood) designates the year as the Year of the Wood Dragon.
The Lunar New Year will begin on 10 February in 2024. This marks the start of the Year of the Wood Dragon.
What are people born in the Year of the Dragon like?
Individuals born in the Year of the Dragon, according to the Chinese zodiac, are believed to possess certain characteristics and traits associated with the dragon. They tend to be ambitious, confident, and charismatic. They possess an abundance of energy and enthusiasm while also displaying exceptional intelligence and power. They are naturally lucky and gifted, often accomplishing their endeavours with exceptional standards of excellence. However, they may also exhibit negative characteristics, such as arrogance, bigotry, dominance, irritability, and subjectivity, which may make them reluctant to accept defeat.
It is important to note that the characteristics and personality traits associated with the Chinese zodiac signs are generalisations. As with any cultural or astrological tradition, there exists a considerable degree of individual variability that should not be overlooked. Therefore, it is recommended to interpret the Chinese zodiac traits with a cultural understanding and a nuanced approach. The years of the dragon include: 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000 and 2012.
What are the taboos during Year of the Dragon?
The Year of the Dragon is associated with various taboos that differ across locations and periods in the Sinic world. However, there is a general consensus on certain taboos one should observe:
- Avoid using characters, and characters that contain the radicals, such as xu戌 (weapon) or ge 戈 (halberd, spear, lance), and gou 狗 (dog) or quan 犬/ 犭 (dog) when naming a baby born in the Year of the Dragon. This is because chen 辰 and xu戌are mutually exclusive in the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches (tiangan dizhi 天干地支 or simply ganzhi 干支)
- Avoid placing the bed in the northwest corner when arranging the furniture in your bedroom, as the northwest is believed to belong to the Earthly Branch of xu 戌, which is associated with the zodiac animal of Dog in Chinese astrology. The Dragon corresponds to the Earthly Branch of chen 辰, which is mutually exclusive with xu 戌
- Avoid wearing any jewellery that is shaped like a dog.
- Avoid getting a new puppy.
- Avoid collaborating with or marrying people who were born in the Year of the Dog
- Avoid collaborating with or marrying people who were born in the Year of the Tiger, because a competitive conflict can easily arise between the Dragon and the Tiger, known in Chinese as longhu dou 龍虎鬥, making collaboration or marriage difficult.
Auspicious practices for 2024 Year of the Dragon: Wear yellow, decorate with blue.
In Chinese astrology, every zodiac sign is associated with a lucky colour that can impact an individual’s prosperity and fortune. For those born in the Year of the Dragon in 2024, the auspicious colour is gold, which signifies success, wealth, and honour. Gold is believed to possess strong positive energy and symbolises the sun and metal. It is considered a symbol of royalty, nobility, and wealth, thus making it one of the most auspicious colours for the Dragon.
Yellow is also an auspicious colour for Earth, representing wealth, solidity and stability. Wearing yellow clothes or accessories and using yellow decorations in the home can help increase one’s luck in 2024. Yellow is linked with wealth and money and is one of the auspicious colours for the Dragon. Wearing yellow or using it in decorations can enhance connections and wealth, particularly for those who are starting a business or developing their careers.
Finally, blue is an auspicious colour for Water, representing youth, freshness, vitality, and wisdom. Dragon individuals can choose to wear blue clothes and accessories or use blue decorations in their homes to enhance their perennial aura and auspicious luck in 2024. Blue is considered a vibrant and energetic colour and is also one of the auspicious colours for the Dragon.
