And of course there are the most popular New Year’s characters: “The symbols for the New Year are Father Time, hoary with age, being replaced by the newborn child,” writes Pamela E. Apkarian-Russell in her book Postmarked Yesteryear: Art of the Holiday Card. “It is the retelling of the King who dies only to be replaced by a younger and stronger ruler. It is the story of the Phoenix shedding its beautiful feathers and then bursting into flames only to be reborn from the ashes on his self-induced pyre. It is senility and decay replaced by virility.”
Take a spin through these sometimes strange but often sweet vintage New Year’s cards, most of which come from the early 1900s. May your New Year be filled with mushrooms, pigs and small bearded men. –Wally
Say ‘Happy Lunar New Year' for a more inclusive holiday greeting
Welcome to the Year of the Rat!
Chinese New Year is considerably the most important holiday in China. The celebration date differs every year because it is observed based on the Lunar calendar. In 2022, the holiday begins on January 25 and marks the start of the Year of the Rat, the first animal of the 12 in the Chinese Zodiac to reach the gates of heaven. But the festival is not celebrated exclusively in China.
Although many people in the western hemisphere refer to the festivities as “Chinese New Year,” other Asian countries, including the Philippines, Korea, Vietnam and Tibet, celebrate the occasion as well.
While Chinese call the festival “chūnjié” (春节), Koreans call it Eumnyeok Seollal (음력 설날), Vietnamese celebrate Tết Nguyên Đán (literal translation: the first morning of the first day of the new year) and Tibetans observe the Losar Festival.
There are a few reasons that the Lunar New Year is often called “Chinese New Year” instead. Though many people are unaware, the two are actually slightly different celebrations.
Many Asian countries adopted the Chinese lunisolar calendar, which is why their Lunar New Year celebrations occur at the same time.
Now, the reason why “Chinese New Year” and “Lunar New Year” are often used interchangeably in the western hemisphere has much to do with conventions set by the first Chinese immigrants.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, Chinese people were the predominant group of Asians within the Americas, and their holidays and celebrations were noticeably different from the ones practiced by Americans. In order for Westerners to differentiate the Lunar New Year from the Solar New Year, they simply named it after the largest group of people celebrating the occasion.
The inescapable fact is that many Asian countries, including Korea, were largely influenced by Chinese history and culture. As a Korean American, it still somewhat irks me when Westerners ask me “are you celebrating the Chinese New Year?”
For some non-Chinese Asians and Asian Americans, the lack of distinction may feel a tad othering and borne of ignorance. In my experience, this feeling is generally more common among the Asian American diaspora. Although the custom of referring to the celebration as “Chinese New Year” may be hard to break, “Lunar New Year” includes more people in the celebrations, and the more the merrier!
Earlier this week, Global Observer writer Angela Tian reported on some activities Chinese people might do during their New Year celebrations. Below, check out some of the similar and unique Lunar New Year experiences from some other Asian countries, and have a great Lunar New Year!
恭喜发财!
새해 복 많이 받으세요!
Chúc mừng năm mới!
Manigong Bagong Taon!
Celebration in Korea
Although I haven’t formally celebrated New Year with extended family in Korea for almost a decade, I still remember some of the festivities vividly.
The holiday is called Seollal, which generally means “new year.” Eumnyeok Seollal specifically is for the lunar new year. It is a familial celebration over a period of three days: the day before, the day of, and the day after. Seollal has become increasingly expensive to celebrate as it requires traveling back to one’s hometown, preparing extensive gifts and even wearing traditional hanbok.
Although the Lunar New Year has been celebrated with members of the family dressed in hanbok robes, many people now prefer to wear less expensive and more comfortable western-style clothes.
Seollal food typically include variations of tteokguk (rice cake soup) and jeon (pan fried scallion, seafood or meat cakes). Fruit is a common offering, but is typically very expensive to buy in South Korea around celebration time.
The extent of celebrations differs by family. Some go all the way and prepare tables of food for ancestors, to which every one bows deeply.
Sebae, which means “elder worship,” is a form of filial piety performed by younger and older members of the family. Grandchildren may bow to both their parents and their grandparents. The parents bow to their parents, and perhaps also their parents-in-law. While performing the single bow, they say “please receive many blessings/good fortune for the new year.” Often the children are rewarded with pocket money put into silk bags. These are called “bokjumeoni” (복주머니) and literally mean, “pocket of fortune.”
After the bowing rites and a feast, Koreans often play folk games. Three of the more common ones are hwatu, jegichagi and yutnori.
Hwatu, modernized into Go-Stop, is a card game that requires set matching and a fair amount of strategy. Jegichagi involves kicking a footbag with the winner having highest count of kicks before letting the bag drop. Finally, yutnori is a game involving four wooden sticks with unique symbols on them, and tossing determines one’s position/score on a board.
Oftentimes, the gifts that people bring to the celebrations are used as prizes and an incentive to win these games. Although many traditional aspects have been modernized or taken out of Seollal celebrations entirely for some people, the Lunar New Year is still a time where family comes together to wish each other good fortune in the new year.
Celebration in Vietnam
In Vietnam, Lunar New Year is referred to as “Tết Nguyên Đán” (literal meaning: the first morning of the first day of the New Year). It is an official national holiday and although the main celebration spans about three days – the day before, the day of and the day after new year, Vietnamese people usually gets five to seven days off to spend time with their family. Just like Christmas in the U.S., Tết in Vietnam is a travelling season, with people returning to their hometowns to celebrate the occasion with family. Being home is important because Vietnamese culture emphasizes remembering one’s ancestors and strengthening families bonds during this special time of the year.
For decorations, people generally decorate their houses with big pots of flowers or fruits (the equivalence of a Christmas tree). They also use red color papers or cloths and pictures or cutouts of the symbol animal of that year. This year is the Year of the Rat so you can expect to see a lot of cute rat decorations around a Vietnamese neighborhood. On the altar, people like to assemble a set of fruits whose names combine to say “Pray for just enough wealth to spend.” If you’re curious, the fruits are sugar apple, coconut, papaya and mango. Some people can get creative with this process, assembling fruits based on what they wish for.
One of the most popular dishes enjoyed by Vietnamese during the Lunar New Year, beside spring rolls and boiled chicken, is banh tet and banh chung, a cylinder and square cake made of rice, mashed mung beans and pork, wrapped in banana leaves and boiled. A side dish to enjoy with the meal is pickled onions of different styles.
Bánh chưng (left), a rice cake wrapped in banana leaves that are exclusively made and enjoyed during Tet holiday. A Tet feast (right) with dishes to accompany banh chung. Photo courtesy: Nghi Nguyen
In the past, both men and women wear the traditional costume ao dai. Nowadays however, more women wear ao dai than men as men often opt for a more modern look with the Western polo shirt or dress shirt and vest.
On New Year’s Day and the following days, people love to wear red clothing as a sign of good luck for the whole year. It is believed that the first person to come to your house on New Year’s Day will have a significant impact on the fortune of the family for the whole year, therefore some people selected the person beforehand and ask them to come early on New Year’s morning to “break the house” for them. People greet each other on New Year’s Day with wishes praying for good health, good fortune and more wealth while the elders give out lucky money in red envelopes to kids and their juniors.
Celebration in the Philippines
In the Philippines, the Lunar New Year is celebrated mainly by the Chinese-Filipino population. However, the celebration has been picked up by other groups in the country, according to Mariane Cantimbuhan, a Law student at De La Salle University College of Law in Manila. The Lunar New Year is not an official holiday in the Philippines but Cantimbuhan said classes are suspended on this day to pave way for the celebration.
Cantimbuhan said her Chinese-Filipino friends often celebrate the festival by giving out sticky rice cakes placed in red boxes called “Tikoy,” which is a sign of good luck. “They say that when someone gives you that, you must finish it all for good luck and prosperity.”
In addition, people also wear red clothing during the holiday to bring about good luck for the new year. “More often than not, the Chinese and the Filipino-Chinese community complete and serve on their table 13 bountiful fruits, all of which are circular in shape.”
New Year card messages for family and friends
• Here’s to another year full of joy, laughter, and unforgettable memories with an unforgettable friend!
• Knowing you have been a master class in true friendship. During the New Year, I hope to emulate your love and warmth. I wish you a very Happy New Year.
• With the new year on the horizon, I wish to embrace it with my beloved family. I wish that we all embrace it with an open heart and go forward with faith, hope, and courage.
• I am so grateful to head into this new year with you beside me. Your light, your love, and your happiness bring me so much joy and never fail to lift me even on the hardest of days. Here’s to another beautiful year of love and friendship!
New Year card messages for business
• A perfect role model. That is what you are to us. We are blessed to have a team leader like you. I hope the world will have more people like you so that this world will become a better place. Have a blessed new year, boss!
• You earned everything you have right now, and I admire your ability to know what’s right and what’s wrong for your business. Let’s make this year even more successful and profitable. Happy New Year!
• We can’t thank you enough for all of your support this year. From our entire team, we want to wish you a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year!
Romantic New Year Wishes
• Every year, we make resolutions, and we vow to keep them. This year, my only resolution is to keep spending time with you. Happy New Year Love!
• I am looking forward to the morning after New Year’s Eve when I wake up next to you! Happy New Year!
Funny New Year card Messages
• Happy new year! How’d it been if, instead of bringing happiness, joy, and peace, the new year’s brought cash, fame, and champagne?
• Sorry for all the annoying behavior I did throughout the year. May you give me another chance to do that in the next New Year!
• Here’s a new year wish for you before the network gets jammed. I hope you’re having great fun. Wishing you a successful year ahead!
• I was going to quit all my bad habits for the new year, but then I remembered that nobody likes a quitter.
Religious New Year Messages
• May God bless your family with prosperity, good health, and happiness in the New Year.
• May the Lord ensure you get success in your career and resolve all conflicts this year.
• I wish God blesses you with the might to take every problem head-on and emerge unscathed.
• May the Lord empower you with confidence and faith to do well amidst competition.
Short Christmas Greetings for Just About Anyone
Design: Patrice Horvath Design
Not sure what to say this year? Did you put your Christmas cardВ writing off until twelve days before Christmas? Not to worry, these short Christmas messagesВ apply to everyone on your list. Send them one of these festive greeting cardsВ to get your notes out and delivered by the 25th:
• Wishing you a warm, glowing Christmas this year.
• Thinking of youВ this holiday season. Have a blessed Christmas and a happyВ New Year!
• May you have a jolly holiday season. Hope your Christmas is merry and bright!
• Hope all is well with you and your family. Sending thoughts and warm wishes from our home to yours.
• Grateful to have you in our lives. Hope you have a merryВ ChristmasВ and a happyВ New Year.
• Hope your holiday seasonВ is filled with friendship and festivities. Looking forward to seeing you in the new year!
• Have a happy ChristmasВ and a wonderfulВ holiday season.
• Sending merry Christmas wishesВ to you and your family.
• Spreading Christmas blessingsВ to you during this joyous season.
• May your holiday seasonВ be merryВ and bright.
• Sending Season's greetingsВ to you this Christmas.
Heartfelt Christmas Greetings for Family Members
Design: Morgan Kendall
If you won’t be going home this Christmas season, send a note off to your parents, grandparents, and aunts and uncles letting them know they’re in your thoughts. You can’t be everywhere this holiday season, but perhaps these holiday cards will let your family know you’re hoping to make it home next year.
• I won’t be able to make it home for Christmas this year, but know that I love you, appreciate you, and miss you every day.
• The only present I want under my Christmas treeВ this year is one weekend with all of you. Thinking of youВ and sending my warmest wishes.
• Having family like you is the greatest Christmas giftВ anyone could ever ask for. I can’t wait to make it home next year.
• Anyone who says you don’t choose your family doesn’t know the meaning of family. I’d choose to spend every holiday with you from now until forever.
• Nothing can ever replace having a family like ours. Looking forward to spending time with you when I arrive home for the holidays.
• Sending lots of loveВ and best wishesВ from far away. Have a happy holiday season!
Funny Christmas Card Greetings to Send Your Friends
Design: Pink House Press
Your friends have loved you at your worst and cheered you on at your best. To those who have been your ride-or-dies through high school hallways, college dorms, and every new beginning in between,В wish them well this holiday seasonВ withВ these personal Christmas card messages.
• Remember when we actually stayed up past midnight for New Years? Yea, me neither.
• I love you enough to take on your student loan debt. Not really, but hoping you get some dollar bills in your stocking.
• Here’s to Santa ClausВ placing a Frenchie puppy under your Christmas tree. No one deserves it more.
• I can’t imagine anyone elseВ I’d rather grow old and watch Golden Girls with.В Here’s to another merryВ ChristmasВ and happyВ New YearВ with you by my aging side.
• Sending you warm, fuzzy wishes of good health, even after all the spiked eggnog we both know you'll drink.
• On Christmas Day, my only hope is that youВ survive your mother's long list of questions.
• There's no one I would rather spread some Christmas cheer with — i.e., watch cheesy Netflix Christmas movies with, sing Christmas carolsВ off-tune with, and drink spiked apple cider with.
Warm Christmas Greetings to Send to Colleagues
Design: Signature Greenvelope
Sometimes it’s difficult to find the right words to show your coworkers your appreciation. For those who have shared in your success, stood by your side, and always been there to cheer you on, here are several holiday greetings to send at Christmas time.
• Thank you for all your hard work this year. Have a relaxing holiday, you deserve it!
• Hope you enjoy this time of yearВ with family and friends.
• I appreciate your business and hope our success continues through the New Year.
• Have a festive holiday season. Cheers to a wonderful New Year!
• It’s been a great year having you as a teammate. Have a blessed holiday and prosperous New YearВ with family and friends.
• Have a wonderful Christmas — see you after the New Year!
• Have a very merry ChristmasВ and a well deserved break.
• The past yearВ would not have been possible without you. Have a great ChristmasВ with your family and friends.
Religious Christmas Greetings to Spread the Joy
Design: Veronica Linti
If you or your loved onesВ celebrate Christmas for religious reasons, the holidays can be a special time to express your faith.В Here are several religious greetings you can send out to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.
• May GodВ bless your family with hope and faith this holiday season.
• Sending thoughts and prayers to your family this Christmas.
• May your home be filled with joy, as unto us a child is born.
• Hope your home is filled with Christ’s magic of ChristmasВ this time of year.
• May the Lord fill your home with the spirit of ChristmasВ this holy season.
• On the first Christmas, GodВ gave us Jesus as the greatest gift. Sending Christ’s blessings to you and your family.
• Blessings to you and your family, may your home be filled with the true meaning of Christmas this holy night.
• We hope your family is filled with the Christmas spirit and your home is filled with the gifts of faith and love this season.
Merry Christmas Greetings for that Special Someone
Design: Robinson Creative House
This season, there’s only one person you want to be cozied up next to by the fire. To the person who’s keeping you warm this winter, send them one of these Christmas card sayings to show how much you care.
Send Greetings to Those You’re Thankful For
All too often, an entire year goes by without showing our appreciation for those around us. Christmas is such a wonderful way to celebrate, show gratitude, and spread joy with those we care about.
Whether you’re sending your Christmas messages to family members, coworkers, or friends from college, Greenvelope is here to share your holiday message. Choose from dozens upon dozens of holiday designs, all of which can be customized. Personalize your Christmas card with a photo of you or your family, add a fun note or a life update for a personal touch, or type a simple “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!”
Hopefully this gave you a little bit of holiday inspiration to spread the joy this season. From all of us at Greenvelope, Merry Christmas!