In parts of Korea, people welcome the new year with a ritual called Jishin Balpgi where loud drums and gongs are played to scare off evil spirits of the old year. The Vietnamese new year, Tet , is kicked off by planting a tree called Cay Neu in front of the home. All leaves are removed so it can be wrapped in red paper for good luck and to scare off evil spirits. We' re very excited about the new year. This is a really important time for us, said Duc Tam Nguyen, executive director of the Vietnamese association of Illinois.
Firecrackers are an essential part of Lunar New Year in both Chinese and Vietnamese traditions.
The lunar year 4698 begins Feb. 5. Find out the type of animal you are and what it means. The lunar calendar is the oldest system of dates, devised in 2696 B.C. by the Western way of reckoning. The emperor Huang Ti introduced the first cycle of the zodiac. Under the lunar calendar, the beginning of the year can fall from late January to mid-February.