Christmas and Taiwanese Lunar New Year

Curtis Shih (‘27) November 15, 2022

Christmas and Lunar New Year are both two major holidays. They are both celebrated by many people around the world. Christmas is mainly celebrated in the Western Region, while Lunar New Year is celebrated more in the Eastern Region. Although Christmas and the Taiwan Lunar New Year have diverse origins and meanings, they have many similarities, such as a time for conventional activities, traditional foods, and families.

Each holiday’s origins are very diverse, and so are the meanings of the two holidays. Christmas is a Christian holiday celebrated to honor the birth of Jesus Christ. Taiwanese Lunar New Year is a story of the Chinese mythical creature Nian. The story of the creature Nian follows the story of a hideous beast that feasts on human flesh on New Year’s day. To prevent themselves from getting hurt, people created ways to defend themselves from this creature, thus inventing the origin of the Taiwanese Lunar New Year. Christmas, on the contrary, means love. John 3:16-17 from the bible says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God loved the world so much that he was willing to give his only son Jesus, to humankind, so Christmas is celebrated to recognize the kindness of God. On the other hand, the Taiwanese Lunar New Year is a time to thank the gods for the good things that happened in the past year and to worship the gods to bring good luck to the new upcoming year. Many Taiwanese will make their way to temples on New Year’s Day to pray to the gods for safety and good luck for that year.

Both holidays share similar foods and conventional activities since they are very traditional. For Christmas and the Taiwanese Lunar New Year, numerous people decorate their homes to get in a festive mood. The most common colors for decorating are gold and red. During Christmas time and the Taiwanese Lunar New Year, people decorate their homes with lots of red, symbolizing love and good fortune. For Christmas, gold symbolizes the gifts Jesus received when he was born. For the Taiwanese Lunar New Year, gold represents wealth and good luck for the upcoming year. Both holidays contain giving gifts to friends and families. For Christmas, people buy gifts for family and put them under the Christmas tree to open on Christmas day. Taiwanese Lunar New Year is more towards adults giving out red envelopes as gifts to children and usually contain money. Taiwanese Lunar New Year is more towards eating out at restaurants. Most Taiwanese go to restaurants and relish a meal there. Alternatively, people watch lion and dragon dances, set off fireworks, and dress up in red clothing. Christmas is celebrated indoors with activities such as building a gingerbread house, decorating Christmas Trees, and cooking a meal jointly for the whole family to enjoy.

There is one traditional food along with other dishes that are crucial for both holidays. For the Taiwanese Lunar New Year, the staple food is fish. The pronunciation of the word fish in Chinese symbolizes abundance and prosperity. In Chinese tradition, there is an idiom that means having surpluses each year, the letter used in the idiom rhymes with the word fish in Chinese. Therefore, producing the tradition of eating fish in Lunar New Year meals. Other traditional cuisines enjoyed during the Lunar New Year meal include longevity noodles, dumplings, spring rolls, and more. Christmas also has one staple dish, Turkey. Eating turkey symbolizes generosity, gratitude, family, and friendship. It also means being grateful for the things in our lives, just like eating turkey for Thanksgiving. Another reason why people enjoy eating turkey for Christmas is because of its large proportion. Turkeys are between 6.3-22 kg with lots of stuffing and flavor. Traditional foods served during Christmas are mashed potatoes, roasted beef/ham, pumpkin pie, and more.

Both Christmas and Lunar Taiwanese include gathering with family and friends. People will travel back home to celebrate these two holidays. For the Taiwanese Lunar New Year, there are specific times when people go back to visit their families. On the day before the New Year, family members will stop by the husband/dad’s side of the family to enjoy a big dinner feast together. On the day after the New Year, families would go to visit the wife/mom’s side of the family to exchange red envelopes while also enjoying a meal. Christmas is more flexible. There are no specific times for families to gather around; it is just about families being together. Although visiting families for Christmas doesn’t have particular times, people choose to see only one side of the family for Christmas because of the distance between one family member with the other. If people visit the dads’ side of the family this year, they will go to the wife’s side the following year. Both holidays are about family reunions and gathering together annually to cherish each other.

Christmas and the Taiwanese Lunar New Year may have differences, but their traditions, conventional activities, and foods make them very similar. Some people might think these two holidays are very different, but they share more similarities than differences.