Publisher's Synopsis
Ring in the Year of the Rabbit with this vibrant exploration of Lunar New Year festivities across Asia and around the world. Join author Shalini J. Han on a journey through the rich traditions, cultural customs, symbolic rituals, and spiritual practices that characterize the most important and auspicious holiday in the Asian lunar calendar. This book provides an illuminating guide to Lunar New Year celebrations spanning China, Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, and beyond. Learn about the ancient origins of Lunar New Year and how celebrations have evolved over thousands of years while retaining traditional hallmarks. Discover unique regional practices - like giving red envelopes, dragon parades, ancestor tributes, festive foods, and spiritual ceremonies aimed at ushering in luck and prosperity for the coming year. See how Lunar New Year unfold today in bustling metropolises like Beijing, Seoul, Hanoi and Singapore as well as remote villages. Witness time-honored customs observed by families like cooking auspicious feasts, making offerings at temple altars, hosting raucous celebrations, and partaking in cultural performances. The author also ventures beyond Asia to showcase how Lunar New Year has expanded globally. Immigrant communities from San Francisco to Sydney keep traditions alive far from home through colorful parades and festivals. We see how the holiday transforms into a hybrid celebration as cultures blend across borders. Ultimately this book reveals how honoring the past propels Lunar New Year into a bright future each year. Well-researched, engagingly written, and filled with immersive details, Ancestral Traditions in a Modern World provides the complete guide to Lunar New Year as both an enduring cultural tradition and an evolving global festival that unites families and communities through joy.
