Lunar New Year - January 22, 2023
Year of the Rabbit
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Across Asia and the Asian diaspora, Lunar New Year, also commonly known as Chinese New Year, is the most widely celebrated and most important social and economic holiday. For billions of people around the world, it marks the start of a new year based on the lunar calendar, a dating system that's based on the monthly cycle of the moon's phases. It was originally observed as a time to honor household and heavenly deities and ancestors. It has been celebrated for over 1,000 years – possibly much longer, and the traditions involved are deeply ingrained in Chinese culture.
Spring Festival | Seollal | Tết | Kongsi Raya | Imlek
Lunar new year is the grandest ancient traditional festival in China, commonly known as "Guo Nian". This festival means the beginning of spring and the arrival of the new year.
The customs of Chinese lunar new year include putting up Spring Festival couplets, eating reunion dinner with family on New Year’s Eve, giving red envelopes and other gifts, firecrackers and fireworks, and watching lion and dragon dances. During Chinese New Year it is not uncommon to see lanterns hung on trees in the streets, office buildings, and doors of houses. Hanging a red lantern in front of the door is believed to drive off bad luck.
Chinese New Year, or Lunar New Year, is a 15-day festival. China's public holiday for Lunar New Year is 7 days, from Chinese New Year's Eve to the sixth day of the lunar calendar new year. Offices, banks, factories, shops, and most non-essential services will close doors for a week's holiday. It is also a public holiday in countries such as Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, North Korea, Singapore, South Korea, and Vietnam. It is not a public holiday in countries such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, or the United States.
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Hong Kong Ballet - Premiere of Romeo + Juliet | |
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Hong Kong Ballet (HKB) presents the U.S. Premiere of Romeo + Juliet on Friday, January 13 at 8pm and Saturday, January 14 at 2pm at New York City Center, 131 W. 55th Street (between Sixth and Seventh Avenues) NYC. Tickets begin at $35 and can be purchased online at nycitycenter.org, by phone at (212) 581-1212, or in person at the New York City Center Box Office.
“Transposing the action from medieval Italy to 1960s Hong Kong is an ingenious idea … Visually the production is stunning.”
Ancient grudges between triad families. Passion and tragedy. The iconic balcony scene. Set in Hong Kong in the turbulent 1960s, Shakespeare’s timeless tale of star-crossed lovers is given a fresh and thought-provoking retelling in Septime Webre’s new Romeo + Juliet. Juliet’s father is an unrelenting Shanghainese tycoon who is determined to marry his only daughter off to a wealthy gweilo (Caucasian), and Webre’s original choreography seamlessly incorporates intense street battles rendered in traditional Hong Kong-style kung fu. Accompanied by Prokofiev’s dramatic score, retro Hong Kong is vividly brought to life in the epic love story’s captivating dancing, complex drama and sumptuous cheongsams. This brilliantly imagined adaptation is especially relevant for contemporary audiences as it fuses dance and drama against a backdrop of a world in flux.
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HONG KONG - NEW YORK CITY
Hong Kong's Biggest New Year's Eve Celebration
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HONG KONG VICTORIA HARBOUR
Multimedia Light Show
Hong Kong welcomed the 2023 New Year with a multimedia light show over Victoria Harbour. A synchronization of light and a cinematic soundtrack, the multimedia show illuminated the harbor with lasers and light beams as fireworks set off from the rooftops of numerous buildings and attractions in Hong Kong and in Kowloon to mark the beginning of 2023.
"A Symphony of Lights" taking the stage every night at 8 pm presents an enhanced edition with diverse add-on light until Lantern Festival (5 February). The Hong Kong skyline will be transformed into an audiovisual feast as electrifying lights and laser beams dance across Victoria Harbour. The city's biggest countdown activity returned three days after limits on group gatherings were lifted. It was Hong Kong's biggest New Year's Eve celebration since 2019.
TIMES SQUARE, NEW YORK CITY
"Fusion, Motion, Inspirations - Hong Kong Rocks!"
Hundreds of millions of people in New York and around the globe ushered in the New Year with Hong Kong on December 31, 2022 (New York Time) as the New York Times Square countdown celebration shone a spotlight on Hong Kong.
Contemporary dance group TS Crew, world champion harmonica player CY Leo and erhu virtuoso Chan Pik-sum enthralled the New York Times Square stage with a "Kung Fu Contemporary Circus". The audience erupted in rave applause at the blend of dance and kung fu against a medley of Chinese and Western classics newly arranged by legendary jazz pianist and composer Ted Lo.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York (HKETONY), Ms Candy Nip, said Hong Kong was thrilled to be part of this iconic event. "It is such a great way for us to show the world that Hong Kong is back on the international stage, and we are ready to welcome global visitors," she said.
Hong Kong fashion doyenne Vivienne Tam has designed a limited-edition scarf, incorporating elements of Hong Kong and New Year, for the audience at Times Square. "Through this scarf, Hong Kong would like to send love and warmth to everyone!" said Ms Nip. The artists and designer were honored to be part of this exciting project. Ms Nip was proud to see the team of Hong Kong talent "rocking" an international audience with the beauty and enchantment of the city. "They are ambassadors for Hong Kong, who showcase the flair and artistry of our people while building friendship across cultures," Ms Nip added.
Joining Ms Nip at the opening ceremony were the President of Times Square Alliance, Mr Tom Harris; the President of the Sino-American Friendship Association, Mr Peter Zhang; the Consul-General of the People's Republic of China in New York, Mr Huang Ping; Executive Director of Citywide Event Coordination and Management and Street Activity Permit Office under New York Mayor's Office, Ms Dawn Tolson; and Director of Asian Affairs of New York State Governor's Office, Ms Elaine Fan.
HKETONY
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Festivals in The Philippines | |
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What could be more fun than experiencing the culture of a new destination through its festivals?
Festivals in the Philippines are vibrant and energetic affairs that showcase the people's pride in their rich culture and heritage.
The destination has festivals all year round throughout the archipelago. Check out some of the most breath-taking Filipino Festivals you should not miss!
Iloilo City: Dinagyang Festival - One of the biggest world-class festivals in the Philippines celebrating its roots and history.
Bacolod City: MassKara Festival - Celebration of the city's charter anniversary through smiling
masks and vibrant costumes.
Cebu: Sinulog Festival - Cebu’s biggest and most popular festival in honor of the Holy Child, celebrated every 3rd Sunday of January.
Tacloban City: Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival - Dancers paint their bodies in patterns of ancient tattoos that resemble armour to represent past warriors.
Non-fully vaccinated visitors to the Philippines are required to provide a negative RAT test taken before or upon arrival. Learn more: https://etravel.gov.ph/entry-guidelines
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Public Holidays January 2023 | |
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Myanmar | 4 January
Independence Day
Independence Day is a national holiday observed annually in Myanmar every 4 January. The date celebrates Myanmar’s Declaration of Independence from British rule on this day in 1948.
Cambodia | 7 January
Victory over Genocide Regime
This national holiday is always celebrated annually on January 7th. Also known as Cambodian Victory Day, it marks the end of the Khmer Rouge regime in 1979.
Vietnam | 20-26 January
TET Lunar New Year
Tet Nguyen Dan, better known as TET, is the most important holiday period in Vietnam and welcomes the New Year with an extensive period of holidaying for the Vietnamese people. The date of TET changes annually as it follows the lunar calendar.
China & Other Countries | 21-27 January
Chinese New Year
Of all the festivities in China, Lunar New Year is the most important of them all. Chinese people make every effort to get together with their families for this celebration. Within the country, it is the biggest human migration on record. Over 400 million people will leave major cities and return to rural areas nationwide. It is also a public holiday in several countries across Asia as follows: Indonesia, 22 January; Singapore, 22-23 January; Malaysia, 22-24 January; Hong Kong, 22-25 January.
Malaysia | 22 -24 January
Chinese New Year
A quarter of the population in Malaysia is of Chinese descent, hence Chinese New Year (CNY) takes on great importance and is a national holiday. The Lunar New Year provides an opportunity for families to come together and wish each other good fortune in the coming year, and for family gatherings that are held on Lunar New Year's Eve.
Indonesia | 22 January
Imlek
Chinese people and their Indonesian descendants have lived in the Indonesian archipelago since at least the 13th century. The Lion Dance or “Barongsai” performance is one of the most popular Chinese New Year traditions in Indonesia.
The Philippines | 22 January
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is public holiday in 2023 in whole Philippines. Home of all things Chinese in the Philippines, the Chinatown in Binondo, Manila is the oldest Chinatown in the world and hosts a flurry of celebrations during the Chinese New Year.
South Korea | 22 January
Seollal
“Korean Lunar New Year or 설날 (Seollal) is the Korean version of Chinese New Year. It is celebrated at the same time as Chinese New Year (except for a rare case every several years where they fall a day apart)
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Gastronomy Japanese Osechi | |
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In Japan, New Year is way more important than Christmas and is seen as one of, if not the most important times of the year. The tradition of celebrating the New Year on January 1st started in 1873, but Japanese New Year food has been around for way longer.
The Japanese celebrate the New Year Day with traditional New Year foods called Osechi Ryori (おせち料理) which started being eaten in the Heian Period (794-1185). It is considered the most important meal of the year as each dish serves as well-wishes for the coming year.
Similar to bento boxes, osechi ryori is usually packed in 2-3 layers of lacquer boxes (ojubako) and there are many dishes in each layer. The entire family would share one ojubako to enjoy on New Year’s Day. The multi-tiered boxes symbolize the hope that happiness & wealth come continuously, like the layers of lacquerware.
There are many theories as to the origins of osechi, but the most widely claimed is simple. In the past in Japan, the first three days of New Year were seen as a time for rest, and thus no heat should be lit, and preparation and cooking should be kept to a minimum. This led to osechi-ryouri, also simply called osechi. Osechi is food that can be kept for a few days and eaten cold, with no prior preparation. When osechi first began, it was very simple and made of only boiled foods, flavored with soy sauce and mirin.
Nowadays, there are a multitude of types of osechi! Since its humble beginnings, it has been added to more and more as each region brings their own take on it and modern conveniences come into play.
Aside from osechi-ryori, are foods such as toshikoshi soba (Japanese buckwheat noodles), mochi (rice cakes) and datemaki (sweet rolled omelettes), all of which have their own meanings.
Happy New Year!!
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Destination Pokhara, Nepal | |
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Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' on Sunday, 01 January 2023 inaugurated a regional international airport built with the Chinese assistance in western Nepal's tourist hub of Pokhara. Prime Minister 'Prachanda' unveiled a plaque marking the official inauguration of the Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA). Deputy Prime and Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel and other top leaders were also present on the occasion.
The international flights are expected to take off after the second week of February. Narrowbody Airbus A320 and Boeing 757-200 aircraft can take off and land at the airport. Pokhara is the tourist transit hub of Manang, Mustang and Annapurna region. Pokhara may not seem far from Kathmandu (the cities are only 126 miles / 204 km apart), but the Nepali terrain and road quality make for a very long drive. That's why many travelers opt to fly.
Pokhara, the city of lakes, is the second-largest city of Nepal after Kathmandu.
March, April, May, September, October, and November are the best months to visit Pokhara. The city offers an average of cool weather during these months. Pokhara itself doesn't receive snowfall but the outskirts and hill stations that surround this lovely city of lakes welcome snowfall in the winter. The places like Ghorepani Poonhill, Mohare Danda, Pothana, Mardi Himal Base Camp, etc. are refined snowy hideaways near Pokhara, where the beautiful Alps await.
Nepal is a landlocked country. The nearest sea access is 644 kilometers (400 miles) to the southeast on the Indian Ocean's Bay of Bengal.
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