Daily Photo – Happy Lunar New Year

Happy Lunar New Year! We hope everyone is enjoying their holiday! Here’s a brief list of some holiday-related posts that are popping up:

Wandering Taiwan explains the meanings behind the Lunar New Year’s traditional customs.
INDIAC warns not to let China hijack Lunar New Year.
Mark Forman with a collection of holiday-themed pics.
Hear in Taiwan on New Year decorations.
Smithsonian.com covers foods to celebrate the Year of the Tiger.

5 thoughts on “Daily Photo – Happy Lunar New Year”

I wrote about the whole Lunar New Year argument earlier.

Lunar New Year is a terrible term to replace Chinese New Year. Not only is it less likely to be understood by the average English speaker, but it’s more ethnocentric than the term Chinese New Year. It may come as a surprise to some, but the Chinese Calendar is not the only lunar calendar! Many, many cultures have developed lunar calendars. Like the Chinese Calendar, the Hebrew, Tamil, and Hindu calendars are all lunisolar calendars. The Islamic Calendar is a purely lunar calendar and is deserving of the mantle of the lunar calendar, if any is. Furthermore, many traditional holidays are based on non-Chinese lunar calendars, including one with which every native English speaker is familiar- Easter.

Happy New Year, Todd and Cathy.

Interesting links, although the INDIAC hijacking one is a bit strange considering the other country’s holidays are either derived from Chinese NY or based on the Chinese lunar calendar.

Hey buddy, like the photo. How’d you do that?

Xin Nian Hao from Liuzhou.

I tried posting this a couple of days ago, but maybe it didn’t get past your spam filter. Anyway…

I agree with Craig. There are a few problems with insisting on the term Lunar New Year over Chinese New year. First of all, the traditional Chinese calendar isn’t even a purely lunar calendar. It’s lunisolar. Like the Chinese Calendar, the Hebrew, Tamil, and Hindu calendars are all lunisolar calendars. Why out of all of those lunisolar calendars, should the Chinese one be called the lunar calendar? And what about the Islamic calendar, which actually is a true lunar calendar?

Like it or not, CNY comes from Chinese tradition and is only celebrated in areas with cultural or historical connections to China. The lunar holiday most familiar to English speakers is probably Easter, not CNY.

Happy New Year to you both!
That’s a good point Craig.
Michael – the figure (which was a giveaway at a nearby convenience store chain last year) was placed on a piece of 8×12 paper on my desk. The light was supplied by an SB-600 fired remotely at 1/4 power if memory serves me correct, about an arm’s length away and aimed at the ceiling.