'The term was coined before the Communists, but it was used extensively by the party to replace 'the new year,' because they tried to get rid of anything that's old-all of the superstitions and religion, including the celebrations,' says Kian Lam Kho, chef and author of Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees: Essential Techniques of Authentic Chinese Cooking. That name was popularized after Communist Party leader Mao Zedong took power in China in 1949.

'It's kind of like that old Friends joke, 'In China, they just call it 'food' in Chinese, it's just the new year.' But in America, she says, where the holiday is mainly experienced in the Chinatowns of various cities, 'we just made it 'Chinese New Year.'' In Maasbach's experience, while Lunar New Year is the more inclusive and accurate term as it applies to the holiday worldwide, celebrating is 'not as popular with some of those immigrant groups in America.'Īs it's also become popular with people of all nationalities who visit Chinatown to eat and watch the parade performances, Maasbach adds, 'it's sort of like our stake in the country, if you will, and that's really a pride point.' Lunar New Year is also called Spring Festival. 'It's been popularized because the largest segment of the Asian-American population in the United States is Chinese,' Maasbach explains. In the U.S., though, it's most commonly associated with what's often called Chinese New Year, the American version of China's 15-day-long festivities. In Vietnam, Lunar New Year is known as Tết, and in Tibet it's Losar. The Lunar New Year isn't only observed in China, it's celebrated across several countries and other territories in Asia, including South Korea and Singapore. Lunar New Year isn't exactly the same as Chinese New Year. Here's what to know about Lunar New Year traditions, and what more than 1.5 billion people do to celebrate it. Three overarching themes, she says, are 'fortune, happiness, and health.' 'It's really a time for new beginnings, and family gathering,' says Nancy Yao Maasbach, president of New York City's Museum of Chinese in America. In China, the 15-day celebration kicks off on New Year's Eve with a family feast called a reunion dinner full of traditional Lunar New Year foods, and typically ends with the Lantern Festival.

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