As 2025 begins, many people are gearing up to celebrate Lunar New Year, a holiday recognized on the first day of the lunar calendar when a new moon appears.
The date of the holiday, January 29, marks the start of the year for many Asian countries and often symbolizes unity, good luck and a fresh start. Based on a traditional Chinese legend, one zodiac animal from a rotating cycle of 12 is assigned to the new year, and 2025 is the Year of the Snake.
Contrary to popular misconceptions, Lunar New Year is celebrated by multiple countries in Asia, including China, Vietnam, Korea, Malaysia, Cambodia and the Philippines. While there are many overlapping New Year traditions between these countries, each country also has its own adaptations.
In addition to a no-test day on January 29 at Boston Latin School, many clubs offer celebratory events, such as the Vietnamese Students Society’s annual Tet Festival. Some of the activities included at the festival are games and karaoke.
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Ava Vu (I): “My favorite event [at the Tet Festival] is a game we play called ‘Scoot and Plunge.’ […] For me, [the Tet Festival] is really heartwarming […] because we’re all very different, but we’re all together celebrating the new year.”
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Angela Deng (III): “My family is from Guangdong in China. The week before Lunar New Year, my family gets haircuts and buys new clothes to wear on Lunar New Year. One of my favorite things during Lunar New Year is lion dancing. […] I enjoy listening to the drums and cymbals, which are meant to ward away evil spirits and bring good luck to the new year.”
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Jessica Tran (V): “In Vietnam, we call it Tet. We eat foods like mooncakes, and we give out money to kids for good luck. We eat vegetarian food once in a while every year, and we eat it for the start of Tet. We’ve kept it the same ever since I grew up.”
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