People across Asia celebrated the Lunar New Year, the most important annual holiday in China. According to the lunisolar calendar, February 10 marked the beginning of the new year. Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is widely celebrated in China, South Korea, Vietnam, and other Asian countries. The celebration lasts for 15 days and includes a variety of events such as fireworks, parties, and parades.
In addition to the festive atmosphere, Lunar New Year is a time for families to come together and celebrate. Many Koreans celebrate Lunar New Year with their families and relatives, with gatherings that include around 20 people. Freshman Lingxiang Liang shared that Lunar New Year is a chance for him to socialize with his family members and friends and catch up on how they are doing. Similarly, in her home country of Bolivia, Tatiana Shi, a graduate of the University of Arkansas, also celebrates Lunar New Year with cooking food and planning gatherings.
The Lunar New Year celebrations also involve various traditions and customs. In China, it is common for elders in the family to give children red envelopes containing small amounts of money, symbolizing good fortune. The recipients of the red envelopes wish the elders good fortune in return. Many people also visit temples during the Lunar New Year to pray for blessings and enjoy traditional food. Han-Seok Seo, a professor at the University of Arkansas, organizes the Lunar New Year event Korean Food Day on campus, which includes a cultural introduction to Korean Lunar New Year traditions and a Korean music performance. The celebrations highlight the cultural significance and festive spirit of the Lunar New Year.
Meanwhile, as people in Asia celebrated the Lunar New Year, people around the world were also looking forward to another special day - February 29th, which marks the leap year. A leap year occurs every four years to account for the fact that the Earth's orbit around the sun takes about 365.25 days. This extra day in February is traditionally considered an 'extra' day, and some people use it to do something special or out of the ordinary. [45874753]
The article from The Washington Post explains the history and significance of leap years. Leap year is a correction to keep the months in sync with annual events, including equinoxes and solstices. Earth's orbit takes about six hours longer than 365 days. Adding a leap day every four years would make the calendar longer by more than 44 minutes. Years divisible by 100 not follow the four-year leap day rule unless they are also divisible by 400. The next leap years are 2028, 2032, and 2036. The Julian calendar was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BCE, but there were too many leap years. Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar in the late 16th century to reduce drift. Leap day comes with lore about women proposing to men. Being born on a leap day can be a paperwork hassle. There are about 5 million people worldwide who share the leap birthday out of about 8 billion people on the planet.
The article encourages readers to make the most of their extra day and suggests various activities they can consider, such as traveling, trying new hobbies, or spending time with loved ones. The author emphasizes the uniqueness of leap years and the opportunity they provide to break from routine and make memories. So, while Lunar New Year celebrations bring families and communities together in Asia, people around the world are also contemplating how to spend their extra day in this leap year.
In addition to the Lunar New Year celebrations and the anticipation of the leap year, people worldwide are also exchanging New Year wishes with their friends and family. The article from The Pioneer Woman provides a collection of short and sweet New Year wishes and messages to share in 2024. It emphasizes the importance of connecting with loved ones and making it a New Year's tradition. The wishes range from general well wishes for a bright and hopeful year to specific wishes for family, friends, coworkers, bosses, and romantic partners. The article also suggests personalizing the messages and using them as Instagram captions. Overall, it encourages strengthening relationships and looking forward to the new year with positivity and joy. [5c7fb496]