Over ⅙ of the world’s population, or over 1 billion people around the world, celebrate Lunar New Year. According to the Census Bureau, there are over 20 million Asian Americans in the United States, and Asian Americans are the fastest growing minority group in America. In order to better understand this minority group and our students, learning about and teaching about Lunar New Year is critical to expanding our own ability as educators to be inclusive of our Asian and Asian American students, as well as helping our non-Asian/Asian American students to better understand the Asian diaspora.

 As an Asian American, and specifically a Chinese American educator, I seek each year to deepen my students’ understanding of what Lunar New Year is; ultimately, this helps me develop my own grasp of this significant holiday and celebration. The most common problematic thing I personally see in the execution of Lunar New Year teaching is equating Lunar New Year to Chinese New Year. In addition to China, there are many Asian countries that celebrate the Lunar New Year (including but not limited to Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Tibet, Vietnam), and each country has its own unique traditions and celebrations. As educators, we must research the various traditions that are unique to each country, and not necessarily link disparate traditions together for convenience. Instead, consider how to learn about each tradition and its origin country on its own, and if there are commonalities as described by people of the Asian diaspora, then drawing those connections in the classroom is appropriate. 

In my experience, educators have often been too quick to draw connections between separate cultures, and truthfully I find that the Western world has grouped all Asian countries and cultures in a way that is often filled with inaccuracies. For example, in traditional Chinese culture, red envelopes with money inside are given out as symbols of good luck to unmarried members of the younger generation; I have often seen this giving of red envelopes set as an expectation for all Asian countries that celebrate the Lunar New Year, even though this is not a tradition for all Asian countries. As we are teaching about Lunar New Year, we CANNOT “other” Asian cultures or perpetuate any stereotypes. Traditions vary greatly and if there are students in your classes who identify with being Asian, do not necessarily assume that they will know the traditions you will speak to. The foods, traditions, symbolism, and music all have meanings that perhaps we may not understand at a shallow level of learning. 

Many of the Lunar New Year traditions in Asian countries stem from legends and myths filled with symbolism that have translated to celebrations today. In Chinese culture, dragons, lions, and lanterns, to name a few symbols, all have very different meanings. However, in many school celebrations of Lunar New Year, I have seen the creation of dragons, lions, and lanterns conducted without teachers nor students fully understand why they are being made. We are only furthering a disregard for understanding different cultures if we simply complete activities that check off the cultural quota for the month without better understanding it for ourselves and then allowing our students to disenguinely engage with their understanding of the culture being studied under a pretense of newly gained knowledge.

Music is an essential part of Lunar New Year celebrations, and musical traditions vary based on the country in which the new year is celebrated. In addition, new music is released yearly to celebrate the Lunar New Year and is often broadcast on televised celebrations of the new year in Asian countries. Lunar New Year is thus a significant time for musical traditions to be revisited and performed in its original form, and reinvented or renewed by new interpretations of what the Lunar New Year signifies. 

In order to better teach and celebrate Lunar New Year, I recommend first researching the history of Lunar New Year, and its varied celebrations in many Asian countries as well as around the world by the Asian diaspora. I encourage music teachers to check the source especially to ensure that the research you are citing is by someone with Asian roots by reading their biography, and not judging based on one’s last name. 

For music celebrating Chinese culture, I highly recommend looking at and listening to Qian Yi, a traditional Chinese musician who teaches the song “Gong Xi” - one of the most popular songs sung to celebrate the Lunar New Year meaning “Congratulations” or “Best Wishes”. For a modern interpretation of traditional Chinese children’s songs, I would recommend The Shanghai Restoration Project, an electronic duo inspired by the sounds of Shanghai, China in the 1930s with futuristic soundscapes. The Shanghai Restoration Project also has an album entitled “Zodiac”, with a track for each animal of the Chinese Zodiac (by the way, the zodiac has different animals also based on which Asian country is using the zodiac!) 

For reimagined folk and children's songs from East Asia, including Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan and Tibet, check out Elena Moon Park’s album, “Rabbit Days and Dumplings”. Please also research which instruments are used to perform for Lunar New Year celebrations as instrumentation also varies by country of origin!

Lunar New Year is beyond just a day, or even the 15-day celebration as a Chinese person - it is a part of my identity that should not just be celebrated when the calendar says it’s time for the next animal year based on the zodiac, and instead be a daily celebratory reminder of the validity of my identity. Specifically for music educators, I encourage educators to listen to music from a variety of Asian countries, including reinterpretations of traditional songs, and carefully think through how the music is presented to students not as “less” or “exotic” in comparison to Western music. Finally, I encourage the music education community to celebrate the Asian diaspora year-round, and not just during holidays or when it is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Your understanding and our students’ understandings of the Asian diaspora MATTER.

Alice Tsui 

Music Educator and Arts Coordinator, 

PS 532 New Bridges Elementary  

Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Education ABD, Boston University