Lunar New Year
Buddhists celebrate Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year, in many different ways depending on their cultural and regional backgrounds. The date is associated with renewal and purification. Buddhists may use the Lunar New Year as a time for personal reflection, setting positive intentions for the year ahead. This can involve contemplating the teachings of Buddhism and making commitments to personal growth and spiritual development. It is customary to make offerings at monasteries or other sacred religious sites, and it can be marked as a time for practitioners to engage in acts of generosity, kindness, and compassion. Buddhists in East Asian countries, where Lunar New Year is widely celebrated, often engage in cultural customs and traditions associated with the festival. These may include family gatherings, festive meals, and the giving and receiving of red envelopes (hongbao or ang pao) containing money as a symbol of good luck.