7 Ways to Kick Off the Lunar New Year Around the World

For cultures following the lunar calendar, the new year doesn’t start until the first new moon – a date that shifts from year to year. The Lunar New Year in 2020 is on January 25, with some celebrations continuing for weeks following. From age‑old rituals to lively street festivals, here’s how to mark the occasion – and make good on your “travel more” resolution.
 

What are the best places in Asia to celebrate the Lunar New Year?

Start 2020 on a lucky note in Hanoi. For Tết (Vietnamese New Year), Hanoians queue at the Temple of Literature and ask calligraphers to paint paper scrolls with an auspicious word. Dating back to 1070, the picturesque site was once home to the Imperial Academy, Vietnam’s first national university, and students still pray here for top marks.

See the bright lights at Kek Lok Si Temple in Air Itam, Malaysia. The sprawling 19th‑century site is one of Southeast Asia’s largest Buddhist temples, and each Lunar New Year, it’s decked out for the occasion with thousands of lanterns and multicoloured lights.
 

What are the best places outside of Asia to celebrate the Lunar New Year?

Feel the festive beat in Canada. As part of LunarFest, Taiwanese music ensemble Chai Found Music Workshop will bring its take on sizhu (Chinese chamber music) to Canada for the first time. The show, A Musical Banquet, will go on in select cities, including Vancouver and Mississauga, Ontario.

Join the massive crowd in London, U.K. The British capital claims the title of the biggest Chinese New Year bash outside Asia, with a family‑friendly parade, dragon dancing and traditional street food drawing hundreds of thousands to the city’s West End.