Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year festivities last for 15 days, with various events taking place on each day. Fun facts about the traditions and customs of the New Year celebration include:

• Say “Gong xi fa cai” (in Mandarin) or “Gong hei fatt choy” (in Cantonese) to wish someone a happy New Year.
• Days before the celebration, families thoroughly clean their houses in the belief that cleaning will sweep away bad luck and prepare for good luck to arrive.
• Red envelopes filled with money are given as gifts from the older members to the younger members of the family.
• The lion dance, a symbolic ritual, is performed to force away evil spirits and to summon luck and good fortune.

Vietnamese New Year
The Vietnamese New Year, also known as “Tet,” shares many of the same traditions as the Chinese New Year, with festivities lasting from three days to a week. Fun facts include:

• Say “Chuc mung nam moi” to wish someone a happy New Year.
• Preparations for the New Year begin months before the actual celebration. People try to pay off their debts in advance so that they can be debt free when the New Year arrives.
• Some people wear red clothes to scare away evil spirits and bad fortune while others wear new clothes to symbolize the start of the new year.
• To bring extra luck, a child or relative is sent out of the house just before midnight and is invited to reenter a few minutes later, being the most important visitor of the new year.

Korean New Year
The Korean New Year, also known as “Seolnal”, isn’t as extravagant as the Chinese and Vietnamese celebrations, but does share some of the same customs. Fun facts include:

• Say “ Say-hay boke mahn-he pah-du-say-oh” to wish someone a happy New Year.
• Families prepare an offering to ancestors, called “Chesa.”
• Kite-flying, top-spinning, snow-gliding and the Yut stick game are usual types of entertainment.
• Korean children also receive envelopes filled with “good luck” money, but first must perform a series of bows to their elders.