Lunar New Year: The Year of the Dragon

(EndPlay Staff Reports) - Happy Lunar New Year!

It's the year of the dragon for a celebration that dates back to ancient China, and is still the country's most important social and economic holiday.

Chinese New Year, which occurs Monday, was originally connected to the lunar-solar Chinese calendar, and participants honored ancestors, gods and households. The celebration involved family get-togethers and feasts.

The Western calendar has become popular in China, and the country celebrated the new year on Jan. 1.

Even so, China continues to celebrate the traditional Chinese New Year as the Spring Festival, according to History.com .

For many younger generations of Chinese, the holiday has become a chance to both relax from work and renew family relations.

"Chinese New Year is our equivalent of Christmas, and there wasn't much difference in the way we celebrated both," wrote Vancouver native Herman Cheng in a guest column for the Toronto Star .

Many Chinese families today celebrate the Spring Festival with traditional symbols and food. Today's celebration also retains some of the zodiacal animals, such as what a year of the rat might mean for their personal fortunes or for a child born at that time, according to History.com.

The Lunar New Year is also celebrated by many different cultures in unique ways.

OCA , an Asian Pacific American group, noted that each Asian culture greets the new year in its own special way.

The Korean New Year, known as Solnal, is celebrated as a three day family-oriented holiday.

The Tibetan New Year, Losar, is celebrated anywhere between 1 and 15 days. Monasteries prepare for the new year by cleaning and put up their finest decorations.

The Mongolian Lunar New Year, Tsagaan Sar, is often celebrated in the home dwelling of the eldest in the family. Homes and barns are cleaned in order to meet the new year fresh. On the day of Tsagaan Sar, a lavish feast is held.

Tet, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, is prepared with the cooking of special holiday foods and displaying kumquat trees or flower branches for good luck. People visit relatives and neighbors to bring good wishes and children get Li Xi, red envelopes with lucky money, from elders.