TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Asia celebrates the Lunar New Year with diverse traditions across Taiwan, South Korea, Vietnam, and Singapore. The holiday, deeply rooted in Chinese culture, showcases a vibrant blend of customs reflecting the region's rich heritage.
In South Korea, families celebrate from Lunar New Year's Eve to the second day with tteokguk, a rice cake soup for longevity and wealth. On New Year's Day (Feb. 17), they wear hanbok for ancestral rites and offer foods like pancakes and hangwa, a honey-coated fried dough. Unlike Taiwan's red envelopes, Koreans give money in white envelopes after bowing to elders.
The Vietnamese New Year, celebrated from Lunar New Year's Eve to the fifth day (Feb. 16-21), features a feast with a whole chicken for health, avoiding duck meat for its unlucky connotations. After ancestral rites, families distribute money and enjoy square sticky rice cakes filled with glutinous rice, mung beans, and pork. Homes are decorated with peach blossoms and five-fruit trays for good fortune. A unique tradition includes picking tree branches or taking offerings home from temples to bring luck home.
In Singapore, the Chinese community hosts the River Hongbao (春到河畔), featuring festive lights along the river. On Lunar New Year's Eve (Feb. 16), Singaporeans toss yusheng, a dish of raw fish and shredded vegetables with plum sauce and citrus juice. The higher the toss, the more likely wishes are to come true, making yusheng a distinctive celebratory dish among Singaporean and Malaysian Chinese.