Lunar Near Year matters more than ever

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Thank you to Revd Tim Yau for writing this, sharing the focus of Lunar New Year.

I was delighted to see Chinese New Year adverts in a supermarket promoting food from East Asia. Some might see this as a marketing strategy, but to me, it’s a sign of how far Britain has come in recognising cultures from around the world.

Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is celebrated by hundreds of millions worldwide. It begins with the first new moon of the Lunar Calendar and ends with the full moon, marking the end of winter. The holiday follows a twelve-year cycle, with each year represented by an animal.

The fable behind this cycle tells of the heavenly Jade Emperor inviting animals to race across a river to determine their order in the celestial cycle. Each animal’s placement reflects its traits, with some being more auspicious than others. On 29th January 2025, we enter the year of the Snake.

The focus of the Lunar New Year is to honour the past, celebrate family, and welcome a fresh start—much like our Western New Year traditions. It’s a time to return home and be with loved ones. However, for 144,500 Hong Kongers who have moved to the UK since 20211, it’s a bittersweet time. Following the 2014 pro-democracy ‘Yellow Umbrella’ protests, many sought political freedom and safety here, but now feel unable to return home.

As Christians, we are called to enact the biblical mandate: “The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 19:34).

This applies not only to Hong Kongers but to all those who now call our parishes home. For racial justice and equity, we must go beyond just recognition and show love. How can you love your neighbours this Lunar New Year?