How seven ancient poets wrote about celebrating the Lunar New Year
The precise date of the Chinese New Year, or Lunar New Year, has varied according to different calendars adopted by different dynasties, but the holiday spirit has remained for thousands of years. The festival naturally became a common subject for ancient poets, who captured cheerful moments, pondered over the fleeting nature of time, or sometimes disregarded tradition to celebrate in solitude.
Holiday celebrations typically start on New Year’s Eve or 除夕 (chúxī), when people stay awake all night long to welcome in the New Year, a tradition called 守岁 (shǒusuì). Here’s a poem by Lu You (陆游), a poet from Southern Song dynasty (1127 – 1279), on a timely holiday snowfall:
Liu Jue is the co-managing editor of The World of Chinese Magazine. She has a Master of Arts in Communication from Middle Tennessee State University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Minzu University. She has been working for TWOC since 2012. She is interested in covering history, traditional culture, and Chinese language.
