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Lunar New Year 2016 Brings U.S. The Chinese Zodiac Fire Monkey For The Google Doodles Art As Asian Americans Celebrate

By Patrick Frye
Published on: 15:26 PST, Feb 7, 2016

The 2016 Lunar New Year is upon us and this time the Google Doodles art is celebrating the Chinese New Year with the Fire Monkey, the animal designation for this year’s Chinese Zodiac. While the Lunar New Year is mostly celebrated in countries like China, Korea, Mongolia, and Vietnam, some citizens of the United States are starting to turn the date into an all-American holiday.

Lunar New Year 2016 is the ninth year in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese Zodiac. The lunar calendar is designated with an animal prescribed to various years, including a rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, pig, or dog. Each year, the lunar calendar is associated with five elements like wood, earth, metal, water, or fire, which is why the Google Doodle’s fire monkeys are playing with firecrackers.

Based upon Google’s description, the “monkey sign represents quick-wittedness and smarts, and people born under it are thought to be adaptable and flexible in their thinking.” Of course, for people previously born in a year of the monkey (1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004), the Chinese Zodiac considers 2016 a year for bad luck.

According to China Highlights, Lunar New Year 2016 is the beginning of a three day holiday, although “Chinese New Year’s Eve and three more days are always added to give seven consecutive days of holiday. These four extra days are taken from weekends: the two weekend days closest to the statutory holiday are included, while the Saturday before (February 6, 2016) and the Sunday after (February 14, 2016) are worked.”

Still, the big days are Sunday and Monday this year.

  • Chinese New Year’s Eve (February 7, 2016; ‘Excluded Evening’ on the Chinese calendar): the day of family reunions
  • Chinese New Year’s Day (February 8, 2016; ‘First One’ on the Chinese calendar): the day of (close) family visits and New Year greetings

In the United States, Lunar New Year 2016 will be celebrated by many families, many of whom are second or third generation Americans who learned their traditions from family members long since passed away. According to the Los Angeles Times, Tin Vuong is one of these Asian Americans who believes in celebrating the holiday based upon “who we are.”

“I learned all the good things and all the bad things I know from Chinese New Year’s,” Vuong said. “Drinking, gambling, respect for elders, religion, tradition. Everything about me was centered around this.”

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While 2016 is supposed to be unlucky for those previously born in the year of the monkey, for these Asian Americans Lunar New Year 2016 is more about a celebration of ethnic pride rather than beliefs about the Chinese Zodiac. The meaning behind the celebration may have changed, but Asian Americans like Vuong still take the holiday seriously.

“As we grew older and have more kids, it’s coming back around. It’s come full circle,” Vuong said.

Minji Chang, executive director of Kollaboration, says some people are creating their own new traditions in order to augment old beliefs surrounding the Chinese New Year.

“There’s a surge of confidence and pride in Asian American culture right now,” said Chang. “We’re not just standing around learning lion dancing. We’re pursuing our own art and creating our own stuff.”

To a certain extent, even the Google Doodles could be considered a new way North America is celebrating the holiday. Doodler Alyssa Winans created a “family of monkeys in the traditional fiery red which matches the lucky envelopes families give and receive” on Lunar New Year 2016. But this Doodle is not only going to the United States, it’s also being displayed in Canada and several nations within South America.

How will you celebrate Lunar New Year 2016 today?

[Image via Google Doodles]

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