New Year's story

Korean New Year is Seollal, or Lunar New Year. Although January 1 is essentially the first day of the year, Seollal, the first day of the lunar calendar, is more significant for Koreans. It is believed that the Lunar New Year celebrations began to bring good luck and ward off bad spirits throughout the year. When the old year ends and the new year begins, people gather at home and sit with their families and relatives, reminiscing about what they did. Since the early Middle Ages, at least two levels have developed in the New Year's holiday rituals of the Koreans: folk and official, which over the centuries have had a significant influence on each other. The customs and rituals of the holiday also reflected its family (or clan) character, as well as the interests of the community. The formation of the multifunctional New Year rituals of the Koreans was influenced by the socio-economic, political, cultural life of the country and people, the ideologies of Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and ancient beliefs that retained their strength until the 20th century. In modern and especially modern times, the traditional New Year of the Koreans began to be perceived as one of the brightest forms of manifestation of national culture and as an expression of the ethnic self-consciousness of the people.

Vietnamese New Year is the Nguyen Giang Festival, which in most cases falls on the same day as Chinese New Year due to the Vietnamese using a lunar calendar similar to Chinese.

The Tibetan New Year is called Losar and falls between January and March.

The Iranian New Year, called Nowruz, is the day marking the exact moment of the vernal equinox, which usually falls on March 20 or 21, marking the beginning of the spring season. The Zoroastrian New Year coincides with the Iranian New Year of Nowruz and is celebrated by Parsis in India and by Zoroastrians and Persians around the world. According to the Baha'i calendar, the new year begins on the vernal equinox on March 20 or 21 and is called Nowruz. The Iranian tradition was also passed on to Central Asian countries, including the Kazakhs, Uzbeks and Uyghurs, and is known there as Nauryz. It is usually celebrated on March 22.

Balinese New Year, based on the Saka calendar (Balinese-Javanese calendar), is called Nyepi and falls on the Balinese Lunar New Year (around March). It is a day of silence, fasting and meditation: observed from 6 am to 6 am the next day, Nyepi is a day set aside for self-reflection and as such, anything that can interfere with the achievement of this goal is limited. Although Nyepi is a predominantly Hindu holiday, non-Hindu Balinese also observe the day of silence out of respect for their fellow citizens. Even tourists are no exception; although they can do whatever they want in their hotels, no one is allowed onto the beaches or streets, and Bali's only airport remains closed all day. Exceptions are provided only for ambulances transporting people with life-threatening conditions and women about to give birth. The Javanese people also celebrate their Satu Suro on this day.