HAPPY NEW YEAR! Auspicious Buddhist traditions for New Year. Celebrating with joy, optimism, and compassion — for the benefit of all sentient beings!

Feature Contents

    Buddhists around the world celebrate different New Year dates around the world — although the traditions of warm wishes of good fortune and celebration are common to all of them. Why so many dates? Calendar New year is based on the western solar-based calendar. Chinese New Year is based on the lunisolar lunar calendar, while Tibetan New Year is based on the unadjusted lunar calendar. Other “New Year’s” celebrations mark different traditions.

     

    Buddha Weekly Fireworks Chinese New Year Chengdu Nan River Anshun bridge Sichual province dreamstime m 181848358 Buddhism
    Fireworks are a must on any New Year, bringing in the aupsiciousness of light. If you can’t go live, there will be plenty of coverage online.

     

    Western New Year falls on January 1 each year, while Mahayana Buddhist New Year, Chinese New Year, Theravadan New Year and Tibetan New Year are all celebrated on different dates on the lunar calendar. Some of us celebrate them all — not just as an excuse for wishing our fellow sentient beings good fortune and auspiciousness, but also — well, who doesn’t like a celebration? It is also a time of dedicated Dharma practice, especially for the purification of past negativities. When are these various dates?

    Buddha Weekly Losar Festival dancing Buddhism
    During New Year, there will be traditional dances and celebrations such as parades especially for Tibetan New Year Losar.

     

    Dates of New Year 2023

     

    Buddha Weekly Children New Year Chinese dreamstime m 33449508 Buddhism
    Did we mention lucky packets? If we forgot, the kids are sure to remind you on Chinese New Year, this year Jan 22, 2023.

     

    Each of these New Year dates are full of symbolism and meaning. One popular New Year tradition is to set off fireworks, which represent the brightness and joy of the New Year. Another common New Year practice is to ring bells, which symbolize good fortune and hope for the New Year ahead. Additionally, many Buddhists will visit temples on New Year’s Day to pray for blessings and prosperity for the year ahead. In Tibetan tradition, prior to New Year (which falls on February 21 this year!) we engage in purification practices, such as Vajrasattva, to purify all obstacles and negativities as we go into a new year.

     

    Buddha Weekly Tibetan New Year 2017 Tibet Losar Festival Buddhism
    Offerings and purification are important prior to Losar, to ensure you don’t carry any negativity into the new year. Then, of course, after New Year, offerings are super important — the merit is multiplied.

     

    Common traditions for New Years in Buddhism

    Common to all (most) Buddhist traditions are:

    • Celebrate with light to bring in an optimistic New Year. This can be fireworks, candles on altars, colorful lanterns and other festive lights.
    • Dharma activities, such as reading Sutra
    • Generosity to others — giving to set the tone for aupsiciousness
    • First “sight” of the New Year ideally should be a Buddha image (sometimes known as Darshan)
    • Wishing others a Happy New Year, good fortune, health and happiness.

     

    Buddha Weekly New Year Celebrating the New Year in Thailand with fireworks at Wat Chai Watthanaram Buddhist temple Thailand Buddhism
    New Year Celebrating the New Year in Thailand with fireworks at Wat Chai Watthanaram Buddhist temple Thailand.

     

    Wishing you a wonderful New Year filled with joy, love, and peace. Happy New Year!

    Appendix: Linosolar lunar versus lunar

    The months in a lunisolar calendar are based on the repeating phases of the Moon. To keep up with the solar year and season, however, some additional intercalation rules must be applied to balance out lunar cycles with those of sun-based calendars. As such, it is distinct from regular lunar calendars which lack this “adjustment.”

    More articles by this author

    His Holiness Sakya Trizin enjoys a good laugh.
    Celebrating the extraordinary activities and life of His Holiness Kyabgon Gongma Trichen Rinpoche, the Sakya Trichen
    Tara 17 of the 21 Taras holds a Stupa in the Nyingma visualizations, symbolizing the power of the Enlightened Mind to supress violence, evil and ill-thoughts. The symbol of the Stupa represents the Enlightened Mind and wisdom. It is through this wisdom we can overcome the poisons, including those that lead to violence.
    Buddha’s Holy Mind, the Stupa: 18 benefits to Prostrating to, Circumambulating or Building of Stupas — according to Sutra
    HAPPY GURU RINPOCHE Day and Tsog.
    Honoring the Lotus Born: Guru Rinpoche Days in 2024 – Celebrating the Lotus Born Padmasambhava Monthly on the 10th
    Tara is not a static concept. Instead of a seated Buddha, we think of her as a dynamic action heroine, the karma goddess helping and rescuing beings. Here in our concept from our Video "Boundless Heroine Tara" she is rescuing a caravan from bandits. This image is available in our dgital gallery for personal use, or for use in social media or sharing with credit to @BuddhaWeekly..
    HAPPY TARA DAY! 2024 Tara Days: How, When, and Why we Celebrate the Mother of the Buddhas
    Retaining devotion and enthusiasm for Buddhist practice is a lifelong journey.
    Buddha Dharma practice reboot? With Refuge and Bodhichitta, you are not alone — methods to supercharge your enthusiasm for Buddhist practice
    A devoted Buddhist of faith chanting mantras.
    Complete Guide to Buddhist Mantra Yana Practice: 4 Foundations and 9 Tips for Maximizing Mantra Benefits

    Search

    Latest Features

    Ultimate Purity as a Practice: Vajrasattva – the only practice most people need and the most powerful healing and purification method in Vajrayana Buddhism
    Read More
    Ganapuja (Gathering Offering) and Ganachakra (Gathering Circle) or Tsog (Tsok): What is it? Why is the Offering Important? When to Celebrate?
    Read More
    Video Dharani Chanting: Ushnisha Vijaya Namgyalma Supreme Dharani 7 Times: Relieves all 6 Sufferings
    Read More
    Upaya: Is Skillful Means, Imagination and Creativity the Path to Realizations? Experiential Buddhist Practice or Yogas Enhance Intellectual Study.
    Read More
    Ushnisha Vijaya Dharani Overcomes Six Types of Suffering, Conquering the Lord of Death: Supreme in Six Realms
    Read More
    Donations

    Please support the "Spread the Dharma" mission as one of our heroic Dharma Supporting Members, or with a one-time donation.

    Learn more>>

    Please Help Support the “Spread the Dharma” Mission!

    Buddhist-worshippers_32631040-low

    Be a part of the noble mission as a supporting member or a patron, or a volunteer contributor of content.

    Donations

    The power of Dharma to help sentient beings, in part, lies in ensuring access to Buddha’s precious Dharma — the mission of Buddha Weekly. We can’t do it without you!

    A non-profit association since 2007, Buddha Weekly published many feature articles, videos, and,  podcasts. Please consider supporting the mission to preserve and “Spread the Dharma." Your support as either a patron or a supporting member helps defray the high costs of producing quality Dharma content. Thank you! Learn more here, or become one of our super karma heroes on Patreon.

    Lee Kane

    Author | Buddha Weekly

    Lee Kane is the editor of Buddha Weekly, since 2007. His main focuses as a writer are mindfulness techniques, meditation, Dharma and Sutra commentaries, Buddhist practices, international perspectives and traditions, Vajrayana, Mahayana, Zen. He also covers various events.
    Lee also contributes as a writer to various other online magazines and blogs.

    Invalid Email
    Buddha-Weekly-Latest Features on Buddha Weekly-Buddhism
    .
    Buddha-Weekly-Buddhist prayer feature on Buddha Weekly-Buddhism
    Translate »
    Scroll to Top