Transcript[]
Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Cassie and Moby
An animation shows a girl, Cassie, and her robot friend, Moby. They’re standing outside and watching San Francisco’s Lunar New Year parade. A massive red dragon passes by, held up by several people holding sticks. Moby notices something on the ground, and picks up a string of red fireworks.
CASSIE: Don't touch those!
Moby drops the fireworks and they explode, causing smoke to fill the air. Moby is spooked and jumps into Cassie’s arms. He pulls out a letter. Cassie reads from the typed letter.
CASSIE: Dear Cassie and Moby, can you tell me about Chinese New Year? How come it's not on January 1st? From, Brian and Alessa. Great question! Parades like this one are in honor of the Lunar New Year. And Lunar New Year is observed all over the place—not just China.
An animation shows more of the parade going by: a green dragon, women waving fans.
CASSIE: It’s the biggest holiday in the world, celebrated by billions of people. It's huge in China, Korea, and Vietnam. Also Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia…
An animation shows a globe turned to the Asian region. Flags pop up over each country Cassie mentions.
CASSIE: Plus any cities where there are people with roots in those places.
The globe spins to the United States and more flags pop up over cities that have Lunar New Year celebrations.
MOBY: Beep?
CASSIE: Right, the date: it actually changes from year to year. It can fall anywhere between January 21st and February 20th. Never on January 1st… at least on our calendar.
An animation shows two calendar pages, January and February, side-by-side. The days are highlighted from January 21 to February 20.
CASSIE: We use a solar calendar: It counts the 365 days that Earth takes to move around the Sun.
An animation shows Earth orbiting the Sun. A digital counter tracks the number of days. When the number hits 365, a bell sounds.
CASSIE: Lunar calendars, on the other hand, count twelve full cycles of the Moon.
An animation shows a calendar page with 28 days.
CASSIE: Many Asian holidays are marked on a lunisolar calendar, which combines the two. In most of these traditions, each year is named after an animal. And day one is the Lunar New Year!
An animation shows a wheel slowly spinning. 12 different animals are pictured on the outside border of the wheel. A yin and yang symbol is in the middle.
MOBY: Beep?
CASSIE: Each country has its own way of observing the holiday. In China it's called the Spring Festival, or Chūn jié. It celebrates the end of winter, and the promise that spring is coming.
An animation shows a gold-colored dragon on a red background with the text: Spring Festival.
CASSIE: In Vietnam, it's known as Tết Nguyên Đán, or "Tet" for short. That means "feast of the first morning."
An animation shows a lantern hanging from a pink, flowering tree with the text: Tết Nguyên Đán.
CASSIE: In Korea, the celebration is called Seollal, the name for New Year's Day.
An animation shows a boy and girl bowing. The text reads: Seollal.
CASSIE: But in every country, Lunar New Year is all about family. That's one way it's different from New Year celebrations in the West. Despite all the fireworks and feasting, it's not really a party holiday.
An animation shows a family standing together.
CASSIE: And in most places, the festivities don't end on New Year's Day. Depending on the country, it lasts anywhere from a few days to over two weeks! Folks travel from all over to spend time with their families. In China alone, more than a billion people make the trek!
An animation shows a high-speed red train in transit.
CASSIE: People spend weeks getting ready: cooking, decorating, and buying gifts.
An animation shows a person hanging up a red banner by a doorway, people filling dumplings, red banners hanging in a flowering tree, and two people exchanging gifts.
CASSIE: There's tons of gift-giving all around, and not just for kids! In China and Vietnam, it's considered a good time to resolve conflicts—so folks don't bring negativity into the new year.
An animation shows two people shaking hands.
CASSIE: For a fresh start, people get new clothes and haircuts. And then no haircuts for a month—since that would cut away any new luck.
An animation shows the back of a person’s head at a hair salon. A hair stylist combs and trims the hair.
CASSIE: In Vietnam, a flowering Tet tree is a must-have. The hope is that it bursts into lucky blossoms on New Year's Day.
An animation shows a potted Tet tree with pink blossoms in full bloom.
MOBY: Beep?
CASSIE: Yeah, a lot of traditions are about attracting luck and good fortune. Sweeping your home before the holiday is an important ritual in China and Vietnam. To get rid of dirt and dust, but also any bad luck from the old year.
An animation shows a man sweeping the dust from his doorway.
CASSIE: Chinese families might eat tangerines, or place them around the house. Since the Mandarin word for tangerine sounds like the word for gold.
An animation shows a bowl of tangerines.
CASSIE: Korean families eat rice cake soup for prosperity, cuz the little cakes look like coins.
An animation shows a steaming bowl of rice cake soup.
CASSIE: And the Vietnamese tradition of xông đất, or "first visit," is about starting things off right. The first visitor to set foot inside a home sets the tone for the whole year. So, families carefully choose who it'll be—no unwanted or unlucky guests allowed!
An animation shows a person open the door to their home. A smiling family is standing outside, and the daughter is holding a gift basket. She offers it to the woman at the door.
CASSIE: Red is a lucky color in China and Vietnam, so red decorations are everywhere. The younger generation is given lucky money—in red envelopes, of course.
An animation shows a market full of red and gold decorations. Two people are shown receiving red envelopes.
CASSIE: And both countries set off lots of firecrackers, in red paper wrappings. That comes from a Chinese legend about a monster named Nian, which means "year."
An animation shows a red monster looming over a Chinese village.
CASSIE: Nian terrorized people every New Year's Eve, until it was finally scared off with firecrackers.
An explosion of firecrackers causes smoke to fill the area. The creature Nian yelps and runs away.
MOBY: Beep?
CASSIE: A big family feast is a major part of most traditions. For Chinese families, that's on New Year's Eve. But in a lot of other traditions, the meal is on New Year's Day.
An animation shows a group of people gathered around a feast set on the table.
CASSIE: Even ancestors, relatives from past generations, are included in the family meal. In Vietnam, a plate of fruits is placed on the home's ancestral altar: A small table dedicated to those who've died.
An animation shows two black-and-white portraits on a table with a few sticks of incense burning between them. A bowl of fruit is placed on the table.
CASSIE: Vietnamese families also visit ancestral graves, to clean and take care of them.
An image shows a gravesite with flowers planted in front and a bundle of smoking incense by the tombstone.
CASSIE: In Korea, a key part of the holiday is charye: A prayer ceremony for the family's ancestors. Special foods are laid out in specific places on a table. The family bows twice on their knees, and once standing.
An animation shows a charye table with different foods placed on it. A split-screen image shows a family bowing on their knees and bowing while standing.
CASSIE: Afterward, everyone eats a big meal together, sharing memories.
The family sits down to eat around a table.
MOBY: Beep!
CASSIE: In the Chinese and Vietnamese traditions, the first few days are strictly reserved for family. But toward the end of the holiday, the festivities hit the streets.
An animation shows two lion dancers pass by Cassie and Moby at the parade.
CASSIE: Lion dances bring good luck, and frighten away evil spirits. Two dancers have to sync up their moves inside an elaborate costume.
An animation shows two people in costume doing the lion dance. The lion leans from side-to-side, shakes its tail, and stands up on its hind legs.
CASSIE: You might also see dragons in parades, like this one in San Francisco. It's been a tradition here for more than 150 years. You'll see similar stuff anywhere with a large Chinese community. In cities all over the world, huge crowds gather to celebrate.
An animation shows a large red dragon passing by Cassie and Moby. Men and women hold up the costume using sticks.
CASSIE: Then in Chinese tradition, it all comes to an end with the Lantern Festival. Releasing lanterns into the sky stands for letting the past go as you look to the future.
An animation shows an adult and a child lighting a lantern and watching it lift into the sky, alongside other glowing lanterns.
CASSIE: Pretty amazing, isn't i—
Cassie turns to Moby. His head is gone.
MOBY: Beep.
Cassie looks up and sees Moby’s head floating up in the sky among the other lanterns.
MOBY: Beep.
CASSIE: Take me with youuuuuuuu!
