Dear John,

February 1, 2022, marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year in 2022. The date of this annual observance is based on the first new moon of the traditional lunisolar calendar, and it is a time for celebration and visiting family for many East and Southeast Asian communities around the world. AFGE's Women’s and Fair Practices Departments are proud to celebrate the Lunar New Year through our programmatic and representational work, and we thank our members who have been allies in this work.

Lunar New Year, also known as Chunjie in Chinese, Tet in Vietnamese, Seollal in Korean, Losar in Tibetan, is also commonly called Spring Festival. This festival starts off with the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ends on the first full moon of the lunar calendar, 15 days later.

This Lunar New Year is called the “Year of the Tiger.” The Tiger is the third in the line of Chinese astrological animals and is known for being confident, strong and ambitious. The Tiger is a symbol of being courageous, challenging yourself and living an adventurous life. People who are born in 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010 or 2022 belong to the Year of the Tiger.

During this time, people from East Asia and of East Asian descent will join with their extended families and friends to celebrate each other's good fortune and blessings in the coming year. People also take this time to thoroughly clean their homes, as this symbolizes sweeping away any bad luck from the past year. Dances and fireworks are prevalent throughout the holidays, culminating in the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated on the last day of the Lunar New Year’s celebrations. On this night, colorful lanterns light up houses and neighborhoods, and traditional foods such as tteokguk (rice-cake soup symbolizing good health, long life and turning one year older), yuanxiao (sticky rice balls that symbolize family unity), fagao (prosperity cake), and yusheng (raw fish and vegetable salad) may be served throughout the night.

What should you do?

The Women’s and Fair Practices Departments recognizes Lunar New Year and supports the continued celebration of Lunar New Year to provide an opportunity for our members to learn more about the past and better understand the experiences that have shaped the nation. We encourage our members and AFGE leaders to observe and celebrate Lunar New Year on Tuesday, February 1, 2022, with appropriate ceremonies, activities and programs.

In Solidarity,

AFGE Women's and Fair Practices Departments and APOWER Constituency Group

For the latest AFGE news and information, follow us on:

Sent via ActionNetwork.org. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from AFGE Main E-activist Group, please click here.