Sri Sathya Sai International Organization

Theme:
家和萬事興

"Harmony in Family Brings Happiness, Love and Prosperity"

This year, the Lunar New Year (commonly known as Chinese New Year or Spring Festival) begins on February 10, 2024. The celebration typically lasts fifteen days and ends with the Lantern Festival on February 24, 2024.

The Sri Sathya Sai International Organization (SSSIO) welcomes you to join us in celebrating the 15th day of the Lunar New Year online.

The program will be broadcast at Sathyasai.org/live on .

Chinese New Year – Significance

The Spring Festival, or Lunar New Year, is the oldest and most important traditional festival in Chinese culture. It is a joyous occasion for family reunions and bidding farewell to the old year while welcoming the new. It emphasizes the common, shared values of humanity, such as harmonious family, social inclusion, and a sound relationship between man and nature.

Lunar New Year - Recognition by the United Nations

The UN General Assembly, after much lobbying by China and countries in Asia, passed a resolution in December 2023 acknowledging the significance of the Lunar New Year and officially listed it as a UN floating holiday in its calendar of conferences and meetings from 2024. This recognition will help promote exchanges and mutual learning among diverse world cultures and actively embody the UN's values of diverse and inclusive cultural ideals.

Theme: 家和萬事興

家和萬事興 is a very ancient and popular Chinese idiom that translates to “When the family lives in harmony, there will be happiness, love and prosperity.”

The Chinese character 家 in this calligraphy art piece means 'family'. The character 和 means 'harmony'. 萬事興 literally means ‘all affairs will prosper’.

It emphasizes the importance of a harmonious family environment as the foundation for success in all aspects of life. This idiom reflects the traditional value that places great importance on family unity and harmony as key elements for overall well-being and success.

It is a tradition for the Chinese, especially those who work far away, to try their best to travel back to their homes for reunions with their family members during the Lunar New Year.

Year of the Wood Dragon

The Chinese follow a 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac, where each year is associated with an animal sign. This year, 2024, is the year of the wood dragon. The dragon, being the fifth sign in this cycle, is considered one of the most powerful and auspicious symbols in Chinese culture, embodying characteristics such as ambition, confidence, and charisma. People born in the Year of the Dragon are thought to be energetic, intelligent, and lucky, though they may also possess some less favorable traits like arrogance or irritability.

Major Popular Performance Items During Chinese New Year

One month prior to the actual date of the celebration, there are major weekly performances in almost all major shopping malls in Asian countries.

During the forthcoming online event on February 24, 2024, SSSIO will bring you glimpses of the following festive items:

Chinese Dragon Dance

The dragon dance is particularly popular this year. The Dragon dance is a vibrant and captivating performance integral to Chinese cultura

l celebrations, symbolizing good luck, prosperity, and the pursuit of wisdom. The dragon, a serpentine creature with vibrant colors and a mix of animal features, holds significant cultural importance in China, representing positive attributes such as good luck and goodness.

24 Festive Drums

The 24 Festive Drums is a cultural and musical performance. This innovative art form was inspired by the traditional lion dance drumming and the ancient Chinese solar periods, which is a calendar of twenty-four periods and climates to govern agriculture in China and signifies seasonal changes.

The performance involves twenty-four large drums, each representing one of the solar periods. The drummers use a variety of rhythms, formations, and movements to tell stories and express themes related to nature, history, and human emotions. The performance is highly dynamic, combining elements of music, dance, and drama, and is often accompanied by striking costumes and choreography.

High Pole Acrobatic Lion Dance

The High Pole Acrobatic Lion Dance is an advanced form of traditional lion dance, distinguished by performances atop high poles, requiring extreme precision and skill. Originating in Malaysia, this innovative style has gained international recognition, with Malaysian teams setting the global standard. Performers embody the lion's spirit, expressing emotions through nuanced movements, while music plays a vital role, acting as the dance's heartbeat. This demanding art form is a testament to the dedication of its practitioners, who often forgo personal celebrations to participate in performances during key cultural festivities.

Chinese Musical Instrument Performance

Chinese instrumental music is a rich and diverse tradition that spans thousands of years and is characterized by a wide array of unique instruments and scales that distinguish it from Western music. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Chinese music is one of the oldest and most highly developed musical systems in the world, with a history that evokes awe and includes a vast array of instruments, genres, and styles developed over various dynasties. 

Harmony At Home: The Roles of Husband/Wife, Parents, and Children

Sathya Sai Baba emphasized the importance of harmony at home in order to have peace in the world. In many of His discourses, He spoke about the roles of husband/wife, parents, and children. We will share excerpts from His invaluable advice on these topics.

May all be blessed with an abundance of happiness, good health, prosperity, and harmony in the family this New Year!

Sri Sathya Sai International Organization.