Feb 05, 2019
Lunar New Year 2019 (South Korea)
This Doodle’s Key Themes
Today is the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar, a major holiday celebrated throughout most of Asia. Also referred to as the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year, this holiday celebrates ancient traditions and ancestors as well as good times ahead.
This year marks the transition from the Year of the Dog to the Year of the Pig, the last animal in the cycle of 12 that represent each year in the shēngxiào, or Chinese zodiac. Pigs are considered a sign of prosperity in Asian culture, and those born in the year of the Pig are said to be sincere, good-natured, and honest.
Today’s Doodle also celebrates the ancient tradition of shadow puppetry, which also has a special place in the festivities. This year, people all over the world can Celebrate Lunar New Year and the ancient storytelling art of shadow puppetry with Shadow Art. Users can form one of the twelve zodiac animal hand gestures in front of their camera and the AI system, built with Tensorflow, will play a short clip matching the shadow puppet that’s been made.
In South Korea, the holiday is also known as soll. Traditional commemorations include visits to pay respect to family members and a meal of dduk gook or rice cake soup. New Year’s wishes are sometimes written on kites and then flown in the sky.
Happy Lunar New Year!
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