2024 Lunar New Year Image

Stop AAPI Hate

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Working with Stop AAPI Hate, I wanted to convey the cultural signficance of Lunar New Year and pay homage to the recent tragedies in Atlanta and Monterey Park. We settled on the idea of an altar - many cultures that celebrate the Lunar New Year set up altars to honor their ancestors and bring their blessings into the new year. Also in 2024, Losar, the Tibetan New Year, happened to coincide with Lunar New Year so we included it in this line up.

Shinwi (신위) in Korean represents the spiritual body at the center of the altar. Typically, Korean families may use a portrait of their ancestor or write their ancestors’ names on slips of paper, or a Jibang (지방) and place on a wooden or stone tablet.

Rows of tea + rice are offered to ancestors and gods to pray for blessings throughout the year.

Orchids in Chinese and Vietnamese culture represent fertility, beauty, prosperity and abundance.

Lug-go, Tibetan for “sheep head”, is typically made of butter or barley cake. It is an auspicious symbol for families and brings prosperity + plentiful harvest.

Mâm ngũ quả or the 5 Fruit Platter for the Vietnamese is a gesture of gratitude for their ancestors and honor for Heaven and Earth. The significance of the number 5 represents the five elements: wood, metal, earth, fire, and water; along with the five blessings: Phú (wealth), Quý (luxury), Thọ (longevity), Khang (prosperity), and Ninh (safety).

Candles and ignited incense at altars are used to ward off evil spirits and pay honor to ancestors.

Pineapple tarts in Singapore and Malaysia symbolize good fortune and wealth because the pronunciation of pineapple in Hokkien and Cantonese (ong lai) translates to “fortune come.”

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Stop AAPI Hate

The inspiration for the design comes from patchwork quilts, stitching together diverse cultures. This image captures rituals of leisure, connection, and celebration across Asian Pacific Islander cultures. Artifacts include a tea set, cut fruit, a fan for dancing or cooling down, a Diwali diya lamp, and an Ipu Hawaiian Drum. The colorful patterns derive from Maori, Nepalese, and Hmong designs.