Talk:Lunar New Year in Taiwan

Greater distinction needed

While some of the customs and practices listed here are observed in Taiwan, it is unclear whether they justify the need to coin a distinct term like "Taiwanese New Year." For instance, practices such as the worship of certain gods (e.g., Poh Seng Tai Tay), having married daughters spend the first day of the New Year with their in-laws, or the belief that staying up late on New Year's Eve can positively influence a parent's lifespan are not unique to Taiwan. These customs are also prevalent in overseas Chinese communities across Southeast Asia.

Considering the existence of a Wikipedia page titled Chinese New Year customs in Singapore, it seems more fitting to create a Taiwanese-specific variant of that page. As it stands, the term "Taiwanese New Year" lacks conceptual rigor and fails to convincingly differentiate itself. Kenddrick (talk) 04:49, 23 January 2025 (UTC)

Concur. Shared practices don't need to be in this article. If there's enough material remaining for a separate article, the article should also be renamed ("Chinese New Year in Taiwan"?, "customs" seems redundant.) - RovingPersonalityConstruct (talk, contribs) 23:03, 28 January 2025 (UTC)

I agree. "Chinese New Year in Taiwan" or "Chinese New Year (Taiwan)" Kylinki (talk) 15:23, 29 January 2025 (UTC)

I feel that it should be "Lunar New Year in Taiwan" as there are sensitivities with the term "Chinese". Also, many customs are not distinctly "Chinese", it would be more general and more suitable to use "Lunar" as many new immigration residents in Taiwan also observe this festival but are not ethnically Chinese.Heeheemalu (talk) 07:49, 4 February 2025 (UTC)

Chinese New Year refers to Chinese culture and the traditional Chinese calendar, not PRC nationality. Most customs are Chinese and observed by ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia too including Singapore where they also refer to as Chinese New Year and have Wikipedia article "Chinese New Year Customs in Singapore". The great majority of people in Taiwan are 華人, ethnic Chinese. "Lunar New Year" is broad as there are many different lunar and lunisolar new years with different new year dates Kylinki (talk) 15:08, 4 February 2025 (UTC)

I believe "Lunar New Year in Taiwan" is the more appropriate term, as it acknowledges Taiwan’s cultural diversity and avoids unnecessary conflation with a singular ethnic or national identity. While many customs originate from Han Chinese traditions, Taiwan is home to Indigenous groups and a growing number of immigrants from countries like Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia, where the holiday is also celebrated but with different customs. Using "Lunar New Year" reflects this multicultural reality.

Furthermore, while "Chinese New Year" is commonly used in Singapore and other places with a majority ethnic Han Chinese population, Taiwan has a unique historical and sociopolitical context. Given Taiwan's distinct identity and the sensitivities surrounding the term "Chinese," "Lunar New Year" is a more neutral and inclusive term that respects the perspectives of different communities.

Additionally, the argument that "Chinese New Year" aligns with the traditional Chinese calendar applies broadly, but many cultures, including Vietnamese (Tết), Koreans (Seollal), and Mongolians (Tsagaan Sar), also use the same or similar lunisolar calendars and celebrate the New Year differently. The term "Lunar New Year" avoids the implication that the holiday is exclusive to Han Chinese culture, allowing for a broader and more representative discussion of how it is observed in Taiwan. Heeheemalu (talk) 14:20, 6 February 2025 (UTC)

Agree with you, Heeheemalu. There seems to be an editing war launched by those who insist that LNY = CNY, citing Singapore as an example. Gandalfett (talk) 20:02, 24 February 2025 (UTC)

Why can't we use CNY and LNY together? Those other cultures use similar calendars with minor differences, but Taiwan and Mainland China use identical calendars that has no differences. Using the word 'Chinese' only addresses the cultural connection to China and not its geopolitical position. Also, its so damn ironic that you agree with Heeheemalu as you kept on making edits to remove Chinese or other ethnicities in the Malaysians article together with other users, as well as removing references to Singapore's chinese culture and highlighting the immigrant aspect of the Chinese Singaporeans article . According to your previous edits, it is obvious that you have a hate for shared ethnic grouping and wish to categorise every single country as its own ethnicity. Did all those government efforts at racial harmony do nothing for you? If you are part of another ethnicity, please do not target others but rather add and elaborate on your own culture and its contributions to Singapore. From all these actions, it seems that your edits have done nothing to improve this article. 138.75.197.106 (talk) 03:22, 26 February 2025 (UTC)

"According to your previous edits, it is obvious that you have a hate for shared ethnic grouping and wish to categorise every single country as its own ethnicity."

This is quite a bold yet unsubstantiated aspersion casted towards me. Does not require any further explanation from my side if you maintain such an opinion.

"Did all those government efforts at racial harmony do nothing for you?"

Again, a bold and wild accusation, but for your sake I will keep my reasoning as simple as possible. Call it "racial harmony" or whatever you wish to call it, I am all for respect towards different communities, but I do not agree with what you and the PAP government call "racial harmony" which is more like maintaining an ethnic divide on the basis of pseudo-scientific concepts of race and defining Singapore as a Chinese or Chinese-dominated nation. You brought the example of Austria, I believe people refer to themselves and their cultural as part of the German-speaking sphere, but not "German". Just to be clear, I am all for a Singaporean nation aka Bangsa Singapura. Not Chinese, Malay or Indian Singapore.

And as for Malaysia, you seem to have the wrong idea that Malaysia without "Chinese" and "Indian", Malaysia is monoethnic. There are multiple ethnicities, particularly indigenous ones who are not Malay in Malaysia. Not to mention Mamaks and Perankans whose cultures I admire. Both groups use Malay as their ethnic language but recent developments unfortunately pushed them towards the Indian and Chinese immigrants instead. The languages listed in infobox is based on official languages as defined by the country's constitution, and not what a group of people with a particular agenda has. Gandalfett (talk) 16:27, 28 February 2025 (UTC)

No. While the celebration counterparts of different cultures like Korea and Mongolia have diverted away, Taiwan is still regarded being in the Sinosphere. Your argument that the term LNY addresses the many immigrants in Taiwan has little precedence as mainland China as well as other East Asian countries also has immigrants that celebrate the lunar new year. By this logic, should we rename those articles as [Country] Lunar New Year while stating their local names under it? I know what you are trying to do. But the term Chinese does not express Taiwan's political status and only addresses the culture of the majority of Taiwanese people. Do Austrians fuss and frown at their culture being called german adjacent? No. Heck, even Taiwanese media still use Chinese as a term. Your edits also ignore the connection or similarities between mainland Minnannese and Taiwan's customs. If you truly are a native Taiwanese that has grown on the island, you should by now realise that most of your people do follow the traditional chinese calendar and that the general atmosphere and customs are chinese, while having unique and distinct customs from both the island's Japanese occupation and after the Kuomintang fled to Taiwan, which I applaud you for including them in the article. Don't mask your struggle for cultural independence under excuses like respect for other cultures, because it simply does not reflect Taiwan's current reality. 138.75.197.106 (talk) 02:57, 26 February 2025 (UTC)