Year of the Dragon: How to Live Your Best 2024

Welcome to the Year of the Dragon, 2024! If you're wondering what makes this year so special, we're here to spill the tea on why it's the perfect time to embrace new beginnings and share 8 Chinese New Year traditions to help you live your best year yet. Get ready to dive into the magic of the lunar calendar and find out how to make 2024 your year of transformation and growth.

What is Lunar New Year?

Growing up I always looked forward to celebrating the Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year, with my friends and family. In Asia, it’s the biggest holiday of the year (think Christmas and New Years combined) and traditionally marks the beginning of the lunar calendar.

It's a time of celebration, family reunions, and setting intentions for the year ahead. The lunar calendar follows the cycles of the moon, making it a unique and spiritually significant event for new beginnings. The Lunar New Year is based on the 12 phases of the moon, each phase lasting about 29 days, with around 354 days total. This year the Lunar New Year holiday runs from February 10th - February 24th.

Why the Year of the Dragon 2024 is Exceptional

In Chinese culture, the Year of the Dragon is considered one of the luckiest and most auspicious years. It symbolizes power, strength, and good fortune. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean everything’s going to be rainbows and butterflies this year. This year can either feel a bit volatile or you can harness this energy to help you start a new phase of life (whether that's a new job, new relationship, or growth overall). The key is how you harness your own energy, stay grounded, and take care of yourself.

The Year of the Dragon is all about embracing the energy and luck of the Dragon to push yourself to make positive changes in your life. It's the perfect time to start a new ritual and set your intentions to become closer to the person you aspire to be. So if your original new year’s resolution hasn’t gone as planned, or if you haven’t had a chance to formally set your intentions, think of Lunar New Year as a second chance!

8 Lunar New Year Traditions

These 8 Lunar New Year traditions will support you with preparing for a lucky year ahead:

1. Clean and Declutter: Before the New Year, it's customary to clean and declutter your home. This ritual symbolizes sweeping away any negative energy from the past and making room for new opportunities.
   
   
2. Decorate with Red: Red is the color of luck and happiness in Chinese culture. Wearing red clothing and decorating your home with red lanterns, banners, and symbols like the Chinese character for luck (福 - "Fu") invites positive energy into your space. If you are trying to conceive, it’s said that wearing red underwear can help you get lucky! ;)
   
   
3. Red Envelopes with “Lucky Cash”: This is one of my favorite traditions and as a kid, I always looked forward to my elders giving me red envelopes (红包 - "Hongbao") containing money that symbolizes passing on good fortune and blessings. This Lunar New Year, Elix is sharing this tradition by sending red envelopes with “Elix Cash.” Your “Elix Cash” could be used towards a 30-minute health coaching session ($50 value), our popular wellness formulas (varies), or even a quarter of your Cycle Balance subscription ($122 value), depending on which envelope you get. Look out for this surprise in your next February 2024 order!
   
   
4. Eat Lucky Foods: Traditional Chinese New Year dishes are not only delicious but also meaningful. Foods like shiu mai or dumplings (symbolizing wealth), fish (representing abundance), and longevity noodles (for a healthy and long life) are must-haves during the Lunar New Year celebration.
   
   
5. Reunion Dinner: The reunion dinner on New Year's Eve is one of the most important traditions. It's a time for families to gather and enjoy a feast together, reinforcing the importance of unity and love.
   
   
6. Dragon and Lion Dances: Spectacular dragon and lion dances are performed in streets and public spaces. If you live near a Chinatown, there is sure to be a performance! (The NYC Chinatown parade is February 24 and 25) The dragon dance, in particular, is believed to bring good luck and drive away evil spirits.
   
   
7. Be Social: Chinese New Year is a time to visit loved ones, offer well-wishes, and strengthen bonds. The emphasis on family and friendships during this period helps set the tone for a year ahead filled with love, joy, and happiness. My partner and I love to host a big 18-course lunar new year celebration with our close friends in NYC every year.
   
   
8. Focus on Your Wellness: As we mentioned before, this year is a transformative year. And although the Year of the Dragon symbolizes luck, we can’t cash in on that luck without pushing ourselves and building new habits. So in the spirit of new beginnings, it’s a good time to start prioritizing your health, healing your hormones, and feeling your best every day of your cycle. Our simple guide to cycle syncing will help you discover lifestyle choices that support hormone health. And take the free Online Health Assessment today to discover the herbs best for you. Enjoy adding these potent herbal formulas into your routine to help you achieve all that you’re manifesting for 2024.

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Live your best 2024 - start Cycle Balance today!

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This article was reviewed by Zoey Gong.