Google celebrates lunar new year with animated ‘Year of the Tiger’ doodle

Google has decided to celebrate the lunar new year with a doodle. This Tuesday marks the end of the Year of the Ox, and the beginning of the Year of the Tiger. Accordingly, the Google doodle shows a tiger next to a tree filled with cherry blossoms. Other items in the doodle include traditional foods which people have on the Chinese new year, and Chinese lanterns, which are used to decorate houses. 

If one clicks on the doodle, fireworks appear, along with the faint face of a tiger. Notably, people who are born in the Year of the Tiger are expected to be brave and have natural leadership qualities. The new year is also known as the Spring Festival, and shows the end of winter. Accordingly, the Google doodle has shown the cherry tree full of blossoms. 

Also Read | Lunar New Year 2022: Things you must know about the ‘water tiger’ Chinese new year

These holidays are a good time to honour ancestors and deities. 

On this occasion, homes are swept clean so any ill-fortune from the past year can be removed. It is also believed to make space for good luck, coming in the new year. Fireworks are set off, believing the light will ward off monsters and bad luck.

Also Read | Which Chinese zodiac sign are you and what does the Year of the Ox have in store for you?

Usually, the festivities last two weeks and include dragons, floats, musicians, and dancers. Recent celebrations have been subdued due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the festive spirit cannot be dampened. 

Also Read | Which Chinese zodiac sign are you and what does the Year of the Ox have in store for you?

The most common way of greeting someone a happy Chinese new year is to repeat the Cantonese phrase “Gong hei fat choy”. 

Also Read | Lunar New Year 2021: World celebrates ‘Year of the Ox’

Typically, a new year would be associated with a fresh start in most cultures. However, the lunar new year is a time of reunion as well as rebirth. It is different from holidays in the solar Gregorian calendar. As per the traditional Chinese calendar, the days are marked through an ancient lunisolar system, and months are based on the phases of the moon.