Hong Kong CNN —
Last week, K-pop singer Danielle Marsh asked her online fans what they were doing for Chinese New Year. A full apology followed two days later, promising to “try to be more careful” and acknowledging the “pain” she had caused.
your crime? The “Chinese” that preceded “New Year”.
A long-standing debate over the use of “Chinese New Year” versus “Lunar New Year” has reignited in recent weeks as people around the world celebrated the holiday, with brands and celebrities coming under fire for using both phrases.
Proponents of the Lunar New Year point out that the holiday is celebrated by different countries, each with their own specific rituals, foods, stories and nuances – which are thereby flattened and erased an erroneous reference to “Chinese New Year”.
Marsh pointed this out in her apology, saying her original wording was “inappropriate” given the regional diversity of the holiday.
A number of organizations, including the Associated Press Stylebook used by many newsrooms, recommend using Lunar New Year instead of Chinese New Year.
However, the use of the “Lunar New Year” has proved equally controversial for critics in China, many of whom argue that the holiday has its roots in the Chinese lunar calendar and China’s historical influence on countries in the region.
This has left many brands and public figures caught in the middle, trying to tiptoe through the holidays without being snubbed from both sides – often unsuccessfully.
In one notable case, the British Museum shared details about a show by a Korean traditional music group. “Celebrate the Korean New Year with us with magical performances,” it wrote on Twitter on Jan. 12.
A flurry of angry tweets followed. “It’s called Chinese New Year,” replied one Twitter user.
The British Museum then deleted his tweet. On January 22, the first holiday, it announced a new post with the image of a Chinese painting. “Happy New Year!” he wrote before repeating the greeting in Chinese.
In pictures: Lunar New Year celebrations
The Lunar New Year marks the beginning of the lunar calendar, with celebrations often lasting 15 days or more. For many attendees, it’s one of the most important holidays of the year bringing families together – similar to Thanksgiving in the US.
It is celebrated throughout Asia, including in the Korean Peninsula, where the holiday is called Seollal; in Vietnam, where it is called Tết; in China, where it is also known as the Spring Festival; and in other countries including the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and more.
And while many of these regional festivals have their roots in the Chinese Spring Festival — for example, Tết was widespread in Vietnam during the period under Chinese rule — they have since evolved to reflect each country’s cultures, beliefs, and cuisines.
This diversity is largely why “Lunar New Year” proponents have called for the transition away from “Chinese New Year.” And while the debate isn’t new — celebrities have been under fire for years for saying a thing or two — it seems to have gained traction in particular this year.
Maggie Ying Jiang, an associate professor at the University of Western Australia who studies cross-cultural communication and consumer nationalism, pointed to the British Museum’s tweet as the trigger. It had been reposted on Chinese social media, sparking a heated debate with related hashtags attracting hundreds of millions of views.
“This reflects two issues: cultural identity clashes between Asian nations, in this case specifically between China and Korea, (and the) current geopolitical environment,” she said.
Along with striving for more inclusiveness, the adoption of the “Lunar New Year” demonstrates the “ongoing efforts” by China’s neighbors to establish and promote their own independent cultural identities, she added.
These tensions can also be seen in other recent cultural conflicts, she said. For example, China and South Korea have engaged in numerous feuds Items claimed by both countries such as kimchi, the iconic fermented vegetable dish, and the traditional hanbok dress.
It is no coincidence that these spats took place when relations between the two nations were falling apart. In recent years, the pandemic has seen political disagreements, economic retaliation, and even travel restrictions.
But the campaign for a more inclusive name wasn’t universally welcomed. In China, the holiday remains firmly “Chinese” – even when referring to its celebrations in other countries.
The state-run Xinhua News Agency, for example, hailed the “Chinese New Year” celebrations in Myanmar, Malaysia and Japan, emphasizing the use of “Chinese red” in decorations.
The same sentiment seems to be rife on China’s heavily censored social media, with some posts fuming at the alternative wording.
“We can see that the Korean-led ‘Lunar New Year’ is an ideological assault on Chinese culture by Western countries,” reads a popular post on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter.
Another post scoffed at how, following the same logic, Christmas should be renamed to reflect each country celebrating it — like “American Christmas” or “German Christmas.”
Some people seemed stunned more than anything by all the excitement. “But today is Chinese New Year, I really don’t understand why Koreans are so sensitive,” noted one Weibo user. “Is it possible that you really believe that the Spring Festival belongs to South Korea?”
Jiang, the professor, pointed to growing nationalism as a potential factor driving these violent reactions.
Nationalism has risen under Chinese leader Xi Jinping in recent years and has dominated Weibo. Many public intellectuals, scholars, advocates and feminist activists were viciously attacked or silenced because comments were deemed “unpatriotic”.
The trend has accelerated during the Covid-19 pandemic, Jiang said. She added that China’s “century of humiliation,” in which the Qing Empire and later the ROC were crushed by foreign powers, “serves as the basis for Chinese nationalism and is deeply ingrained in society.”
However, this has made life much more difficult for brands, foreign politicians and public figures trying to deal with cultural sensitivities in China and overseas. Last July, for example, Dior faced protests outside its Paris store after Chinese social media users claimed a skirt had appropriated a centuries-old traditional garment.
With the margin for error shrinking, some are doing their best to appease all sides.
“On behalf of all Canadians, Sophie and I wish everyone celebrating the Korean New Year a very happy and healthy Year of the Rabbit,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote in a statement on Sunday.
He then wished the Vietnamese community a happy Tết Nguyên Đán in a separate statement.
A third statement followed. “新年快樂,” he wrote, before repeating the Chinese greeting for “Happy New Year” in romanized Mandarin and Cantonese.