New Year's Day is right around the corner and shortly after follows Lunar New Year, which falls on January 29th, 2025. While many of us have seen the symbols that represent the Lunar New Year, not everyone is familiar with the specifics of the holiday.
Our new Nail Dash, “Good Fortunes Only, Kim” — designed by our own Senior Creative Lead, Kim Chung — aims to bring attention to this holiday and share the immense culture that surrounds it.
What is Lunar New Year?
Lunar New Year goes by a few different names depending on the country, but it’s primarily celebrated in Asia. While commonly associated with Chinese New Year, Lunar New Year is also observed in other cultures, including Vietnam (Tết), Korea (Seollal), Malaysia, Singapore, and beyond.
Lunar New Year marks the beginning of the new year based on the lunisolar calendar and is celebrated by millions worldwide. Chinese New Year, celebrated primarily by Chinese communities, is the most widely recognized of these festivities. It spans 15 days with traditions like family reunions, lion dances, and red envelopes symbolizing good fortune.
Chinese/Lunar New Year follows the lunisolar calendar and the 12-year cycle of the Chinese Zodiac, meaning each year is represented by an animal and every 12 years, the cycle begins again. In 2025, we will enter the Year of the Snake which symbolizes elegance, transformation, and stability — among other things.
Meet Kim: The Inspiration and Creator of “Good Fortunes Only, Kim” Nail Dash!
Kim Chung, our Senior Creative Lead at Red Aspen, is a proud woman of Chinese descent who uses her talents to design nails, Nail Dash packaging, graphics for Red Aspen events, and she does product photography for our Pop and Loyalty Box collections!
Kim is Vietnamese with Chinese ancestry, and she’s celebrated Chinese New Year her entire life, making this Nail Dash design an exciting, fun, and truly special moment for her creative career.
“My family celebrates Chinese New Year every year! While my parents were born in Vietnam, our family has Chinese ancestry. Because of this, the traditions we practice derives from both Vietnamese and Chinese culture,” Kim said.
Chinese/Lunar New Time is a time to celebrate the coming of the new year and also your ancestors. For Kim, this is one of many ways she celebrates the holiday with her family.
“Before the new year comes, we clean the house and put up decorations. We have a shrine in our home to honor our ancestors and deities,” Kim said. “My mom always prepares a table filled with fruits, foods, and tea as offerings and places them in front of the shrine. When the new year begins, we celebrate as a family with a big feast and hand out red envelopes to family and close friends.”
“Good Fortunes Only, Kim” Nail Dash
The inspiration for “Good Fortunes Only, Kim” came from the traditional symbols that are typically associated with Chinese/Lunar New Year.
“While I was designing my nails, I thought of the many symbols associated with Chinese New Year including plum blossoms, lanterns, and the colors red and gold,” Kim said. “Depending on one’s cultural celebration to the new year, these symbols hold various meanings.”
The plum blossoms seen on the Nail Dash and packaging represent hope, prosperity, and new beginnings. The lanterns symbolize enlightenment and help to ward off negative forces/spirits. Lastly, the red and gold tones symbolize good luck, good fortune, and happiness.
“Chinese New Year is all about bringing in good luck and prosperity into the new year and ushering out the old year and all things bad luck, hence the name ‘Good Fortunes Only’,” said Kim.
While the symbolism and significance of these symbols may differ depending on culture, we’re thrilled for the chance to share a bit of this rich, vibrant culture with the Red Aspen community.
Join the Celebration!
Whether you celebrate Chinese/Lunar New Year every year like Kim, or you’re here to learn more about diverse cultures, Red Aspen encourages our community to join us in recognizing this wonderful celebration of renewal and good fortune.
This Nail Dash is designed to foster a sense of belonging for those who celebrate diverse cultures and holidays while allowing others to resonate with the holiday's significance.
“Personally, nails are the easiest way for me to celebrate holidays,” said Kim. “Fun, holiday themed nails always make me happy and I hope I can spread that happiness for anyone who wants to celebrate and learn about or acknowledge the Lunar New Year.”
To purchase “Good Fortunes Only, Kim” and to check out other amazing Red Aspen products, visit redaspenlove.com.
Written by: Kelly Ann Asker
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