What to Know about Lunar New Year for 2024
Today, our colleagues from the Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and other East and Southeast Asian communities across Canada and throughout the world are celebrating Lunar New Year with great joy and enthusiasm. Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is celebrated with various customs and traditions.
“As a second-generation immigrant, the Lunar New Year holds special significance. It serves as a bridge between my cultural heritage and the assimilated traditions as a Canadian, creating a beautiful blend of cultures. Lunar New Year is a cherished occasion for reconnecting with my roots and honoring ancestral customs. Upholding my family’s traditions symbolizes the arrival of a new year, the preservation of familial ties, and the passing down of age-old blessings. Beyond mere festivities, the Lunar New Year represents a timeless thread linking past, present, and future, grounding me in a sense of identity and belonging within the tapestry of my heritage.”
- Jenny Nguyen, Insurance Advisor
The Year of the Dragon
In several Asian cultures, every year is linked with an animal from the zodiac. The current year signifies the start of the Year of the Dragon, which symbolizes power, authority, and good fortune. During this time, exchanging greetings and wishes is a formal gesture to convey good luck, happiness, and wishes for a prosperous year ahead.
Take a moment during the festivities to wish our friends and team members a Happy New Year.
Discover Your Zodiac Animal
Discover your zodiac animal with the animal zodiac chart connected to the Lunar New Year by identifying your birth year. Embrace the customs that add richness and significance to this celebration.
Western wishes everyone a happy and prosperous Lunar New Year!
Introducing the Asian Employees Network and Allies ERG
We are proud to formally introduce the Asian Employees Network and Allies Employee Resource Group (ERG). The ERG provides a platform for its members to showcase their cultural heritage through awareness celebrations and offers various educational and professional development opportunities, networking, and support. A key objective of the Asian ERG is to establish a safe, welcoming space for Asian team members and allies to celebrate diversity.
"ERGS encourages a respectful and inclusive culture and reinforces the importance of intersectional equity. There are so many reasons why I decidedto join and co-lead the ERG. Meetings lead to conversations about one’s successes, failures, experiences and not to forget your cultural history. This makes me learn so much more. I wanted to ensure everyone around me felt safe and comfortable and remembered to embrace their individuality wherever they are!”
- Shivangi Soni, Co-lead of the Asian ERG
