SENATE RESOLUTION

8608

BySenator Hasegawa

WHEREAS, January 29, 2025, marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year, which is celebrated in many diverse communities around the world, including in the United States and in Washington State; and

WHEREAS, The 2024 regular session of the Legislature passed House Bill 2209 recognizing Lunar New Year as a state legal holiday; and

WHEREAS, The Lunar New Year is celebrated annually on the second new moon following the winter solstice; and

WHEREAS, Washington is home to nearly 920,000 Asian and Pacific Islander Americans of Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Hmong, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Malaysian, Pakistani, Samoan, Sri Lankan, Taiwanese, Tongan, and Vietnamese descent; and

WHEREAS, The Lunar New Year is an especially significant holiday in East and Southeast Asian cultures, including in Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean communities, among others; and

WHEREAS, The Lunar New Year is a celebration of the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year, as a time to renew family ties, and to start the new year with a clean slate; and

WHEREAS, In the United States, Lunar New Year is commonly associated with the Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, in Vietnam, the holiday is known as Tet Nguyen Dan, also commonly referred to as Tet, and in Korea it is known as Seollal; and

WHEREAS, The Lunar Calendar rotates through 12-year cycles, with each year representing an animal from The Great Race, and through 60-year cycles—with each animal associated with one of the five elements: Metal, wood, fire, water, or earth—to create harmony and balance; and

WHEREAS, The 2025 Lunar Year is the Year of the Wood Snake, symbolizing versatility, growth, and creativity; and

WHEREAS, The celebration of the Lunar New Year in communities throughout Washington State illustrates the state's rich cultural history and commitment to racial, religious, and cultural diversity;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Senate join Asian and Pacific Islander communities throughout the state, the nation, and the world in celebrating January 29, 2025, as the beginning of the Lunar New Year and extend best wishes for a peaceful and prosperous Lunar New Year to all Washingtonians.