Wrapped cakes of glutinous rice, green beans and pork belly have been a Lunar New Year speciality in Vietnam for centuries.

The Lunar New Year is almost here, and the United States is jam-packed with fabulous options if you want to celebrate in a truly traditional manner.

This week’s new moon, on Wednesday, Jan. 29, will signal the beginning of the Chinese Lunar New Year, which is this year called the "Year of the Snake."

As the week-long holiday approaches, shoppers bustled through the market in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, picking up essentials for the celebrations. (AP video shot by Hau Dinh)

The traditional year-end offering, or lễ cúng tất niên, is a vital ritual in Vietnamese culture, marking the end of the old year and welcoming the new with gratitude and hope.

Each culture that celebrates the Lunar New Year has traditions passed down from generation to generation that are thought to bring good luck. NPR readers share theirs.

Millions celebrate Lunar New Year in China, East Asia and around the world, but the way it's observed varies across countries and cultures.

While Lunar New Year’s legislatively recognized holiday status in Washington is recent, some local groups have celebrated the holiday for decades. Here’s what’s going on this year.

The Lunar New Year begins Wednesday, but celebrations around the area are spread over multiple weeks, making it easier to find street parades, lion dances, concerts, family-friendly performances, night markets and new beers.

Wrapped cakes of glutinous rice, green beans and pork belly have been a Lunar New Year speciality in Vietnam for centuries.

Residents of Cambodia's capital city Phnom Penh were gearing up on Monday to celebrate Lunar New Year. The Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival in China and Tet in Vietnam, falls on 29 January,