Lunar New Year letter to a friend: greetings for Seollal, Spring Festival and Tết (2027)
Lunar New Year 2027 falls on February 6, the Year of the Goat. Greetings and customs for Korea, China, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia, what to call the holiday, an example letter and the Lettie stamp.
Lunar New Year 2027 falls on February 6, the start of the Year of the Goat (or Sheep). Korea calls it Seollal, China calls it the Spring Festival (春节), Vietnam calls it Tết, and it's a major holiday in Singapore and Malaysia too. On Lettie, sending one letter between Feb 1, 12:00 UTC and Feb 8, 00:00 UTC earns a free Lunar New Year stamp (plum blossoms and a red lantern).
Greetings and customs by country
| Where | Greeting | The season |
|---|---|---|
| Korea (Seollal) | 새해 복 많이 받으세요 (saehae bok mani badeuseyo) | Bowing to elders (sebae) for New Year money; eating rice cake soup (tteokguk) makes you a year older |
| China & Taiwan (Spring Festival) | 新年快乐 (xīnnián kuàilè) · 恭喜发财 (gōngxǐ fācái, "wishing you prosperity") | A family reunion dinner on New Year's Eve and red envelopes (hóngbāo); the travel rush (chūnyùn) is often called the largest annual migration on Earth |
| Hong Kong | 恭喜發財 (kung hei fat choi, Cantonese) | Flower markets and red packets (lai see) |
| Vietnam (Tết) | Chúc mừng năm mới | Lucky money (lì xì), square sticky rice cakes (bánh chưng), peach blossoms in the north and yellow apricot blossoms (hoa mai) in the south |
| Singapore & Malaysia | Gong Xi Fa Cai | Lo hei: tossing a raw-fish salad high with chopsticks, together |
What to call the holiday
The same holiday goes by different names. Call it what your friend calls it: "Seollal" for a Korean friend, "Tết" for a Vietnamese friend, "Spring Festival" or "Chinese New Year" for a friend in China. "Lunar New Year" is a safe default in English, and "What do you call this holiday?" is a good question for a letter in itself.
Example letter
Happy Lunar New Year! My whole family gathered yesterday for tteokguk, rice cake soup. In Korea, eating it means you're officially a year older, so I aged a year overnight. What does your family eat on New Year's Eve? I'm also curious how much usually goes into a red envelope. Wishing you a wonderful Year of the Goat!
Good to know
- The Lunar New Year stamp reminder goes to people in KR, CN, TW, HK, VN, SG, MY, but anyone anywhere can earn the stamp.
- Within Asia, letters usually arrive within hours. From Seoul, Tokyo, Taipei and Manila are in the 3–6 hour band; Hanoi and Bangkok are 6–12 hours (delivery time by distance).
- For January 1, see New Year letter to a pen pal.
After Lunar New Year comes the Valentine's Day stamp — see a Valentine's letter to a friend. The full schedule is in the 2026–2027 holiday stamp calendar.
Frequently asked questions
- When is Lunar New Year 2027?
- February 6, 2027, the first day of the lunar calendar. It begins the Year of the Goat (or Sheep).
- How do you say Happy New Year in Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese?
- Mandarin 新年快乐 (xīnnián kuàilè) or 恭喜发财 (gōngxǐ fācái), Cantonese 恭喜發財 (kung hei fat choi), Korean 새해 복 많이 받으세요 (saehae bok mani badeuseyo), Vietnamese Chúc mừng năm mới.
- How do I get the Lettie Lunar New Year stamp?
- Send one letter between Feb 1, 12:00 UTC and Feb 8, 00:00 UTC and a free stamp arrives.