Happy Year of the Dragon! Did you know that Lunar New Year is celebrated by many countries in Asia, including China, Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore? Here in NY, you've likely seen images - or even experienced firsthand, the red lanterns, lion dances and firecrackers that fill the streets during the Chinese New Year celebrations.
Our family is Chinese and Korean – two cultures that celebrate Lunar New Year, but with different traditions. As native NYers now raising three children who are third generation Americans, we do our best to pass down the traditions our parents taught us, but inevitably we'll put our own modern twist on them too!
Here are some things our family will be doing to prepare for and celebrate Lunar New Year.
- We will clean and tidy our house before the New Year to sweep away bad luck from the year prior and welcome in the good luck of the year to come.
- Red is the color of good luck and fortune in Chinese tradition, so we will decorate our homes with red banners and hangings and make sure everyone has new red clothes to wear.
- We will have a big family meal leading up to Lunar New Year with dishes, each representing a different type of good fortune - shrimp for happiness, noodles for long life and leafy greens for wealth.
- We will visit with family and friends and our children will be gifted red envelopes from their elders with money inside for good luck (this tends to be one of the favorite traditions for our kids!)
- On New Year Day, our kids will start their day with a piece of chocolate to ensure a sweet start to the year. We will also share a meal of Korean rice cake soup and dumplings.
- We will attend some of the many Lunar New Year celebrations our town and local communities will be hosting this year! Make sure you check out the list of events shared here, on Macaroni Kids of Port Washington, Manhasset and Roslyn for info on events you can attend with your families!
