5 Ways to Celebrate The Lunar New Year

Every year, more than 1 billion Chinese residents and many others around the world celebrate Lunar New Year. The 15-day festival, also known as Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival, starts on the second new moon after the winter solstice. This year, it begins on February 1, 2022.

Here are five ways you can celebrate Chinese New Year! 

Clean your home

mother and daughter cleaning together

Cleaning your home can remove the troubles of the previous year and puts your best foot forward. Big projects include painting your home and making repairs while more basic projects include mending clothes and sweeping every nook and cranny. Get your kids in on the purge by having them deep clean their rooms. 

Craft Lucky Money 

lucky money on a red table

During Lunar New Year, people exchange red envelopes filled with money, or yuan. The value of each gift is important, since Chinese numerology determines which numbers will ensure a fruitful new year and which will bring misfortune. You and your family can create your own red envelopes and yuan, and exchange them as gifts. Learn how to make it here. 

Make Traditional Pork Dumplings 

plated pork dumplings

Sitting around the kitchen table making dumplings with your family is a great way to pass the time before midnight on New Year’s Eve. Dumplings resemble gold ingots used as currency in ancient China, which symbolize prosperity in the new year. 

Learn about the Chinese Zodiac 

a chart of the Chinese zodiac animals

The Chinese calendar is formulated around the 12 zodiac animals: the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. In China, the year of your birth is associated with a certain zodiac animal, which is meant to predict your personality characteristics and fortune. Learn more here. 

Catch Up with Family and Friends 

a man video chatting with his family on his laptop

This year, celebrations will look different due to COVID-19. Despite this, we must do our best to stay close emotionally while staying apart physically. Luckily, technology makes it so easy to connect with family and friends all over the country. FaceTime the grandparents and brighten their day or set up a virtual happy hour Zoom video conference with your family and ring in the new year together.