Learn About Lunar New Year

2023 Marks the year of the Rabbit!

I am so excited to celebrate Lunar New Year with my friends and family. Through this celebratory process, I want to provide some guidance into Lunar New Year, and help those who wish to partake in the festivities!

To pretext this blog post: I am born in the year of the Rabbit, so this year holds a special place for me! I have been honored to be able to celebrate Lunar New Year through the welcoming of the communities involved and the recent knowledge of my Father and Grandfather's involvement with the holiday. Throughout history, Laos has been taken over by different countries creating mixes of multi-racial, lingual, cultural, and religious children. I am the daughter of my father who is part Vietnamese through his family line with the marriage of his parents, and my grandfather on my mother's side who was a doctor that had learned French during the reign of France in Laos and later Vietnamese during the Secret War which led to their flight to America.

What is Lunar New Year?

"Lunar New Year is a celebration of the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar. It is the most important holiday in China, and it is also widely celebrated in South Korea, Vietnam, and countries with a significant overseas Chinese population" (asia.si.edu). Lunar New Year is celebrated by countries that follow the lunar calendar: which is based on the Moon Cycles. This holiday has become very open to those who wish to know about its meaning and at one point in time my family didn't celebrate it fully in worries Laotians couldn't since our calendars are different.

Do not be afraid to celebrate the new year with us!

From left to right, Korean, Laotian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian Traditional Wear. — Multi-Ethnic New Years' Traditional Wear.

If you know others that celebrate this holiday, here is some information to keep in mind when being a part of the Lunar New Year.

Red Envelopes

We see them, we know them- Red envelopes: also known as "hongbao" in Mandarin, "lai-see" in Cantonese, and "ang-pow" in Hokkien, are a staple to Lunar New Year. These red envelopes encase crisp bills and each amount in them has meaning to the wishes of the giver to the recipient. These envelopes are used for Lunar New Year, birthdays, and weddings in China, and the same for some other Asian countries as a way to send good wishes.

Currency

Each amount given in Red Envelopes holds a wish to the recipient for the new year! Be cautious in the amounts placed in the envelopes separately or combined, it can be tricky to remember as we focus on crisp new bills for the envelopes.

Cleaning

This time of year there is a lot of cleaning! We want to clean out the old to welcome the new, so before the day of the new year we deep clean every nook and cranny of our homes, shower ourselves extra thoroughly and finish all laundry. No cleaning of any sort shall be done on New Year's Day, it will wash away your luck as our parents and elders have told us. We spend the day wishing everyone good fortune and offering blessings for the New Year, washing that away would be a great loss. To avoid that loss we do not wash our hair, do laundry, or clean our home on the day of New Year. With all the good intentions we set for others and ourselves we do not want to counteract the harmony of the blessings.

Dinner

On New Year's Eve, families will gather and have a feast of all the good food to provide good health for the New Year. Each food item consumed holds meaning for wishes of the New Year:

New Year Cake — a Higher Income or Position Fish — an Increase in Prosperity

Sweet Rice Balls — Family Togetherness

Spring Rolls — Wealth

Lion's Head Meatballs — Family Unity

Steamed Pork Belly with Taro — Prosperity

Shrimp — Happiness

Fruit — Fullness and Wealth

Vegetables — Spring, Wealth, and More

Longevity Noodles — Happiness and Longevity

Whole Chicken — Luck and Wholeness

Chinese Dumplings — Wealth

Cautions

"It's believed that whatever you do during the course of the Lunar New Year celebration will set the tone for the year ahead" (www.bu.edu).

This precaution goes towards your wishes and fortunes as well. Extend your fortunes with good intentions just as they will be returned to you: What you put into the celebration is anticipated for what will come out.

Do's

Housecleaning

Housecleaning before Lunar New Year’s Eve helps ensure that your family gets rid of bad luck from last year and is ready for the good fortune to come. But it’s important to have all your cleaning done before the stroke of midnight on Lunar New Year’s Eve.

Red paper couplets and window paper-cuts

The color red has long symbolized good luck in Chinese culture. It’s customary to write good wishes in couplets on red paper and paste them on doors. Tradition holds that the couplets will block bad things from coming your way in the new year and ensure that good wishes come true.

Set off firecrackers and fireworks (and when you can’t do that, pop a balloon)

Setting off firecrackers and fireworks is another Lunar New Year ritual. It’s believed that the noise scares away evil spirits.

(Because fireworks are illegal in many places, celebrants have taken to popping small balloons instead as a way of warding off bad luck.)

Eat lucky foods

Food is as central to Lunar New Year celebrations as it is to any holiday. The most important meal of the year in China is the Spring Festival Dinner, held on Lunar New Year’s Eve, and dishes associated with good luck, such as dumplings, rice cakes, fish, dates, and Mandarin oranges, are served.

In Korea, families usually prepare tteokguk (rice cake soup), jeon (Korean pancakes), and many side dishes to celebrate the start of the new year.

In Vietnam, in addition to a sticky rice cake, Canh khổ qua dồn thịt (stuffed bitter melon soup) is considered a signature Lunar New Year dish.

Hand out, and receive red envelopes

During the holiday senior family members hand out red envelopes containing money to younger members, representing good wishes for the year ahead. In some parts of China, married couples are supposed to send red envelopes to their single friends.

Don't (s)

Avoid breaking objects

While mistakes do happen. In some Asian countries, breaking objects such as plates, cups, and bowls are often associated with bad luck. In China, the character “Sui” means year, which is pronounced the same as the word “break.” That’s why, when Chinese people accidentally break things during Lunar New Year celebrations, they’ll say “Sui Sui Ping An,” which means “Safe and sound every year.”

Don’t borrow money during the Lunar New Year celebration

It’s considered important to pay off all debts before the first day of the Lunar New Year. In addition, avoid borrowing or lending money during the weeks-long celebration because doing either is believed to lead to struggles with money in the year ahead.

Don’t curse, swear, or argue with people

Cursing, swearing, or arguing with anyone during the celebration of the holiday could mean a year of arguments and troubling relationships. Avoid using negative words in conversations to protect yourself from misfortune, especially words associated with death, poverty, sickness, or killing. Being polite and gentle is thought to bring one good luck and fortune.

Don’t cut your hair during the month of the Lunar New Year

It was once believed that doing so during that time frame would bring harm to a person’s maternal uncles. Today, people in some Chinese provinces still observe the tradition.

Don’t buy books and don’t send them as gifts

The word “book” in Chinese is pronounced the same as the word “lose,” and buying books on the first days of the new year is thought to bring bad luck.

Intentional Giving

It is crucial that while not all gifts can be 100% authentic or celebrated directly on New Year's day, the intentions behind the celebration remain. Due to not seeing all my gift recipients on the day of I created golden gifts for everyone to hold all the blessings I wanted to bestow on them for the year. Tied with individual red strings and allowing them to enjoy their Hongbao immediately and opened questions and great conversations on Lunar New Year.

Decorations

You may decorate through standing table items, wall stickers, and paper lanterns and figures. The designs of the decorations tend to be Chinese characters and images that are auspicious. Such as fruits like mandarins and kumquat, as well as zodiac animals that reflect the year. Each character, fruit, and animal has a specific meaning, many of them representing longevity, honor, wealth, and prosperity. All decor is kept up fo all days of celebration of the 15-day festival.

The Meaning Behind A Zhongguo Jie Charm/Tassel

A Zhongguo Jie (Jong gwwo gee-a) charm/tassel is composed of the knot, red string, feng shui, and sometimes jade or charms.

A Chinese knot is a popular staple seen across New Year and holidays, its woven patterns hold different meanings, but will overall represent longevity and eternity.
The red string symbolizes vitality, protection, and life force energy.
These Chinese Tassels are often seen accompanied by coins, known as Feng Shui. Feng Shui was once a currency in ancient China and symbolizes good fortune and prosperity.
Aim for authentic, antique Chinese coins made of copper, but if not attainable the next best option in your budget will do! What matters is your intent and effort which affects the power of the feng shui.

Left Image) 6 Feng Shui to bless its recipient with easy comings for a smooth, uncomplex year.

Right Image) 11 Feng Shui to bless prosperity and money into their future, alongside other wellness of good fortune, longevity, and more.

Tip

All objects absorb and retain the energies of their previous owners and surroundings. When you bring home second-hand and/or antique pieces, it’s helpful to clear them of any predecessor qi (life force energy). There are many ways to clear the energy: Some options include smudging with your botanical of choice or cleaning the object, like antique Chinese coins, with salt water.

(www.thespruce.com)

What I Gave

In contrast to more traditional approaches, I wasn't able to offer an abundance of fruit this year due to time interference. In response to this conundrum, I provided candies with all of the fruitful intent with a sweet touch to tickle taste palettes. Many items pair with one another and I offered the usual HongBao with New Year Fortune Card scratchers to have us all find our fortunes and share amongst each other our goals for the year ahead.

Included:

Rabbit Figures = 1 item for Unity.
Zhongguo Jie Charm/Tassel =1 item Unity.
Strawberry Hard Candies = 3 candies for an abundance of stability.
Choco Pies = 1 item for Unity.
Orange Kit Kat = 2 Kit Kats total Double, Harmony.
Matcha Kit Kat = 2 Kit Kats total Double, Harmony.
Tea Packets = 2 total Double, Harmony.
New Year's Stickers = 1 for unity. 5 total for self-awareness. 8 total for wealth and success. 11 total for prosperity and money in the future.
Fortune Scratch Cards = 1 item for Unity.
Red Envelopes = $3 for an abundance of stability. $6 for easy comings, good luck. $8 for wealth and success.

What We Had During The Celebration:

Pork — to Move Forward

Fish — an Increase in Prosperity

Egg Drop — Increase in Fertility

Shrimp — Happiness

Fruit — Fullness and Wealth

Vegetables — Spring, Wealth, and More

Chinese Dumplings — Wealth

Wontons — New Beginning, A Good Start

Chicken — Togetherness of The Family

Bánh Tét — Coming of Spring

Tea — Good Health

Why Jasmine/ Green Tea?

During gift opening my father reminisced on his memories of the Lunar new year through his eyes as a kid and teenager. By celebrating Lunar New Year we are honoring his upbringing and culture outside of being Lao. Teas are often served to welcome friends and family into homes to celebrate the Lunar new year together. It is welcomed by its strong fragrance, fresh flavor, tender and soft taste and the rich benefits including preventing cancer, resist aging, relieving pain, and losing weight. Tea is a gift of health.

Bánh Tét

Bánh tét is a Vietnamese savoury but sometimes sweetened cake made primarily from glutinous rice, which is rolled in a banana leaf into a thick, log-like cylindrical shape, with a mung bean and pork filling, then boiled. After cooking, the banana leaf is removed and the cake is sliced into wheel-shaped servings.

In the traditional conception of Vietnamese people, the process of making Banh Chung is an opportunity for the family's reunion. Sitting around the fire, family members tell one another the past stories and are ready for a New Year with best wishes.

Through good colleagues of my father, he received homemade Banh Tét. Not only is this a little piece of home and nostalgia of holidays growing up, but it's so much more meaningful knowing who made it and where it came from. We cook with our hearts and add love into our food from flavors, techniques, and ingredients. You can resteam Banh Tét or take the slices to the microwave for a quick serving.