Happy New Year! Xīn Nián Kuài Lè! 新年快乐! Make it a year of family, fortune and luck this Tuesday, February 1st. You will have the chance to celebrate Lunar New Year so go make a reservation at your favorite Asian restaurant to join in on the festivities (my go to is Din Tai Fung) Half the fun of Lunar New Year is reviving all the traditions around the holiday- it’s a time for family and friends to get together to ring in the new year. In this blog post, I will be sharing my Lunar New Year content and photo ideas along with some fun facts. I’m proud to share my culture with you all and gets you inspired to celebrate along with me!
Passing out red envelopes (紅包 / hóngbāo) is a classic tradition. These red envelopes are filled with money and symbolize good wishes and luck for the new year ahead. It’s every kid’s favorite part! For this photo, first have the camera focused on your face while you hold up a red envelope. The envelope should appear blurry giving you this effect. Next, throw around the rest of the red envelope to make it appear that it’s falling from the sky and ta da!
Easiest thing for you to participate in LNY? Wear new clothes, or at least something red. People believe wearing new clothes symbolize a fresh new start and a hopeful beginning. Avoid black and white. In my culture, the color red is associated with energy, happiness and good luck. Put on your favorite red lipstick and try on a traditional qípáo 旗袍, a traditional garment made with embroidered silk featuring a high collar and delicate buttons on the front. It comes in a variety of colors nowadays, but I prefer to stick to the traditional red. P.S The materials can be ordered through Amazon or better yet, head to your local Chinatown and you’ll be sure to get them for a steal!
The history of the Chinese fan dates back to over 3,000 years ago. The feather fan became popular among the aristocracy because it was extremely expensive to produce. Made of bird feathers, it was widely recognized as the symbol of wealth, authority, and wisdom.
I hope you’re hungry! It’s time for dumplings! Dumplings represent wealth because of their close appearance to Chinese gold ingots, which are oval, boat-shaped hunks of gold used as currency in imperial China. Some families will hide a coin in one of the dumplings, and whoever receives that dumpling is believed to have a prosperous year. Customizing my own dumplings is one of my favorite actives! Plus, you can pop them in ziplock bags in the freezer and they can last up to months! Super convenient for when you need a quick meal.
The Taiwanese have used lanterns not only as sources of light or simple paper decoration, but also they symbolize the wish for a bright future. You’ll find lanterns hanging in public spaces, shops, restaurants, and even used as street lights. Hanging lanterns are particularly common during festivals as they are said to bring good luck. During the Spring Festival, red lanterns are meant to scare the monster away.
Fun Fact: The 12 zodiac animals are, in order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Each year is related to an animal sign according to a 12-year-cycle. This year, we have the chance to celebrate the Year of the Tiger. According to predictions, if you’re born in the year of the Ox and Goat, you will be the luckiest zodiac signs in the year of 2022. For those born in the years of the Rat, Snake, Monkey, Pig and Dog, you will need to make comparatively more effort in order to make achievements. Rabbit, Dragon, Horse, and Rooster people are destined to enjoy a smooth life and good luck in making money this year.
Sophie Lai 