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It's time to usher in the Year of the Dog.
By Kelly Riordan — Written on Jan 23, 2018
For many of us, 2018 has been in full swing an entire month, but for the Chinese zodiac, the festivities have only just begun!
February 16 marks the start of the Chinese New Year and kicks off two weeks of celebrating, eating, and spending time with the ones we love — making it the longest-lasting (and grandest) holiday in the culture. So in honor of the big event, we thought we'd share our favorite Chinese New Year traditions. Be sure to celebrate with everyone closest to your heart.
1. Reunite with everyone you love.
Those who can't make the trip often get together with neighbors and attend local festivities in their area.
2. Eat and be merry.
What holiday is complete without a proper feast (or feasts)? The Chinese New Year is full of delicious meals, none more significant than the highly anticipated New Year's Eve dinner (also called "weilu"), which honors family ancestors.
Uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents, grandchildren, great grandchildren and more attend these savory events, where delicious dishes of nian gao cake, steamed rice pudding, long noodles, and dumplings are commonly served. It's a little-known fact that when fish is included, the Chinese make a particular point not to finish it for superstitious reasons.
3. Pay homage to lost loved ones.
During the first big feast of the holiday, family members gather and offer sacrifices to the deceased. They also light candles below pictures of relatives and eat in their honor.
4. Have some childish fun.
Before they can sit down to eat, families gather together and spend the evening making Chinese dumplings. One of the common Chinese New Year traditions involves concealing a coin in one of the dumplings and distributing them among family members. Whoever discovers the coin in his or her dumpling will supposedly have good luck for the New Year.
In addition, older family members present children with red money packets (red represents luck in the Chinese culture), decorated with gold designs and filled with "lucky money."
Celebrating our family ties, making amends and letting go of grudges are all cherished customs of the Chinese holiday. And getting a fresh start is something we can celebrate every day — not just on the Lunar New Year.