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Wednesday, January 29th, will kick off the start of the Year of the Snake with celebrations of fireworks, family, and feasts all across the world. You may think “Lunar New Year” and “Chinese New Year” refer to the same event. That’s not the case! The Lunar New Year celebration in South Korea or Vietnam looks different than a celebration of the Lunar New Year in China. The holidays take place on different dates, too. In 2025, China begins to celebrate its Lunar New Year on Lucky food is served during the 16-day festival season, especially on Chinese New Year dinner on New Year's Eve, which is believed to bring good luck for the coming year. The auspicious symbolism of these traditional Chinese New Year foods is based on their pronunciations or appearance. Not only do the dishes themselves matter, but also the Whole oranges, tangerines, mandarins, grapefruit, pomelos and even persimmons or kumquats are traditional and even expected hostess gifts to bring to a Chinese New Year meal or any gathering Most Americans consider January 1 the start of the new year, but many Asians and Asian-Americans don’t. Instead, they follow Lunar New Year, also referred to as Chinese New Year in the U.S., which begins on January 29, 2025. (That’s the Year of the Snake in the Chinese zodiac, BTW.) But at the same time, each nationality has specific customs. The Chinese New Year is built around a 12-year cycle featuring the dozen animals in the Chinese zodiac: Rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep or ram, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. When it comes to Chinese-y stuff, I’m no expert and get by with the basics. In the Chinese calendar, food isn’t just for celebration—it’s also a way to bring luck, prosperity, and good health into your life. The Reunion Dinner is the highlight of Chinese New Year, a special moment for families to come together and enjoy a meal where every dish has a deeper meaning. This year, the Lunar New Year (also known as Chinese New Year) falls on Wednesday, January 29, 2025. This holiday celebrates the beginning of a new year on the conventional Chinese calendar. Because Chinese New Year always falls at the tail end of winter, the fruits available tend to be limited to those that thrive in colder months—namely, oranges, tangerines, kumquats, and pomelos. The fruits are given as gifts, their round shape and gold color said to symbolize prosperity and bring the recipient good fortune throughout the year. Food is one of the things that the Chinese take the most pride in. And of course, a lot of care and thought is put into the menu for the most important holiday of the year. As with Chinese New Year activities and decorations, the dishes are created to give blessings for the next year. Chinese New Year Appetizers. These appetizers can be served just prior to dinner, for lunch, or really anytime during the two-week-long Chinese New Year festivities, between New Year’s Eve and the Lantern Festival, which marks the end of the celebration. 27. Nian Gao (Chinese New Year Sticky Rice Cake) This sticky, sweet cake is a must If you’re hosting a New Year’s party. Symbolizing progress, advancement, and growth, it’s a traditional (and tasty!) way to get your year off to a great start. The classic recipe is simple – sugar, water, and rice flours. The Chinese New Year dinner also referred to as the "Reunion Dinner", called tuan nien fan or nian ye fan in Chinese, is perhaps the most loved aspect of the Spring Festival. It takes place on Chinese New Year's Eve (January 28th in 2025). The Significance of the Reunion Dinner Lunar New Year, also called Spring Festival, is a feast-filled holiday celebrated by many countries and cultures. In its several iterations, including Chinese, Korean (Seollal), Vietnamese (Tết 1. Red Envelops/Packets. If your Chinese hosts have children, do not forget to prepare some red envelopes (hongbao) with suitable amounts of new bills in.This is the easy and traditional go-to Chinese gift for kids that fits all circumstances. Step 1: Add water into the flour to make a dough. Knead the dough and then cover it for later use. Step 2: Prepare the fillings by mixing the ground pork with chopped celery, ginger and green onion and add other seasonings. During Chinese New Year, people have a long list of things to do. From one week preceding the festival to the 15th day after, many Chinese New Year customs are widely observed for thousands of years. The family reunion dinner, eating dumplings, and setting off firework are the must-dos that you might know. What else interesting do the Chinese do? Chinese tradition holds that every new year is imbued with the characteristics of one of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Pre-Chinese New Year Preparations and Activities (Jan. 7–Feb. 12, 2025) Jan. 7, 2025: Laba Festival. Some Chinese start to celebrate and prepare for Chinese New Year as early as day 8 of the 12 th month of the lunar calendar. Niangao (glutinous rice cakes) – Usually consumed on Chinese New Year’s Eve, glutinous rice cakes are thought to bring a promotion or pay rise in the new year. Longevity noodles – For a long and happy life, indulge in some noodles, a New Year’s Day food popular in North China.
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Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
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