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Goodbye, Year of the Rabbit, and hello to the Year of the Dragon! This change takes place on February 10 this year, marking the beginning of the Lunar New Year. This event is all about welcoming luck, wealth, and prosperity for the coming year while bidding farewell to the old one.
Why does the date change every year? Instead of following the Gregorian calendar, Lunar New Year adheres to the lunar calendar, and the date is determined by the second new moon of the winter solstice. Additionally, Lunar New Year is a 15-day event, with each year marked by another animal in the Chinese Zodiac.
If you’d like to celebrate Lunar New Year this year, Stephen Chappell, an executive member at large of the Ottawa-based Canada-China Friendship Society, shares a few customs you can embrace to celebrate the holiday.
“The 15th day of the Lunar New Year is called Lantern Day which is when the family will gather to celebrate,” says Chappell. The day also marks the end of the Lunar New Year celebration and lanterns are lit to bring hope for the new year.
“As far as foods for Lunar New Year, in the north of China they they tend to eat dumplings,” says Chappell. (Though Lunar New Year is celebrated by other Asian countries including Japan and Korea.) Make your own with this kit – which also allows you to make other cultural foods from pierogies to empanadas.
“One tradition is cleaning one’s house so you can welcome a fresh start to the new year,” says Chappell. However once Lunar New Year starts, the tradition calls for no cleaning during the celebration so as not to sweep away luck.
“Fish is one thing that’s critical in the meal,” says Chappell. “The pronunciation of fish is similar to the pronunciation of ‘surplus’ and symbolizing prosperity.” The fish is also commonly served whole and often steamed.
“Lantern Day is when the family will gather again to eat these glutenous rice balls filled usually with sesame seeds,” says Chappell. Rice is key to a Lunar New Year celebration and this cooker makes enough for a crowd.
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