Why I Love Celebrating Chinese New Year, Even Though I’m Not Chinese!

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Growing up, I celebrated all Western holidays, with the thought of the Chinese New Year never crossing my mind. The idea of a “lunar new year” and a Chinese zodiac was definitely intriguing, but in all honesty, I can’t even remember at what point I learned of its existence. However, I will never forget my first year celebrating it.

I hopped on a plane two weeks after my university graduation, moving from my apartment surrounded by cornfields in the USA to an apartment surrounded by high-rises in Hong Kong. While you can expect sensory overload daily here in Hong Kong, the Chinese New Year truly knocks your senses out of the park. Bright red and gold colours of the New Year decorations that spread throughout the city, to the buzzing Lunar New Year Fairs and New Year Parades, the invigorating scene with firecrackers snapping and crackling, musicians playing Chinese traditional music, and the bustle of crowds in the streets, to the tempting fragrances of seasonal goodies being sold on the streets. Hong Kong is a beautiful place to experience this Asian holiday.

This year, the Chinese New Year begins on February 17th, and it’s an official public holiday in those countries that celebrate the Lunar New Year. Unlike the Gregorian calendar, which begins on the 1st of January, Chinese people mark their calendars by the lunar cycle. Every year begins with the start of a new moon. 

Since moving to Hong Kong, I have temporarily given up celebrating my customary Western holidays in favour of some new holidays rich with culture and spirit. While I still love Christmas and Thanksgiving and look forward to properly celebrating them once again, I have fallen in love with celebrating the Chinese New Year, and it has quickly become my new favourite holiday.

Here are five reasons why I love celebrating Chinese New Year:

In the days leading up to the Chinese New Year, colourful markets pop up to sell holiday goods and flowers. Many of the large parks are transformed into these “Lunar New Year Fairs.” These are great places to visit and experience how locals get ready for the festivities ahead.

My favourite activity? Trying to find an auspicious flower to keep in our home for the new year. One year, our plant promptly died weeks after bringing it home. Wouldn’t you know, that was one of the worst years for me ever! Let’s hope the plant I pick this year does a little better.

As with most holidays around the world, “family” is an important aspect. On Chinese New Year’s Eve, families gather together for a reunion dinner of sorts.

Most Hong Kong residents eat dinner relatively late, between 8 and 10 p.m, so often the Lunar New Year is rung in by talking with family and eating auspicious foods.

New Year’s traditions are many when visiting with relatives. Decorated red envelopes called “lai see” filled with money are gifted to those younger than you with great joy. These red packets of money are always presented in pairs of two envelopes.

This brings me to my next favourite thing of all.

Food plays a large role in almost all Chinese festivals, and the Chinese New Year is no different. There are traditional Chinese foods considered particularly lucky that are eaten explicitly during this time of year.

One would say “gung hei fat choi” as new year greetings to wish someone a happy New Year in Hong Kong. So, of course, eating “fat choi” or black moss is a popular New Year’s dish. Another item consumed during New Year’s is “tang yuan,” which phonetically sounds like the word “reunion”. Each member of a family often eats this sweet dumpling at the end of the annual reunion dinner.

On the first day of the Chinese New Year, many people visit temples to pray for good fortune in the New Year. You will find people burning incense and buying colourful pinwheels that are believed to turn obstacles into opportunities at large temples across Hong Kong.

If you are planning a visit, be sure to research the best time to go. There are set “auspicious hours” and hours that you should avoid that correlate with your Chinese zodiac.

In Hong Kong, a holiday is never complete without a few over-the-top events. There will be grand fireworks displays, electric night parades, thrilling horse races, and lion and dragon dances galore. During the 15 days of the Chinese New Year, there will always be something fun going on somewhere. Even tourist attractions and theme parks set up special Chinese New Year activities, and while it’s possible to experience a lot of the events, it would be nearly impossible to see and do all. Each year I look forward to experiencing all the things I couldn’t fit in last year!

Originally from Chicago, Beth Williams of Travels in Translation, got her first true taste of travel when she studied abroad in Japan during her final year of university. She ended up loving Asia so much, she found herself moving right back upon graduation and is currently living in Hong Kong. Armed with her camera and a passion for travel, she is on a mission to photograph the world– proving that you can work the normal “9-5” and still find time to travel.