Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year, is the most important and exciting holiday for the Chinese and Vietnamese culture. The New Year marks the start of a new year that begins on the second new moon and lasts for twenty-three days. It’s the time of year for families and friends to visit each other, prepare special meals for big dinners with close relatives and friends enjoy a day of fireworks and give gifts. Chinese New Year celebrates a Chinese zodiac sign that cycles depending on what year it is. The signs are a rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. This year, 2016, is the year of the monkey and those who are born in the year of the monkey are generally ambitious and adventurous.

Chinese New Year can be celebrated at well-known Asian temples and introduced by igniting firecrackers with performances of lion dancing, praying for good luck, and giving out li xi (red envelopes containing money). Chinese New Year is mostly known for their celebration of entertainment. Lion dancing is great entertainment that is admired by many people especially young kids. Lion dancing is when a group of performers play instruments and wear mythical Chinese lion costumes that require two people to dance in forms that ward off evil spirits, mainly at temples for good luck and safety.

Many firecrackers are bought and come in packs that can be laid out 6 feet long or even longer. Red is the luckiest color of Chinese New Year so for good luck, red envelopes that are filled with money are given out to the young children. These red envelopes containing money are called Li Xi. Li Xi known as “lucky money” is given mainly by the elders (older people) and handed to young people.

Chinese New Year means a lot in the Asian community. It helps bring family and friends together celebrating the New Year and forgetting about things that we don’t usually want to focus on and just focus on the luck of the New Year can contain. Many celebrations filled with lion dancing performances, parties, firecracker events, praying to those who need luck and those who have passed. We take the time to be thankful for anyone who feels that great things will happen throughout the year.