The Lunar New Year is an annual 15-day festival celebrated by Asian cultures across the world. From family reunions to bright fireworks, families engage in diverse traditions during the New Year. This remains true at KO, where students celebrate in unique ways.
Upper School Chinese teacher Daphne Wang celebrates the Lunar New Year with food, decorations, and tradition. “We gather together for a big reunion dinner, and everyone participates in the preparations, from cleaning the house to cooking traditional dishes,” Ms. Wang said.
Similarly, junior Ella Chen cooks with her grandmother, aunts, and mother to celebrate the Lunar New Year. “We eat traditional foods such as fish, which symbolizes a pleasant year, and the dessert known as Tangyuan, representing the reunion of the family,” Ella explained.
While families celebrate the Lunar New Year in unique ways, many traditions are shared. One tradition is the giving and receiving of red envelopes, known as “hongbao” in Mandarin or “angpao” in Hokkien. These envelopes typically contain money and are given to children and unmarried individuals as a symbol of good luck and prosperity. Additionally, many people thoroughly clean their homes before the New Year to symbolize sweeping away bad luck. Decorations, often in red and gold, are also put up to welcome good fortune.
Traditions and games are significant in celebrating the Lunar New Year. “My family plays Mahjong,” Ms. Wang said. “This is not just a game, but a social and connection platform.” Ella shared one of her favorite family traditions. “My family and I always watch fireworks together,” she said. Sophomore Cindy Fei cherishes the time she spends reuniting with family to celebrate the New Year. “After cleaning the house, we always wear red to attract luck and ward off evil in the New Year,” she said.
Connecting with one’s ancestors is an integral part of the celebration. “My family visits the gravesites or ancestral halls of my forebears to clean the area, offer incense, and make symbolic offerings,” Ms. Wang explained. “This is a way to physically connect with and honor the memory of my ancestors.” The celebration is a time for families to remember their loved ones and reconnect with those extended family members whom they don’t often see. “I don’t get to visit other branches of my family, such as uncles and aunts, very frequently,” Ella said. “Therefore, the Lunar New Year is a great time for everyone to reconnect.”
Saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new is a central theme within the Lunar New Year. KO is lucky to have students and teachers within the community from diverse backgrounds to share their own stories and experiences with this sacred tradition.
