A holiday was here! I’m not talking about Valentine’s Day or Presidents’ Day. I’m talking about the Chinese New Year, which is also known as Lunar New Year!  

On February 12, it was Chinese New Year. Even though Chinese New Year is on February 12, most people celebrate it on February 11, which is Chinese New Year Eve. Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year is a holiday that marks the first new moon of the lunisolar calendar. Chinese New Year is when families gather together and eat food that they don’t usually eat every day. “I really enjoy the food and gathering with my family members,” said William Zheng.

Covid-19 has made family gatherings almost impossible, but that doesn’t stop them from gathering virtually. Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in China, so of course, they will still celebrate even if there is Covid-19. Families WeChat or call their relatives and still eat food that they don’t usually eat on a daily basis.

Some food that my family ate over Chinese New Year were oysters (means good market), lobster (means dragon everywhere), Eight Treasure Rice (means reunion), Arctic Bay (means more than every year), and Canadian Crab (means thankful or thank you). Eight Treasured Rice is one of my favorite dishes. It is sweet and leaves this warm taste in my mouth. There are many ways to make Eight Treasure Rice. “It is sweet cuisine and delicious and I would recommend this to people who like sweet stuff,” Angel Zheng quotes. Arctic Bay is also one of my favorite dishes. The red part of the arctic bay tastes plain with a little salty taste to it, and when I reach the white part it is a little saltier and has a watery taste. 

After almost every Chinese New Year dinner, the dessert is usually something called Nian Gao. I suggest you eat it when it’s warm because it is more chewy and soft. There are also many ways to make this one, but almost all of them are made with some kind of nuts. 

There is a tradition on Chinese New Year where people hand out something called a red envelope. Red envelopes are small red envelopes with between $100-$300 inside for parents and grandparents. Children usually receive $20 in their red envelopes. Red envelopes are bright red to symbolize good luck and prosperity.

The holiday is very important to many Eastern Asian countries. Chinese New Year is always the biggest celebration my family has all year.