The Lunar New Year is rapidly approaching on February 10th and since Kari & Kris are both half Chinese, we love to celebrate their heritage on this holiday. Lunar New Year is a celebration of the arrival of spring at the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar.
In the Chinese zodiac, 2024 is the year of the dragon. The years of the Dragon include 2036, 2024, 2012, 2000, 1988, 1976, 1964, 1952. People born in Dragon years usually possess natural courage, tenacity, and intelligence, often displaying enthusiasm and confidence. To learn more about the Chinese zodiac and what your sign is, read more here.
It’s a time to come together, feast, give red envelopes, honor ancestors and wish for good fortune, prosperity, longevity and happiness in the coming year. Most major cities have events and activities, so I encourage you to look up your local events, activities, and restaurants so you can get in on the new year fun!
My favorite part, of course, is the food. You might compare the Spring Festival feast to American Thanksgiving dinner — you have to go all out and eat all the traditional fare. In the Chinese tradition, each dish has a special meaning — some dishes are believed to bring wealth, and others good luck or family togetherness. For example, Nian Gao (aka sweet rice cake) symbolizes prosperity, Dayu Darou (aka whole steamed fish or meat) symbolizes abundance and family unity and Jiaozi (aka dumplings) resemble bags of money and symbolize wealth. Given that we all could use a bit more wealth and prosperity this year, better to be safe than sorry and eat as many dumplings as possible. 😉
Kris and I will be making some fun lunar new year dishes like turnip cake, scallion pancakes, Har Gao (shrimp dumplings) and fried sesame balls from these cookbooks below so wish us luck since we are Chinese cooking newbies.
Favorite Chinese Cookbooks:
Lóng nián dàjí! “Good luck in the Year of the Dragon!”
+ Check out our full list of Lunar New Year Favorites here.
+ If you love dumplings as much as we do you MUST check out the Art of Dim Sum cooking masterclass by one of the most accomplished dim sum chefs in the world. With 50 years in the kitchen, Chef Chiu Chun Wong has led the kitchens of countless world-famous restaurants, including the original Hakkasan and Yauatcha in London. Brought to you by W2 Kitchen an amazing cooking channel to find the coolest dishes and even easy toddler meals.
Happy Lunar New Year everyone! How do you and your family celebrate? We would love to hear your traditions in the comments.
Gina, Kris & Kari