Happy Lunar New Year!
Today marks the start of the lunar new year celebrating the Year of the Dog. There are a lot of traditions that go into preparing for this holiday. You never want to jeopardize anything that could lose luck, money, or health on the 1st day of the new year. So don’t clean your house, wash your hair, lend money etc…You do all of that just prior to the 1st day. As a Vietnamese American, I still honor the traditions that go into this holiday because it keeps those traditions alive. On the eve of lunar new year, we honor our ancestors by providing an altar with their photos and offering them food and burning incense. My family eats dumplings and noodles for a long life and the younger members of the family get red envelopes, usually filled with New Year money.
Of course, there’s lots of food traditionally eaten for this celebration and there was a time when I used to not eat meat during Lent (which would sometimes be inconvenient because my Catholic tendencies were clashing with my Asian heritage).
Since this is also considered the Spring festival, my family usually creates a money tree. Branches of forsythia are forced to bloom in this east coast winter weather and red envelopes are attached to it. This visual display also plays off the colors of yellow and red, which are commonly seen during this holiday. I’ve seen that grocery stores are starting to get into the lunar new year celebration. A local chain grocery store had this lovely display and it was perfect to bring to my family’s house.
May you and your loved ones have a healthy & prosperous Year of the Dog!
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