Celebrate Lunar New Year With the Rose Inc Community

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Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, is a significant holiday celebrated by many cultures worldwide, including those of China, Vietnam, Korea and Singapore. It marks the first day of the lunar calendar, which falls annually on the second new moon after the winter solstice and is typically a time for family gatherings, traditional food and cultural activities. In 2023, Lunar New Year will begin on January 22 and will celebrate the Year of the Rabbit — the zodiac known for its multiple talents and affectionate nature, according to Chinese astrology.

As with many holidays, Lunar New Year celebrations can look a bit different across cultures and geographic locales. Regardless of the format of the celebrations, though, the spirit of Lunar New Year remains the same: It is a time to come together with loved ones, reflect on the past year and look forward to a new beginning. To celebrate, we checked in with three women from our inspiring community to learn how they’ll celebrate this year and how they continue to honor their rich heritages while fully immersed in western culture. Their thoughts, ahead.

Stephanie Liu Hjelmeseth

Content Creator

RI:
What does Lunar New Year mean to you?
SLH:
Celebrating Lunar New Year is important to me because it honors my past and present. I'm the daughter of Chinese immigrants and I was born here in America, so my childhood experience was just like that of any other American. We celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas, Labor Day, Valentine's Day, etc. I spoke English at home and my favorite food was a hamburger as a child. My family did not expose me to much of Chinese culture, except for the one time of year when we celebrate Lunar New Year and it is a must to honor family and to be together. In my childhood, it was the biggest holiday of the year, over Christmas, because all of our Chinese family and friends would gather over an incredible feast and that was when everyone would have the most joy.
RI:
How do you normally celebrate Lunar New Year and how do you plan to celebrate this year?
SLH:
We never miss the eve of Lunar New Year as that is when family gathers to be together. This year, we are hosting in our home, so I've decorated our dining area with hanging red lanterns and lucky red and gold ornaments and will be preparing a menu of fish, chicken and dumplings.
RI:
How do you stay connected to your heritage while being immersed in western culture?
SLH:
I stay connected to my Chinese roots by never missing the opportunity to honor them through tradition and education. I teach my son Mandarin and volunteer to showcase holidays like Lunar New Year and Moon Festival at his school — I do it all with pride and love for my heritage. I believe food is the greatest unifier across cultures, so I integrate my family's cuisine into dinner parties, I plan lunch dates at my favorite Sichuan Chinese restaurant and my next venture will be a delicious showcase of my Chinese heritage and western upbringing.

Read Stephanie Liu Hjelmeseth’s Rose Inc profile here.

Fong Min Liao

Painter & Writer

RI:
What does Lunar New Year mean to you?
FML:
Lunar New Year is special to me as it is a celebration and honoring of my Chinese heritage and the rituals and traditions that are a part of this holiday. It is a time of connecting back to my roots and I love seeing all the red during this holiday.
RI:
How do you normally celebrate Lunar New Year and how do you plan to celebrate this year?
FML:
I make an annual trip to visit my family, which I will do for this upcoming year. My grandmother and mother will make traditional Chinese dishes for our reunion family dinner. I will also visit my grandparents to pay my respects. Red envelopes filled with money and other gifts symbolizing health and fortune are given.
RI:
How do you stay connected to your heritage while being immersed in western culture?
FML:
I make time to learn about the traditions and rituals. I follow a holistic lifestyle and am immersed in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practices like weekly acupuncture sessions and taking herbal tinctures. Learning to heal my body through TCM has been a journey that I have enjoyed so immensely. TCM is one of the oldest medicinal cultures to date and it fascinates me endlessly. Learning how intelligent the body is and how the most powerful medicine is made in the kitchen is truly life-transforming, especially in this modern world.

Read Fong Min Liao’s Rose Inc profile here.

Lauren Chan

Model & Entrepreneur

RI:
What does Lunar New Year mean to you?
LC:
Lunar New Year is special to me because it offers me a moment to connect with my Chinese heritage. That’s been a goal of mine for the past few years, but living away from all of my Chinese family and constantly traveling for my job can make that difficult to accomplish regularly. For me, Lunar New Year is a reminder to support Asian-owned businesses, cook some nostalgic meals, visit Chinatown and learn something about our history.
RI:
How do you normally celebrate Lunar New Year and how do you plan to celebrate this year?
LC:
My parents will be visiting New York for the weekend, so we have lots of celebratory plans! We’ll eat at Bonnie’s Cantonese American restaurant and Birds of a Feather, both in Williamsburg, and spend some time at Welcome to Chinatown's LNY Fair (which has shopping, food and workshops) as well as the Museum of Chinese in America's LNY Family Festival where we'll wander the museum, see a lion dance and some musical performances. We'll also go to the firecracker ceremony in Manhattan's Chinatown and, lastly, hit a bakery in Sunset Park's Chinatown for some take-home sweet goodies.
RI:
What affirmations or beauty mantras are you bringing with you into the New Year?
LC:
Whatever makes us unique is our best asset.