What to know
- Chinese New Year is rooted in gathering with family and loved ones, with big meals on New Year’s Eve and Day seen as essential for unity and prosperity.
- Certain foods carry symbolic meaning, including long noodles for longevity, whole fish and chicken for family unity, and dumplings for togetherness and good fortune.
- Some traditions focus on protecting good luck, such as avoiding washing your hair, cleaning your home, or using knives and scissors on New Year’s Day to prevent “cutting away” fortune.
Chinese New Year is officially only a week away, and community members are sharing some of their favourite traditions for those looking for a prosperous year ahead.
Having grown up as a third-generation Chinese-Canadian, historian and author Arlene Chan says the celebration has only grown in the last few years
“Growing up in the 50s, very, very few outside of the Chinese community were celebrating Chinese New Year. But now, it’s everywhere you go,” she told Now Toronto.
“Walk along Bloor Street, and in the stores there are all having Chinese New Year events and celebrations. …Those Chinese customs, festivals, celebrations are not just celebrated in the Chinese community, but all across Canada.”
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For some, such as Chinese-Vietnamese influencer Lili Lai, who has recently moved from Montreal to Toronto, the date is about celebrating long-standing traditions and creating new ones.
“I would go home and sort of like, celebrate with my family, have a huge family dinner, and we’ll go over to, usually, my grandma’s place. But since I’ve moved to Toronto and I’m alone here, I’ve kind of had to make my own traditions,” she told Now Toronto.
“It’s probably the biggest celebration that we celebrate. Just seeing the different ways people celebrate as well. Seeing my Chinese side versus my Vietnamese side, they’re very similar, but there are small differences, especially in the food that we eat.”
With Chinese New Year celebrations set to take place between Feb. 17 and Mar. 3 this year, Chan and Lai are sharing some traditions that are believed to bring good luck in the year ahead.
Get together with family
According to Chan, one of the most important traditions of the Lunar New Year is getting together with family.
Both on New Year’s Eve on Feb. 16 and New Year’s Day on Feb. 17, families usually gather for a big family dinner, where they eat specific foods meant to bring unity and prosperity for the year ahead.
Some families might also get together outdoors during those days, including going for dinner at a traditional restaurant or attending public festivities together.
Being away from family this year, Lai says she will be hosting a gathering with her friends instead to celebrate.
“I’ve been inviting friends over for a big dinner…I’m inviting some friends over to make dumplings,” she said.
“Just the act of gathering with people, whether it’s friends or family, really just makes me feel like I am in the celebration mood.”
Foods to eat
Chan also explains that eating is a big part of Chinese New Year celebrations, and certain items are especially to be consumed during those days.
“You’re eating all through the 15 days, different foods and all. It’s very symbolic,” she said.
One of the foods you should include in your Chinese New Year menu are noodles. According to Chan, during this time, it is believed that the longer the noodles are, the more prosperity is expected for the new year. For that reason, it is a tradition to consume noodles and avoid cutting them up.
Meanwhile, animal-based dishes, including steamed fish and chicken, are served to the table whole, as they symbolize family unity.
As for fish, Chan says it is also a symbol of good luck when the fish’s head is pointed towards you instead of its tail.
“I’ve seen people who I’ve taken to Chinese New Year dinners, and the whole fish’s head is pointing at them, and they kind of like [surprised] that their eyes are there looking at [them], and they kind of ‘Oh my gosh.’ And I said, ‘That’s really very, very good luck that the fish head is pointing towards you,’” she said.
Dumplings are also very popular during this time, because their round shape is believed to also bring unity into the family. These can be served in soups or even to be consumed on their own.
Aside from the big family feast, Chan says symbolic food is also served when you visit family during Chinese New Year. It is common for those you visit to serve a tray of foods with eight different compartments, each one with a different snack that offers something different for the year ahead.
“Each [food] represents something special. It brings good luck or gives you a long life. For example, there’s going to be pumpkin seeds in it [or] watermelon seeds, which again, represents fertility and brings you good luck in the coming year. Or there could be candies to bring you sweetness through the year. Everything symbolises something,” she added.
Red packages
One of the most popular traditions includes giving out red packages to the young.
Chan explains that these are small, red-coloured packages decorated with gold writing, and filled with money. People usually give these out to anyone younger than them who is not married, especially children.
“At the end of Chinese New Year, [children] can have a lot of red packages. So, it’s even better than getting Christmas presents, because you don’t just get one present, you get a whole bunch from all these people that maybe you’ve seen once a year…It’s a beautiful custom,” she says.
It is also part of the tradition that those who get the package receive them with both hands, bow, and say “Happy New Year” in Chinese. The package is also not to be opened in front of the person who gifts it, expected to be received “graciously and with respect.”
Lai says that the red packages tradition is usually followed by her family, and shared that she usually received several of them from relatives.
“Getting red pockets from my elders and like my parents is always nice…Another reason why to enjoy the new year, getting little pocket money.”
Don’t wash your hair or clean your home
Right before the new year hits on Feb. 16, it is common for those celebrating to wash their hair and clean out the house from energy and bad luck from the previous year.
Lai says that in her household, that includes a big cleanup, and even giving their cats their annual bath on New Year’s Eve.
However, on New Year’s day itself, it is considered to be bad luck to wash your hair or sweep your home, as it may “wash away all your good luck.” Although Chan says she doesn’t always follow all traditions, she does make sure to follow this one every year.
“You don’t use any scissors, or you don’t use any knives because you’re going to be cutting away your good fortune,” she added.
Similarly, Lai says she also avoids any kind of house cleaning on this day, including taking out the garbage.
Red banners
According to Chan, it is also common to find places in Chinatown where people write rhyming schemes on red pieces of paper, which are meant to bring luck for the new year.
These banners can be taken and hung somewhere in their house to attract good fortune.
Chinatown dances and lucky moose
It is also traditional for many to attend festivities across the city to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
Chan says there are plenty of celebrations in Toronto’s Chinatown, including traditional decorations, events, and presentations.
According to her, traditional lion and dragon dances combined with the noise from firecrackers, for instance, is meant to scare away any evil spirits.
In addition, she says there is a spot between Dundas and Beverly streets where there’s a decoration of a moose with a Chinese character upside down, which is meant to bring luck.
“There’s a moose there, and part of his decoration there is that character folk, and it’s upside down, and it’s a play on words, because it means that you’re not waiting for good luck to come, it has already come.”
Lai explains that as part of her job, as well as to enjoy the celebrations, she usually attends a series of events across the city, including those held at local malls.
In addition, she enjoys heading to a Buddhist temple, which she says makes her feel connected to her roots.
“I normally partake in the Square One Luna New Year Market. I often help them out with activations every year, it just happened this past weekend. And then right now, I’m heading to Yorkdale Mall’s Lunar New Year,” she said.
