Ten Easy Lunar Celebration Ideas

New Year Ideas and Products from Asia for Kids

The Asia for Kids online catalogue carries a wide variety of multicultural books, games, crafts, and toys.  Following is a page of New Year celebrations ideas from the Asia for Kids site and just a small sampling of their many, many holiday products.  Click on any image to visit the site in a new browser window. 

1. Make a fresh start. Begin the New Year with a clean slate. You can clean your house, wear new clothes, get a haircut, or pay off any debts you might have.

2. Eat good luck food. Share gifts of candies and fruit with family and friends. Together, you can feast on good luck dishes such as dumplings.  This is believed to guarantee prosperous futures for you and your loved ones.  (See "For Love of Dumplings" by Frances Kai-Hwa Wang, including Grandmother Wang's recipes.)

3. Create positive energy. Think only good thoughts and say only kind words to those around you, so that the New Year begins in a happy mood.

4. Decorate your house. Paste red scrolls with good luck words around your house. You can also make red paper lanterns to hang outside.  Asia for Kids offers a variety of activity kits such as the one pictured at right..

5. Give children a special surprise. On New Year's Day, use lucky money envelopes. Have children march it around for your own little parade!

6. Read books. Learn more about the traditions and history of the Lunar New Year. Frances Kai-Hwa Wang has reviewed a number of Lunar New Year Books for Kids.

7. Have a Parade. Get creative and join in on the exciting tradition of the Dragon Parade, on a smaller scale. Make your own mini-dragon out of boxes, construction paper, tubes, and glitter. (This project is outlined in the Asia for Kids Lunar New Year Activity Kit.)  Have children march it around for your own little parade!

8. Have children make "se-bae." Practice "filial piety" like Korean families do, and give them money in good fortune pouches, such as those pictured right from Asia for Kids.

9. Play games. Play the traditional Korean game Yut for New Year fun, or fly kites if it's not too cold!

10. Give good wishes. Teach children to say Happy New Year in Cantonese--"Gung Hay Fat Choy!"

Related Readings

• Lunar New Year section @ AAV

Resources

Asia for Kids
Most of these titles and much, much more are available from our affiliate, Asia for Kids: a vast, well-organized, multicultural online catalogue of over 2000 hard-to-find and often discounted educational and recreational products for kids of all ages. Treasures include the Lunar New Year activity kit pictured here, bilingual dolls, books, videos, arts and crafts, posters, and more. For 24 hour credit card orders by phone, you can call toll-free 1-800-888-9681 or browse their catalogue by clicking on the icon at right (clicking on titles or logo will launch a new browser window so you don't have to leave the Village).  At AAV, we're not just affiliates -- we're users.