Family Fun: Bring the family together to celebrate Lunar New Year

When she was growing up in southern China, Lunar New Year celebrations were joyful and noisy affairs, said Weiling Zhu, president of the Spokane Chinese Association.

“It’s a big thing,” she said. “It’s a family gathering and celebration.”

For the holiday, businesses shut down, and people go home. Not just across town, but from other parts of the country to their family’s home, she said. There are big gatherings of relatives and loud, happy music. When she was a child, there would be lots of fireworks, too.

“it’s very, very happy and loud,” Zhu said.

And there was lots of food.

“Eating good food is a huge part of it because when family gather and friends gather, food is always a big part of it,” Zhu said.

On New Year’s Eve, Zhu’s family would spend the day making fried pastries. Then, on New Year’s Day, they’d make “nian huo” packets with the pastries, dried fruits, nuts and little mandarin oranges called “juzi,” which is the same pronunciation as the word for good fortune or good luck.

“It’s a very blessed word,” Zhu said.

She and her sister would deliver the packets to friends – and receive goodies in return. “It’s a way to say thank you for the friendship,” she said.

And, there would be big meals, too. Here in Spokane, where she’s lived since 1992, the Chinese community usually hosts a dumpling feast to celebrate the new year. Dozens of people would cook, making hundreds of dumplings.

“The process, it’s just so joyful. People are happy, they’re chatting,” Zhu said. There’s music and children running around. “Usually, it’s very noisy.”

The Year of the Ox starts Friday. And though both here and in China gatherings will be limited because of pandemic restrictions, Zhu and other members of the Spokane Chinese Association are keeping some of the traditions alive – while still following-social distancing rules.

Part of that will be delivering nian huo to about 100 elders in the local Chinese community, she said. Especially this year, many of the elderly have been isolated, Zhu said. “It will be nice to show our love.”

Many years the Spokane Chinese Association hosts a cultural fair to celebrate the new year with the community. Though that can’t happen this year, the group is producing a video of performances from past celebrations. The one-hour video will be available on the association’s website, spokanechinese.org, starting at 7 p.m. Thursday.

The Lunar New Year celebration lasts two weeks. There will be a virtual gathering on the final evening, Feb. 26. Zhu said details were still being worked on, but information will be available on the website.

The Spokane Public Library is also celebrating the Lunar New Year. At 4 p.m. Friday, the library will host a virtual story and craft time. For the craft, families will need a sheet of paper (red if you have it), coloring supplies, tape and scissors. Families must register at least 24 hours before the event at spokanelibrary.org.

The event is one of many at the library that celebrates diverse communities, said Amanda Donovan, director of marketing and communication.

“Exposing children to the diversity of our world can help combat intolerance,” Donovan said.

Right now, people are staying home because of the pandemic. But even without those restrictions, many people don’t have the resources to travel to China or other countries, she said.

“We can bring the world to Spokane through our programs.”