Lunar New Year Interview in Newsday
With Lunar New Year coming up, Newsday interviewed me for an article about how people are planning to celebrate the holiday on Long Island. The article, “Lunar New Year Celebrations a Sign of Courage, Strength in 2022,” may not be accessible to non-subscribers. As such, I’ve copied and pasted below my section in the article.
Bicultural Mama Discusses Lunar New Year in Newsday
“Maria Wen Adcock of Huntington writes a blog called Bicultural Mama and will, this fall, be releasing a children’s book called, ‘It’s Chinese New Year, Curious George.’ She plans to follow the Chinese tradition of sweeping out the home in preparation for the new year, she says.
‘The act of sweeping is like sweeping away the bad luck from the old year,’ she says. She’s also preparing to lead a virtual activity for her younger daughter’s second-grade class in which they will all make vegetarian fried rice together. ‘This is just a hands-on way to teach about different cultures to other students and also reinforce my daughter’s heritage for her,’ Adcock says. ‘This is the biggest holiday of the year.’
On Monday, Adcock’s family will eat symbolic foods including Chinese dumplings in the shape of ancient Chinese money: silver and gold ingots. ‘The thought is if you eat these dumplings, it will help bring wealth to you,’ Adcock says. They’ll also eat long noodles meant to symbolize a long life — when eating them, diners strive not to break them to ensure their lives will be long as well.
Adcock will also join in the Chinese tradition of giving children gifts of red envelopes with cash tucked inside. ‘They’re very excited about that,’ Adcock says of her daughters, ages 7 and 12. ‘The elders give it to the children to wish them a prosperous new year. I specifically know Chinese New Year because I’m Chinese. This holiday is also celebrated in other countries with different traditions. They might call it a different name or celebrate on a different day.'”
More About Chinese New Year
Since I’m Chinese, my knowledge of traditions is specific to the Chinese New Year. In other countries, the holiday is called Lunar New Year and the traditions may be slightly different. Want to learn more about Chinese New Year? Check out my other articles on this festive holiday:
- Celebration Memories of Chinese New Year
- My Book “It’s Chinese New Year, Curious George” Debuts in fall 2022
- Chinese Pellet Drum Craft and Chinese New Year Bundle
- Chinese New Year Colors Bilingual Book
- Nian the Chinese New Year Dragon Picture Book
- 35+ Chinese New Year Resources for Kids – Traditions, Food, Activities, Gift Guides
- Why I Pass Down Chinese New Year Traditions to My Children
- Chinese New Year Gift Guide for Kids
- Things to Do in Shanghai for Expats During Chinese New Year Holiday
- 50 Unbelievable Facts About Chinese New Year [Infographic]
- Chinese New Year Cake Recipe
- What NOT to Do Over Chinese New Year
- Learning About Chinese New Year Traditions…It’s Never Too Late
- The Symbolism Behind Chinese New Year Foods