People think we are crazy, that we find any excuse to get together and have a good time… and they aren’t wrong. But it’s not only about us. It’s about the kids—it’s about giving them something we didn’t have.  

As children, my parents barely had the means to do extraordinary things for us on special occasions, let alone on the daily. Like many other Cuban immigrants, they came to the US to find opportunity for their families, not to live extravagant lives. Traveling hadn’t been part of their culture having grown up in a communist Cuba where acquiring information about the world beyond the island was not a possibility, even less ever leaving.  We neither had the tradition nor the luxury to go on lavish vacations, or even go to restaurants to experience different cultures, for that matter; in fact, we barely ate anything that wasn’t Cuban. We grew up sheltered in many ways. Learning about other people and places was something we did solely at school. It wasn’t until I became an adult that I learned to become a citizen of the world– something I vowed to instill in my children.

And here I am, years later with a child of my own and 6 nieces and nephews: a litter of tiny humans to show the wonders of this world. And although it may not be solely through travel, I intend to uphold my promise to teach my little one about the world…and what better way than through Holidays? Which brings me to the topic of this post: the Lunar New Year. This year, my sisters and I took to using this Asian celebration as a learning opportunity as well as an excuse to have some fun. We ordered traditional red decorations and delicious fried rice, dressed up in Chinese inspired garbs (some I had brought back from my trip from China), and took to learning more about this tradition.

Not only did we learn about the different signs of the Chinese Astrology and what the year of the Pig was all about, but we also partook in some of the New Year traditions of the Chinese culture.

For example, we exchanged presents with each other; the children colored the different animals from the zodiac and put them in the traditional envelopes to give to each other, while the adults gave each other money in multiples of 8, as is customary.

Additionally, we warded off evil spirits with poppers and sparklers (now we know where the fireworks New Year’s tradition stems from)!

We also built a 3D puzzle of the Great Wall and explained some of the history of its origin; the kids really loved that part. And the mommies tried some Plum wine (although it was a little sweet for our taste, so we incorporated it into a yummy sangria).

It was a fun and educational evening that we will never forget…and maybe the first of many Lunar New Years we celebrate, perhaps with the different customs of each participating nation! Until then, gong hei fat choy or gong xi fa cai! Wishing you great happiness and prosperity!