Image of a teen playing the ukulele

Courtesy of family (Angelina Peng)

I Celebrate Lunar New Year!

Angelina Peng, 12, shares her culture with her community. 

Most people celebrate New Year’s Day on January 1. My family celebrates Lunar New Year too. This holiday is also called Chinese New Year, and it’s celebrated by many Asian communities for 15 days. The holiday begins on January 22 this year.

How We Celebrate

shutterstock.com

My parents are from Taiwan, an island near China. They moved to the U.S. in 2010. My sister and I were born here. We live in Washington State.

Not many people celebrate Lunar New Year in our city. But my family doesn’t let that stop us from sharing our culture with others.

Every holiday we have a party. Older family members give us red envelopes with money. They’re symbols of good wishes for the new year. 

We dress up to celebrate. My sister and I wear dresses with designs, such as flowers and dragons. In our culture, dragons are symbols of health, strength, and good luck. 

We also make dumplings with our parents. Those are pieces of dough with yummy food stuffed inside!

 Shutterstock.com 

Dumplings and red envelopes with money are parts of many new year celebrations. Animals represent different years. The Year of the Rabbit starts on January 22.

Teaching Others

My dad offers programs for kids to learn about the holiday. My mom has also taught kids about our traditions, such as using chopsticks to eat. 

I think kids should learn about holidays like Lunar New Year. Why? Every country has its own culture and traditions. Understanding that idea would help everyone learn to respect each other more.

videos (1)
Text-to-Speech