My Memories of Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year brings memories of my time with my grandpa in Taiwan, when we remembered ancestors, set off rounds of firecrackers, and walked my new rabbit lantern in the park. It was a time of visits from family and friends, during which we celebrated with food and fun. Now, in the U.S., we can replicate the same excitement in our communities with friends and families by trying out new foods, visiting new restaurants, and stepping out into our local communities to see the festivities.
Lunar New Year @ SJPL
At SJPL, we will be hosting special Lunar New Year Storytimes throughout the city. Check the times for your local branch. Many branches will be hosting lion dances and craft programs. Santa Clara County Parks will be hosting Lunar New Year at Casa Grande, a local Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum, where you can discover local Chinese history in the hills south of San Jose. Or traipse over to San Jose Children's Discovery Museum, where festivities are planned every year for children.
Yummy Food and Cookbooks for Lunar New Year
Chinese families on New Year's Eve get together for a big and special meal with fish and all sort of delicacies. You will find many families celebrating at the local restaurants. Some families have special foods that they eat around New Year's. My family enjoys dumplings. My mother-in-law will start making dumplings weeks ahead in preparation for the New Year time, so that we can all relax and visit and not worry about cooking because we have dumplings to enjoy. Other families may have their special dishes they may make in advance to prepare for the season. For you, you can visit the local Chinese grocery store and check out the seasonal candies and snacks available to gift families and friends or just browse around to see the wide assortment of vegetables, fish, and meat available as families get ready. You can find some Chinese cookbooks at the library to try making your own Chinese dish. How about Hot and Sour soup? Or maybe an egg drop chicken corn soup? Here are some recipe books to look at.
The Chinese Chicken Cookbook by Lo, Eileen Yin-Fei
The Young Chef's Chinese Cookbook
A Very Chinese Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen
Feasts of Good Fortune by Chou, Hsiao-Ching
The Asian Hot Pot Cookbook by Kimoto-Kahn, Amy
Celebrate the Holiday with These Children's Books
The library also has many books for you to explore this holiday. Look for picture books to share with your children:
Bringing in the New Year by Grace Lin
Amy Wu and the Lantern Festival by Kat Zhang
Tray of Togetherness by Flo Leung
The Lunar New Year Surprise by Jade Wang
Chloe's Lunar New Year by Lily LaMotte
The Chinese New Year Helper by Ying Chang Compestine
Traditional Lunar New Year Books
Or maybe, you can discover the traditional stories surrounding the holiday, such as why children receive red envelopes, or why firecrackers are set off at the beginning of the year. Or maybe, you can learn more about the Chinese zodiac, and the twelve animals that represent the twelve years.
Nian, the Chinese New Year Dragon by Virginia Loh-Hagan
The Nian Monster by Andrea Wang
No Year of the Cat by Mary Dodson Wade
The Monster on Chinese New Year's Eve by Xin Lin
Nian chu xi by Xin Lin
The Race for the Chinese Zodiac by Gabrielle Wang
The Twelve Animals of the Chinese Zodiac by Vivian Ling
A Kid's Guide to the Chinese Zodiac by Aaron Hwang
Whatever you choose to do, I hope you enjoy this season that is so special to so many people around the world. Everyone hopes this new year brings blessings and prosperity to all. This new year is the year of the snake. I am a snake. And as a snake, I wish you a transformative and reflective new year.
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