Happy Lunar New Year! 🧧
Growing up in New York City as an American-born Chinese person, going to the NYC Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade & Festival would be one of the highlights of every year. As a kid, I was so mesmerized by the Manhattan streets filled with sounds, smells, and sights of celebration.
I’ll never forget standing outside my parents’ office on East Broadway, all bundled up in the depths of NYC’s brutal winters, excitedly awaiting the arrival of my grandfathers who were often participants in the parade. I loved receiving free trinkets and snacks, while watching (and sometimes being slightly terrified of) the lion dances.
My dream is to one day celebrate Lunar New Year in my parents’ hometowns of Fuzhou and Hong Kong. As I’ve grown older and developed a deeper appreciation of my own culture, I have a stronger desire to learn about other cultures too. This is one of the reasons why I love travel so much. So I really have Lunar New Year to thank for my journey now as a travel agent.
As we enter this new Year of the Horse, I have to tread carefully. Since I’m an ’02 baby, I was born during a previous Year of the Horse, making this my own zodiac year, a time that could bring major changes or instability. So yes, of course I made sure to wear red today to ward off the bad luck. If you were also born in 2002, 1990, 1978, or any other horse year, here’s to channeling our energy to bring luck into our lives this year!
P.S. If you’re in New York and want to experience Lunar New Year for yourself, there are celebrations throughout Manhattan’s Chinatown, Flushing, and Brooklyn’s Sunset Park. I would recommend going viewing Chinatown’s at Mott Street, Canal Street, or East Broadway. Go early, dress warm, and prepare for some loud firecrackers. It’s chaotic in the best way possible.
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