18/02/2026
Yesterday marked the first day of the Chinese New Year 🥳 🏮🐎
On our team we are lucky to have the lovely Amy. She was born in Hong Kong and when asked about what the Chinese New Year meant to her and what it was all about she was kind enough to allow us to share what she said with you too. 😊
Amy said:
Chinese new year (Gong hei fat choi/gong xi fa cai 2026) and what it means to me and my family - Some people will know that I am adopted (as a result of the one child policy and my birth mum had too many girls) and raised into a western family who taught me the British culture and also keeping to my chinese culture. So every chinese new year would bring us the different rituals I’d learn growing up and being taught in school from the preparations in the home cleaning, washing, new clothes for all the family, washing hair the day before New Year’s Day so the good luck isnt washed away, visiting markets to buy food, the flowers for your home, the putting up of lanterns to decorate your home, to the food preparation of how and what we eat.
Chinese New Year food preparation focuses on symbolic, auspicious dishes representing wealth, prosperity, and family unity. Key preparations involve steaming whole fish for surplus, wrapping dumplings (resembling silver ingots) for wealth, and cooking longevity noodles, spring rolls, and chicken.
Key Symbolic Foods and Preparation
Fish (Abundance): Steamed fish, particularly carp, is a must-have, usually served whole with head and tail intact to symbolize a good beginning and end to the year.
Dumplings (Wealth): Folded to resemble ancient silver ingots. Filling often includes pork and cabbage; wrappers can be handmade or store-bought.
Spring Rolls (Wealth): Filled with pork, carrot, cabbage, and mushrooms, then deep-fried to a golden color.
Whole Chicken (Prosperity/Wholeness): Served to represent family unity and rebirth.
Long-life Noodles (Longevity): Uncut noodles representing a long life.
Nian Gao (Higher Income): Sticky rice cake, representing improvement in life year-on-year.
Vegetarian Dish (Lo Hon Jai): A mix of mushrooms, bean curd, and vegetables to cleanse and start fresh.
What are some traditions for Chinese New Year?
Chinese New Year Traditions and Celebrations include
Putting up decorations
Offering sacrifices to ancestors
Eating a reunion dinner with family on New Year's Eve
Giving red envelopes and other gifts
Firecrackers and fireworks
Watching lion and dragon dances
10 Things To Do Around Chinese New Year
Preparing traditional food
Gathering for dinner
New Look and clothes
Clean and Decorate (2 days before CNY)
Market/ Flower Market (the last 4 days in the year)
Sweet blessings to family, relatives and friends
Do's & Don'ts in the Chinese New Year.
Chinese New Year changes dates annually because it follows a lunisolar calendar rather than the solar-based Gregorian calendar. It aligns with the second new moon after the winter solstice, typically falling between January 21 and February 20.
Lastly the personal touch to spend time with your family
How do you celebrate the Lunar New Year with family?
Spend time with family and friends. Eat foods that bring luck and good fortune: dumplings, tangyuan, fish and spring rolls. 🥢
Get a fresh haircut for good luck and fresh start. 💇🏻♀️
Wear something new to ring in the new year, best if it's red.
The last bit is really important am bringing up our children now to know they have a western culture and a chinese heritage even teaching them my basic grammer so they can tell there friends and be proud of who they are.
Our youngest Anna and i made over 40 red packets for her class filled with popular milk sweets and red lantern for her class friends. 🧧🏮
Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) revolves around attracting good fortune and avoiding bad luck to start the year right.
Key traditions include wearing red, eating lucky foods, and visiting family.
Essential taboos on New Year's Day include avoiding cleaning, using sharp objects, washing hair, or using negative language.
Key Do's
Wear Red: Wear new, bright clothing, especially red, to symbolize luck, prosperity, and protection.
Clean Beforehand: Sweep, mop, and clean the entire house before the New Year’s Day to remove bad luck, rather than on the day itself.
Eat Lucky Foods: Consume fish (for abundance), dumplings (wealth), and spring rolls.
Give Red Envelopes (Hongbao): Give money in red envelopes to children and elders; amounts should be in even numbers.
Display Decorations: Decorate with red lanterns, couplets, and plants like tangerines.
Be Positive: Greet others with positive phrases, keep conversations happy, and be kind to children.
Key Don’ts
No Cleaning/Sweeping: Do not sweep, vacuum, or take out the trash on the first day, as this is believed to sweep away good fortune.
No Washing Hair/Clothes: Washing hair or laundry on the first two days is avoided, as it is seen as washing away wealth and disrespecting the Water God.
No Sharp Objects: Avoid using knives, scissors, or needles, as they represent cutting off your fortune.
No Breaking Things: Breaking dishes or glass is a bad omen for the year.
Avoid Negative Language/Colors: Do not use words like "sick," "death," or "poor".
Avoid wearing black or white, which are associated with mourning.
No Lending/Borrowing Money: This is thought to cause financial instability for the rest of the year.
