Results: Lunar New Year — The Year Of The Ox

Lunar or Chinese New Year is celebrated by more than 20% of the world. It's the most important holiday in China and to Chinese people all over. The Lunar New Year is celebrated during the second new moon after the winter solstice, usually between January 21 and February 20 on the Gregorian calendar. Lunar New Year festivities begin on the first day of the first lunar month on the Chinese calendar and continue until the 15th of the lunar month, when the moon is full. This year it starts on Friday, February 12th, and ends February 26th, 2021. This year is the year of the Ox, under the influence of the metal element, just like the Year of the Rat 2020. The year of the Metal Ox brings career advancement, success in business, prosperity, and wellness for all zodiac signs. Do you celebrate the Lunar New Year?

Here are some fun facts about this holiday. How many of these did you already know?

A special dish served at this time of year, Fat choi gets its name from its resemblance to hair, literally translating in Cantonese as "hair vegetable." A major reason why fat choi is so prized is because of how similar it sounds to fat choy—as in gung hei fat choy, the greeting to wish people luck and wealth. One of the ingredients needed to prepare this dish is banned in China, since 2000, and every year, people will scour the black markets looking for the banned dish. Have you ever tasted this dish?

Living in a predominately Caucasian area, Elaine Su's neighbourhood near Vancouver, B.C. enchanted her two-year-old with houses decorated for Halloween and Christmas this year. The Lunar New Year should be the one time Su has a chance to introduce little Ellis to his own Chinese culture. But this year, just like last year, there can be no loud dragon dances, nor gathering to eat among friends and neighbours. Su asked her neighbours, in a letter, to help introduce her child to the Lunar New Year by decorating their doors and the response has been overwhelming. Almost every door is fully decorated. In a year that has been filled with more overt anti-Asian racism fuelled by the pandemic, Su said the support she received from her community is a reason for hope. "To feel your community back you up and back up your desire to celebrate loudly and proudly your culture is not a small win. It's a pretty beautiful, big thing," she said. Do you feel by joining in and celebrating each other's cultural celebrations, this would be one big step to ending racism?