"There was much more cleaning of the house and all the special foods," she said. Pao became much more immersed in the traditions after spending time in mainland China after college. "Most of the stuff that I learned and practice came from that association." At home, her grandparents would send the family red envelopes, clothes and food from Taiwan. "There was a feeling of community," she said. Because there weren't many other Asians in her community, the association spanned several counties. Their celebrations usually included partying with the entire local Chinese association. Pao grew up in South Carolina with her parents, who emigrated from Taiwan, and Lunar New Year for her was a "big fun holiday," akin to Christmas. Though he doesn't celebrate, Lunar New Year for Duong is still a reset for what he's accomplished, a retrospective look at how far he has come and a celebration of the newness of life. Special street markets are open all day and night for several weeks. People usually get a week of vacation to celebrate. The Lunar New Year was one of the only times of year she could see her entire extended family. When she was living in China, her family would come together to make dumplings, hand out lucky money in red envelopes and watch the spring gala on China Central Television before enjoying fireworks at midnight. Zhang is from Beijing, but she hasn't been able to celebrate with her family in nearly 12 years. "I want to continue that tradition." Wanyu Zhang, senior marketing and international business manager "My dad's older sister makes sure we always meet together every month," she says. For her, the Lunar New Year feels like any other regularly scheduled family gathering, albeit slightly more festive. That side of Hoang's family has always been close, and even during the pandemic they made efforts to stay in touch. Kathleen Hoang, left, and her family celebrate the Lunar New Year in Fort Belvoir, Va., in 2020. It wasn't until my first Lunar New Year alone in college that I came to appreciate how grounding it can be to spend the first day of the year focused on joy and family. Tet was a reflective holiday focused on mindfulness and setting ourselves up for another successful year. Leading up to the new year, we would clean the house up and down and spend days making banh chung, a sticky rice cake filled with pork belly and mung bean. We would receive red envelopes, called li xi, filled with "lucky" money, but only after giving well wishes to our elders. The whole family would take the day off and we would wear our traditional ao dai to go visit my grandparents. Nevertheless, my parents made sure we spent our time wisely. Here in the U.S., I've only celebrated each Lunar New Year - or Tet, in Vietnamese - for one day each year, as it's not a federally recognized holiday. You'll get unique NPR stories in your inbox every weekday. Subscribe here so you don't miss the next one. This essay first appeared in the NPR Daily Newsletter. Celebrants gather to see parades and perform various rites and rituals with elders in order to guarantee a lucky year ahead. Certain foods are eaten only at this time of year, and often traditional costumes are worn. The holiday prompts what is considered one of the world's largest annual human migrations as hundreds of millions of people travel back to their hometowns to spend the festivities, which last up to two weeks, with family. It's one of the most important festivals in many Asian countries, including Vietnam, China, Korea, Mongolia as well as the Asian diaspora. 1 marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year. Luckily, it's around this time that I get a second chance to reflect on my year and set the tone for a new one by celebrating the Lunar New Year. Unfortunately, many people around the world also abandon their resolutions by February. Resolutions are made to eat better, become healthier or take control of finances. 1 is an opportunity to start fresh for many people around the world. Chinese New Year in Edinburgh has become one of the largest celebrations of its kind in Scotland. Members of the Scottish Chinese community take part in Edinburgh Chinese New Year Festival on Monday in Scotland.
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