Chinese Lunar New Year 2025 - Jan. 29th

January 28th is NYE. January 29th, for 16 days of Spring Festival - February 12th is the Lantern Festival.

I made CNY red envelopes for Liv and Dylan plus Valentine's Day candy and cards.

Enclosed note:

I bought two LEGO sets for AA, hopefully she will think it's still fun to build.

On our drive back from Panama City/Lane's basketball game; we stopped at Exit 130 on I-10 at a bonsai shop - beautiful huge trees, medium ones, almost looked like a museum for bonsai. We purchased a small mini-jade tree ($35) for AA.

Ford dinner on the 29th, I made rice noodles with hoisin sauce; adding flank steak and mushrooms, garlic, ginger, green onions, jalapeno peppers and a chili crunch topping (spicey!). Photo is before mixing the rice noodles with the sauce.

We gave AA her red envelop, bonsai tree (jade mini) and two LEGO sets (bamboo and cat).

Background: In 2025 Chinese New Year festival falls on Jan. 29. It is the Year of the Snake according to the Chinese zodiac, which features a 12-year cycle with each year represented by a specific animal. People born in the Years of the Snake including 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, and 2025 will experience their Zodiac Year of Birth (Ben Ming Nian). 2026 Chinese New Year falls on Feb. 17th and it is the Year of Horse. When all streets and lanes are decorated with vibrant red lanterns and colorful lights, the Lunar New Year is approaching. What do Chinese people do then? After half a month's busy time with a house spring-clean and holiday shopping, the festivities kick off on the New Year's Eve, and last 15 days, until the full moon arrives with the Lantern Festival. 

The Snake’s wise and intuitive energy - symbolizing wisdom and transformation, offers opportunities for personal growth and change.

From newborn babies to teenagers, luck money will be given by seniors, wrapped in red packets in the hope of dispelling evil spirits from the kids. CNY 100 to 500 notes are commonly sealed in a red envelope. Besides a small disposable amount, most of the money is used to buy the kids toys, snacks, clothes, stationery, or saved for their future educational expenditure.

Chinese culture and tradition topics for each day:

1. Preparations kick-off: Kitchen God

2. Out with the old and in with the new

3. Spring couplets and lucky word signs

4. The Chinese New Year’s Eve and the family reunion dinner

5. Family Reunion Dinner on Lunar New Year’s Eve

6. Symbolic dishes

7. More symbolic dishes and snacks

8. Lunar New Year’s Greetings: Lucky phrases and expressions

9. Spotlight on Red envelopes

10. Spotlight on Firecrackers

11. Chinese Lunar New Year gifts

12. Tradition: Keep the Good Luck

13. Chinese Lunar Calendar

14. The Pre-Chinese Lunar New Year Tradition in Northern China

15. The 15 days of Chinese Lunar New Year Tradition in China and Taiwan

16. Chinese Lunar New Year Legend of nǚ wā

17. 12  Chinese Animal Signs

18. Lantern Festival

19. Lantern Festival Riddles

20. Cultural Exploration Task Cards and references/answers.