It's the Year of the Ox! I just stocked up on Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange Chicken, and I'll be decorating the house with red and gold balloons this Friday! It's Chinese New Year (also called Lunar New Year or Spring Festival), one of my favorite holidays to celebrate! Here's how your family can celebrate, too:
Enjoy some Chinese grub. My family will have orange chicken, Jasmine Rice, and spring rolls from Trader Joe’s, with oranges and fortune cookies for dessert. If you prefer to order out, try the delicious lettuce wraps and Mongolian Beef from PF Chang's.
Hand out money in red envelopes. This is a symbol of good luck! These are the cute gold-foil envelopes I purchased from Amazon [ad] for my crew. I plan to let them spend their coins on Chinese candy at Yun Loy Asian Market on Sawdust Rd.
Make Chinese crafts. Chinese paper lanterns are simple to make, and you can easily find directions on YouTube. All you need is a pair of scissors, a sheet of paper and some glue or tape. Paper dragons, paper plate hand fans, and Chinese drums are also fun crafts to try.
Tune in to a Virtual Lunar New Year Festival. This year, we won't be driving down to Houston's Chinatown (E. Sam Houston Parkway / Bellaire St. area), but we will enjoy a broadcast of cultural dances, musical performances, and food demos presented by Houston's Chinese Community Center. Here are the details.
Watch Mulan. This movie is rated PG-13, but I previewed it for my family last week, and I found it to be okay. There is no profanity nor sex/nudity, but there is close combat, danger/peril, and people dying (though nothing gory). Mulan is currently on Disney+.
