Want another fresh start for 2022? You can have one, by celebrating Lunar New Year

A month ago, the world said goodbye to 2021 and ushered in 2022.

But for many Asian communities around the world, the new year is just about to begin. And it looks a lot like Christmas.

Feb. 1 marks the Lunar New Year 2022, also known as the Chinese New Year. Every Lunar New Year is linked to one of 12 zodiac animals, and 2022 is the Year of the Tiger.

It's similar to Christmas, when people get to reflect and spend time with their loved ones, said Anne Tran, who moved to P.E.I. with her family from Vietnam in 2018.

"In my family, it's the time we show our gratitude to our ancestors," said Tran, who is the owner of Vietnamese restaurant Prince - Fresh Lunch Box in Charlottetown. "We cook the traditional food, offering it [to our ancestors] and contact relatives of ours, trying to get [together].

"It's very important for us."

Across Canada, many Asian communities celebrate the Lunar New Year, which is one of their most important holidays. It's normally associated with large family gatherings, elaborate meals and festive events.

Before the pandemic, some P.E.I. Asian communities, like the P.E.I. Chinese Canadian Association and the Canadian Vietnamese Association on P.E.I., would normally host large galas in celebration, attracting hundreds of people.

But this year's celebrations, again, will be quiet for many, including Tran.

She plans to spend the holiday — or Tết as it's called in Vietnam — at home with her husband and kids, preparing traditional Vietnamese foods.

Food and lucky money

Among the foods Tran has prepared is bánh chưng. It's a square-shape sticky rice cake, wrapped in banana leaves. Inside, there's mung beans and pork.

She laid out all the foods on an ancestral rites table to serve their ancestors.

"We are here in P.E.I. ... trying to make the Tết festival in the spirit of the way we do it at home," she said.

It's quite similar for Jun Yoo.

Originally from South Korea, he and his family came to P.E.I. in 2018. The Lunar New Year is known as Seollal in Korea and usually lasts for three days, he said.

His family plans to spend the first day of the new year performing ancestral rites. After that, the three-day holiday pretty much includes playing traditional games and enjoying traditional foods, just like what they did back home, Yoo said.

Every Lunar New Year, he makes Tteokguk, or rice cake soup. It's coin-shape rice cakes, which symbolize wealth, cooked in beef or chicken broth.

Another is Japchae, which is Korean glass noodles stir-fried with beef and vegetables. This dish is also served in his family restaurant in downtown Charlottetown, Haru K-BBQ.

But the part he enjoys most perhaps is lucky money.

Every Lunar New Year, children are given money placed in a red envelope as a symbol of good luck. Some kids could get a hefty sum.

"In a big family, you usually get up to $1,000 or $2,000. So that's pretty good," he said.

Decorations

For Mason Xiao, food is also important. Originally from China, he and his wife, Emily Bai, are now running the Global grocery store in Charlottetown.

Different parts of China prepare different kinds of food to celebrate the holiday, he said.

"[In] the north of China, they prepare the dumplings and [in] the south of China, they prepare the rice dumpling, so it's quite a little bit different."

But to him and many other Chinese people, decorations are a big part of the holiday as well, Xiao said.

This week, he and his wife have decorated their house and store with red for good luck.

Taped to their doors and windows are red, round-shape paper-cuttings with the character 福, which means 'lucky,' he said. In one corner, his wife put up a red wall calendar, which includes both the lunar and western calendars.

All these decorations, among other things needed for Lunar New Year celebrations, are ready in his grocery store for the Asian communities to celebrate the holiday, Xiao said.

"We try our best to bring everything Asian people like and prepare for their Lunar New Year."

Yellow flowers

Back in her home, Tran puts bright yellow chrysanthemums in red pots on display. She bought them from a supermarket in Charlottetown.

This type of flower is a popular floral decoration for the Lunar New Year in many Asian countries. There was even a little red envelope among the yellow flowers saying, "Best wishes for the New Year." She thought that was a nice touch.

It was her first time seeing an Island supermarket selling this kind of flower. It reminded her of home, and she appreciated the store for that, Tran said.

"I think that's great because ... they understand the Lunar New Year [and our] cultures of celebrations."