VLOG | Making Lunar New Year Celebrations a Tradition With My Girls

Being born and raised in a small town of Prince George, BC, I didn’t get the chance to experience a whole lot of Chinese culture, particularly during Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year. My brother and I received red pocket money (for good luck) and we would always have a traditional meal. So I could tell you all the food associated with this elaborate meal but not much else. I guess you could say that parents that didn’t really bother to make it a huge thing.

“I don’t like Chinese food!”

Liv said she didn’t want to celebrate Chinese New Year because she doesn’t like Chinese food. That made me laugh.

When I moved to Vancouver, there were so many more opportunities to learn and experience Chinese New Year. I also discovered that other countries celebrated it too, which explains there is a shift to calling it Lunar New Year now. My parents took us to Richmond a few times and I loved it. The loud drumming, excitement of the lion dances and good ol’ Chinese humour. As I grew up, I also went to celebrate with my friends. It was a fun thing to do and learn about Chinese history and beliefs.

Culture is something I attempted to incorporate more of after Liv was born. It takes much more effort when it’s not second nature. My hubby, J, who is closer to his Laotian roots, shows them that side but I also wanted them to know more about their Chinese roots. I enrolled K and Liv into Chinese school. K attended for 3 years and Liv for 2. It was tough. K’s work got to be quite advanced and I could no longer help her (which was necessary). And Liv had a hard time adjusting to the Asian way of learning – minimal play and lots of repetitive reading and writing. It was no longer fun for them nor I and I did not want them to remember Chinese culture. I decided to drop out of Chinese school and to focus on bringing them to experiences instead.

Being the lazy driver that I am, I have not brought them to Richmond for the show-stopping celebrations. But when I heard about Lougheed Town Centre holding celebrations I was ecstatic! It is local and only a 20 minute drive! Perfect.

Here’s how it all went down:

Disclaimer: this is my first attempt at a vlog so it’s not perfect. But I loved putting it together and being able to watch it for years to come. Hope you enjoy it too. ❤️

Do you celebrate the Lunar New Year? Do you want to see more videos like this? Let me know in the comments below.