Chinese New Year is meant to be a time for family reunions and fun. However, this year, things might look a little different as social distancing orders are still in effect around the globe. This doesn’t mean you have to give up your Spring Festival celebration though. Rather, there are numerous activities that can be enjoyed at home that are actually traditionally a part of the Lunar New Year celebration. So, whether you celebrate the holiday every year, or you’re just learning about it this year, you will find something spectacular to enjoy with these ten tips.
1. Clean Up
There’s no doubt about it, cleaning up your home is a great way to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Of course, if you didn’t already know, this is part of the holiday anyway. Usually, people begin to clean up their home a week or so before the festival begins. This is a really great time to deep clean, as the tradition says that starting the new year out with a clean home will bring you luck. This is a great time to deep clean anyway with the virus still causing numerous people to fall ill. A deep clean will allow you to easily just maintain the home, which will save you time and energy. Plus, cleaning can leave you with a sense of fulfillment, which is always a great way to begin a new chapter.
2. Online Shopping
Shopping is another big part of the Spring Festival. This doesn’t mean you should go crazy shopping, nor does it mean you should deplete your budget for the celebration. However, it is tradition to start the new year off in new clothing. So, you might find some sales on clothing to suit your needs. Even though shopping is a part of the festival, it doesn’t mean you should go out and shop. If you can, keep your shopping to online. This will help cut back on the spread of coronavirus. There should also be lots of coupon codes to help make celebrating the holiday even more fun.
3. Decorate
Decorating can be one of the best aspects of the holiday. Not only does it allow you to show off some creativity, but it will give a sense of normal to the holiday too. You might start by pulling out the décor that you would normally put up. However, after you have everything up and ready to go, you might consider making a few new decorations. You can make just about anything that strikes your fancy. One simple option is a lantern, as these always look great and can be a lot of fun to hang in various places. Apart from that, you will find that there are printouts you can put up or calligraphy you can try. There are items you can purchase too but try to keep things frugal. Simply putting up decorations will help bring a more festive vibe to the day, which will definitely improve how you feel.
4. Celebrate Ancestors
One major part of the holiday is to actually celebrate your ancestors. Since the holiday is all about the reunion, this can be one of the most important elements when you can’t actually spend time with family that isn’t in your bubble. One of the easiest ways to celebrate your ancestors is to share stories and pictures about them with the next generation. However, you can easily take the conversation online to draw in the rest of your family. You might also participate in activities that they loved, eat their favorite foods, and so on. This will certainly help you feel a better connection during the festival, which is important.
5. Virtual Dinner
Sharing a meal with your family is an important part of the holiday, which is going to be one of the hardest aspects of the holiday since many people can’t be with their family. One of the easiest things you can do to remedy this problem is to have a virtual dinner party. Everyone can whip up their traditional meals and then log in to a family group chat. This will allow each person to enjoy the company of their family while still keeping things safe. Of course, this might not be the ideal way to share a meal with others, but it is a simple way to remedy the issue of missing out on some of the joy of eating with your loved ones.
6. Learn to Make Traditional Foods
Traditional foods are one of the best aspects of the Spring Festival. You can try to make all sorts of dishes like longevity noodles, braised meats, and so on. However, one of the most popular items to make is dumplings. You can make all sorts of dumplings too, as long as you get the technique down. Dumplings can be a bit tough though if you haven’t been taught how to make them, so you might start by watching some tutorials. There are even online cooking classes that can help you find your way. After the holiday, you might find that you added something amazing to your meal which will definitely allow you to improve your meal plans.
7. Order In
Cooking new foods can be a challenge. Cooking time-consuming foods can be a challenge with your busy lifestyle. So, if learning to make traditional foods isn’t on your cards then you might consider ordering take out. You might try to find a Chinese restaurant in your area that you haven’t tried or even just one that you absolutely love. If you’d like to order special items for the holiday, then you might want to call up the restaurant to see what they recommend. During this period of time, ordering from a restaurant can be one of the best things you can do as you might be helping to keep a business afloat.
8. Watch the Gala
The Spring Festival Gala is one of the biggest traditions in China. This show is a lot like the New Year countdowns in the United States but offers more traditional ways of celebrating. You will find singing, dancing, plays, and so much more when you watch the gala. If you’re not living in China, then there are a few things you can do to watch the gala. There are lots of past productions streaming online, so you can check those out. You can also find the gala streaming on some websites. You will have to do a little bit of research though or ask around to see where everyone else watches the gala.
9. Digital Red Envelopes
Red Envelopes are a major part of the holiday. It is customary for the elders of the family to pass on red envelopes to the children. However, in this day and age, it might not be wise for this to happen. So, you may consider looking up ways to send red envelopes online. There are some programs that follow this inspiration, but you can also keep it simple by sending money through common services like Paypal, Venmo, Google Pay, and Apple Pay. This can help keep the spirit of the holiday going without forcing you to deal with snail mail or put yourself in danger.
10. Celebrate the Ox
2021 is the year of the Ox, which will definitely bring some excitement to your home. In order to celebrate the Ox, you might go over the story of the Chinese New Year, so you can learn more about the animal. You can also lookup some of the characteristics surrounding the animal. Once you have a basis of the year, then celebrate with making crafts. There are so many available that you can get the whole family in on the fun. These crafts can also be used as decorations, which will add even more to the holiday.
The Spring Festival is a great time to enjoy celebrating a new year. Although this holiday can’t technically be enjoyed the same way it normally is, these ten tips will still help you get quite a bit more out of the celebration. This will ensure you have some fun, while learning more about the lunar new year.
