I don’t normally chat in the forums unless it’s for an event, but I’m going to be keeping Lunar New Year at home (probably for the whole two weeks) for the second year in a row. Our youngest kiddo is sick at the moment and we don’t want to bring that to our local festival. Normally I’m fine being home with just immediate family, but I wanted to find people who celebrate to make it feel less lonely.

I’m an outsider that was invited in due to my father’s job. I remember his work having a giant, multi-day party every year and it was amazing. The community and festivities were one of my favorite things about childhood, so we still celebrate them today with our own family. Most years we go to our local festival(s) to chow down, meet new friends, enjoy the dances and immerse our children in other cultures. This year we’ll just be doing a lite version at home, but the kids are still looking forward to it. ❤

So, how do you celebrate lunar new year? Is it a traditional thing in your family? Are you someone who got invited into it by your community and it just stuck? Is it something you’re interested in learning about? What’s your favorite food or activity during the lunar new year?

Seollal is a major holiday in South Korea. I'm Korean-American and I celebrate Lunar New Year. My school district actually gave us off for it for the first time this year, as well as for Eid al-Fitr, to celebrate the diversity of our community's population. It's just me and my fiance, so I'm making it festive even though it will be much smaller than what my parents or relatives do.

We cleaned our home over the weekend and I bought fresh flowers (a vase of white tulips, and a vase of red and yellow striped) and sumo oranges. Tonight for dinner we will have tteokguk, traditional beef bone broth soup with sliced rice cakes, dumplings, and brisket. The milky whiteness of the broth symbolizes a fresh start for the new year, and the sliced rice cakes represent coins for prosperity. I'll also serve two kinds of sweet rice cakes for dessert.

I hope you enjoy the holiday with your family! 😊