Ways to Celebrate the 2021 Lunar New Year Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.

Forget Resolutions Lunar New Year is All About Good Luck

Food decorations and traditions invite prosperity for the Year of the Ox

Sunphol Sorakul/Getty Images , Lee is planning a socially distant version of the celebration that marks the beginning of the lunar calendar. She'll invite people to drop by on Feb. 12 and pick up a take-out container of the dumplings to celebrate the beginning of the 12 sometimes 13 cycles of the moon's phase that make up the lunar calendar. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. "We are finding ways to make sure that my friends who I love will get some food, and I can see them,” says Lee who lives in New York City and, along with her husband, Ken Smith, writes The Pocket Chinese Almanac. They've published it every year since 2010, based in part on the predictions of a geomancer. The couple, both over 50, will also be following other traditions to bring luck and wealth into their lives in the coming year: starting off with a clean house (don't clean on Lunar New Year, though, or you'll risk sweeping out the good luck), clean clothes and full bottles of everything. People across the U.S. are finding new ways to mark the Lunar New Year amid the pandemic. The holiday is celebrated by over 1.5 billion people across many Asian cultures and traditions — Tet in Vietnam, Seollal in Korea, Losar in Tibet. This year marks the Year of the Ox. The Lunar New Year holiday is traditionally a time for families to gather, eat, decorate their homes and follow traditions to invite in luck and banish evil. Here are some ways you can celebrate this year.

Food for luck and prosperity

There's a buffet's worth of foods customarily eaten for Lunar New Year, though some dishes depend on whether you're celebrating with China, Vietnam, Thailand or other countries in mind, says Alan Kang, a chef-instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education in Los Angeles. Dumplings, with their plump fillings, look a bit like old-fashioned gold ingots and are thought to represent fortune, he says. “The more pleats in your dumplings, the wealthier you will be,” he says. Try making your own dumplings with a recipe (see below) from the Institute of Culinary Education, or enjoy watching Feb. 12 from the Asia Society Texas Center. organized by the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art. Entertainment $3 off popcorn and soft drink combos See more Entertainment offers >

Red and gold for an auspicious Lunar New Year

Red and gold bring good luck. Red is festive and bold to scare off bad luck, and gold was the color of the emperor, symbolizing prosperity, Smith says. People often wear red for Lunar New Year. For an added boost, some might invest in red underwear to continue wearing red in some form all year long, Lee says.
Printed signs and banners, typically red with gold lettering, emblazoned with lucky couplets or phrases can be hung all over the house, says Joanne Kwong, president of New York City-based Pearl River Mart, an emporium that features everything from furnishings to food with an Asian influence. Others like to decorate with the year's zodiac animal — this year the ox — or with paper lanterns or red infinity knots to draw good energy. If you're looking to make your own decorations this year, the Museum of Chinese in America created a video that demonstrates how to make paper flowers and beads. Older people and married couples also usually give out red envelopes filled with cash to children and unmarried singles, Kwong says. “Luck begets luck, so the more good wishes and cash you give, the more you will be lucky,” she says. You can easily make your own red envelopes at home. And if you want to scare away the evil spirits, try decorating with dragons, investing in some firecrackers, or making your own party cracker.

Virtual Lunar New Year Events

While some Lunar New Year events may be altered this year because of the pandemic, there's no shortage of ways to enjoy the holiday virtually. The live version of the annual
AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe • The Asia Society Texas Center rolling out over a period of two weeks starting Feb. 12. Dance performances, craft demonstrations, a tour of a Vietnamese Buddhist temple and Chinese zodiac games are all part of the online festival. You can also at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art or to friends and family.

The Meaning of the Year of the Ox

The Chinese zodiac is based on the lunar calendar and classifies years in a 12-year cycle, each year represented by a different animal. This year is the Year of the Ox — the metal ox to be exact. The animal designations of the zodiac come from a Chinese legend that describes a great race sponsored by a prominent emperor. The order of the animal years in the 12-year cycle is based on the order in which the animals crossed the finish line of the race, says Joanna C. Lee, author of The Pocket Chinese Almanac along with her husband, Ken Smith. The ox symbolizes strength, loyalty, persistence and steadiness — traits we might all need after the developments of last year's Year of the Rat. Those born in the Year of the Ox are said to have some of those diligent, dependable characteristics. And how does metal come in? Another layer to the lunar calendar are five elements — wood, fire, earth, metal and water — that are also assigned to each year. Determine your own Chinese zodiac sign And while this Year of the Ox might be the time to keep your head down and plod forward, we might look ahead to 2022 and the Year of the Tiger — sure to bring some excitement and something new. Michelle Davis covers home, family and multicultural stories and is a feature editor for AARP. Previously, she was the senior writer and social media strategist for EdWeek Market Brief and a senior correspondent at Education Week. She also was a regional correspondent in Knight Ridder's Washington bureau, covering the U.S. Congress and the White House. More on home-family AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS