Wednesday, January 29th will kick off the 15 day celebration known as Chinese New Year. Roughly 2 billion people will take part in celebrations around the world, primarily in East Asia. The tradition has expanded from China for over 3,000 years, with the purpose of scaring away ‘Nian’, the New Year’s Monster. The long tradition of firecrackers, the color red and the Dragon Dance will protect individuals from the bad spirit of the New Year Monster, ‘Nian’, and ring in the new year.

Sophomore, Leah Yoder will be one of the 2 billion people taking part in the season’s festivities.

“It is very similar to New Year, but primarily celebrated in Asia. The timing changes every year based on the lunar calendar. The holiday is based a lot on luck and the giving of money,” Yoder said.

Chinese New Year is centered heavily around bonding with family and friends, this is especially important for Yoder.

“Usually we will meet up with my mom’s Taiwanese friends in Richmond, and we will eat a bunch of food. Afterwards, all the kids will line up and receive a red envelope that has money in it,” Yoder said.

Red Envelopes are common gifts given during Chinese New Year, typically holding money and gifts. Yoder holds a connection to this tradition.

“When I went to Taiwan, I had a lot more relatives, so it was kinda like Christmas, with bigger gifts being exchanged. Usually, it is just money, however much your parents think you deserve,” Yoder said.

Yoder enjoys the different ways Chinese New Year is celebrated in Taiwan compared to here in the U.S.

“It was a lot different celebrating in Taiwan, just because everybody else was celebrating it. Here nobody really knows about it, so it was a lot more fun celebrating other people’s traditions,” Yoder said.

Large meals with friends and family is a key part of the Chinese New Year celebration with many foods like dumplings, steamed fish and longevity noodles being front and center on the table. 

“My favorite thing is Chinese New Year Cake, it’s [a cake] only eaten during Chinese New Year, [so] that is the only time my mom makes it. There’s red bean flavor, it’s jelly-like, and there’s batter around it, then you fry it and put powdered sugar on top, it’s so good,” Yoder said.

Superstitions fuel the New Year celebration, as the color red floods cities around the world to hopefully bring good luck. Family traditions seek wealth and prosperity in the coming year. Yoder and her family have many superstitions.

“My mom will decorate our house with red because she believes that red keeps the evil spirits away. We usually keep those decorations up year round, but typically for Chinese New Year everyone wears red and decorates their house with red,” Yoder said.

Yoder plans to continue these traditions with her family and friends, hoping to visit Taiwan again someday.

“I’m really close with my mom’s friends and their kids, so I hope to continue celebrating with them, or in the future going back to Taiwan to spend New Year with the rest of my family,” Yoder said.