Chinese New Year is a tradition going back nearly 3,500 years. But what exactly is it? The purpose of the holiday is to celebrate the new year in order to bring in luck with your loved ones. Chinese New Year is not exclusive to one country, but is celebrated by Chinese communities worldwide. I interviewed Trenton Homchanh, a recent CU Boulder graduate of Cambodian descent, on his personal experience with the holiday to get insight into what makes this holiday so special for so many people.
If you’re unfamiliar with Chinese New Year, it’s an annual fifteen-day-long festival. It is also known as the Spring festival, or Lunar New Year, celebrated by millions of people around the world. It’s an opportunity to spend time with others, follow traditions, and celebrate new beginnings. The Chinese zodiac is closely related with the holiday; the zodiacs are a 12 year cycle, with each year being represented by an animal. 2025 is the year of the snake, which technically begins on January 29th. Depending on when you are born you have a certain animal that corresponds to your birth. Those celebrated this year are said to be polite, charming, and intuitive.
To gain a new perspective of what it’s like to actually celebrate Chinese New Year, I wanted to ask someone who celebrates. I asked Trenton Homchanh what his experience has been celebrating this special holiday.
Wendy Middlekauff: How long have you been celebrating Chinese New year?
Trenton Homchanh: 22 years, since I was born.
WM: What are typical traditions you and your family follow?
TH: We have a big family gathering on the day, actually Chinese New Year eve, the day before, where we all eat ‘royalty foods.’ Royalty foods like shark fin soup and stuff like that, but it’s not actually shark fin anymore, as that’s now illegal […] just a bunch of other delicacies.
WM: What’s your favorite part about Chinese New Year?
TH: Giving and receiving lots of money in red envelopes. There’s anywhere between 20 to 200 dollars in each envelope I get from my family.
WM: Are there any other traditional dishes your family eats?
TH: There’s like this beef, egg noodle, dish that’s pretty common and along with the shark fin soup. Those are the main two courses.
WM: What’s your family’s history of celebrating?
TH: My grandma used to be a part of the royal family in China, so they were treated in big restaurants. [Waiters] would give them a bunch of free stuff. They would give her shark fin soup, those were given out to all the royalty, that’s why it’s seen as a royalty dish, and they would give out a bunch of the red envelopes to a bunch of different people in their respective city.
WM: Would you ever want to celebrate the holiday in China?
TH: Yeah, I feel like that would be cool. I know they do big like, celebration that changes with what the year is, so if it’s the year of the dragon, there’s the big dragon suit thing. A bunch of people walk around the streets and stuff, so it’s different every year which is cool.
Chinese New Year is full of a multitude of cultural practices, and has branched across many countries worldwide. Around the world there are large parades, performances, and fireworks. In most major Chinese cities there are large celebrations that take place in the streets, such as dragon and lion dances that are said to ward off evil spirits. In Boulder county, Chinese New Year is practically exclusively celebrated in the homes of those who celebrate. I hope for this article to provide people with more knowledge and realization of how integral this holiday truly is to so many people globally.
For any students or families who celebrate, take this time to reflect on the past year, and look forward to the future. Embrace the new beginnings and have a happy Chinese New Year Warriors! May the year of the snake bring you health, happiness, and prosperity!
Sources:
Chinese New Year. (n.d.). Retrieved January 23, 2025, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Chinese-New-Year
Chinese New Year. (2025, January 19). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 23, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year
Royal Museums Greenwich. (n.d.). How do people celebrate Chinese New Year? Retrieved January 23, 2025, from https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/how-do-people-celebrate-chinese-new-year
