Opinion - How We Hongongers Celebrate Lunar New Year

Writer - Nicholas

Posted February 28, 2025

For Hong Kongers, Lunar New Year lifts spirits and gives courage for new chapters of life. This major festival brings tremendous excitement and joy across Hong Kong. Let me walk you through how we celebrate the most important holiday of the year.

I bet the first thing you'll notice when Lunar New Year rolls around are the pulse-pounding drums and clashing cymbals of the lion dances happening all over town. These cultural dances are hugely important for starting off the year by scaring away evil spirits and attracting good fortune.

The lion costume weighs over 60 pounds!

The energetic performer inside has to jump and prance with great agility while manipulating the lion head's eyes, ears, mouth and tongue. Talk about a serious workout! When done right, the lion leaps high into the air and dashes about at top speed. Just watching gets your heart racing with excitement!

Legend says the squeaky-headed lion chases away demons, while the ornate dragon brings power, strength and prosperity. No wonder you'll see lion dance troupes eagerly hired by businesses, hotels, temples, schools - you name it.

The best place to catch these cultural dances is at the big Chinese New Year Night Parade in Tsim Sha Tsui. Dazzling floats, acrobats, drummers and stilt walkers join the spotlight too. But for me, the hilarious lion shenanigans steal the show every time!

Starting about a week before the new year, keep an eye out for vibrant flower markets popping up across Hong Kong. My favorite is in Causeway Bay at Victoria Park - it's the largest by far.

You'll be blown away seeing Victoria Park transform into a sea of gorgeous orchids, chrysanthemums, gladiolas and blossoming peach trees. Don't miss the huge variety of paper blooms too - so delicate and colorful! My ah ma always lets me choose a beautiful orchid.

Legend says orchids represent nobility, refinement and many children - who wouldn't want that in the new year?

The best part is bargaining with the sellers over prices for the best blooms. It's so meaningful to decorate our home together and usher in good fortune.

Once midnight strikes on New Year's Eve, the frenzy ends. remaining flowers get hauled away or given out for free! One year I helped a nice shopkeeper hand out free armfuls of flowers to passersby. Don't miss seeing Victoria Park return to normal - it's quite a transformation.

I hope you come hungry, because the endless Lunar New Year feasts are not to be missed! My family spends days preparing traditional foods packed with meaning and symbolism for prosperity in the new year.

First up are nian gao - gooey brown glutinous rice cakes. We eat them on New Year's Day for a sweet, rich year to come. My favorite treat is deep-fried sesame balls with red bean paste hidden inside. Their golden color signifies wealth and good fortune.

Dumplings shaped like old Chinese gold bars? Yes please! Called yu tiao, legend says eating them will bring riches. I help my mother fold the dough into crescent shapes and fill them with pork and shrimp. Cooking and sharing auspicious foods is how we show our hope for family unity and abundance.

The dish I look forward to most is crispy, honey-roasted pig skin. The crackling texture and sweet glaze is heavenly! Whole suckling pigs are roasted until the skin turns shiny and puffed. Pig skin represents wealth because in olden days, only wealthy families could afford to feed and raise pigs. Must try!

Avoid going hungry during Lunar New Year by indulging in these fortune-filled foods with family! Keep a look out for special new year puddings too - the gold color and sesame filling symbolize prosperity. However you feast, may it bring you luck and sweetness in the year to come.

A sincere Lunar New Year tradition is visiting temples to pay respects to the gods.

The best spot is Wong Tai Sin Temple - it's busy with worshippers during the new year! 

My favorite part is getting your fortune told via chien, a ritual with wooden sticks. Light incense, make a wish, and shake the container holding dozens of numbered sticks until one falls out. Then find the paper with matching number and your fortune for the coming year is revealed.

The temple is beautifully decorated for Lunar New Year. Red banners with lucky phrases and greetings flutter overhead. Hundreds of glowing incense coils release curling smoke into the air as prayers are whispered. It's incredibly peaceful and spiritual.

Visiting temples reminds me that while celebration is central to this holiday, reflection and virtue are essential too. Lighting incense to honor ancestors and gods keeps tradition alive. The meaningful rituals give me guidance and wisdom for the year ahead.

A definite highlight of Lunar New Year in Hong Kong is the lively evening parade in Tsim Sha Tsui! This vibrant event is loved by locals and tourists alike. It has everything needed to kick off the year with excitement - elaborate floats, dramatic costumes, music and cultural performances. 

Picture floats decked with peacocks, dragons and phoenixes rolling down the parade route. Marching bands snap to attention blaring popular songs. Dancers in imperial robes act out graceful cultural dances. Stilt walkers tower over the crowds dressed as ancient generals and gods. No matter your age, the energy and fun are absolutely infectious!

Every year has a theme highlighting a positive message for the community. Last year was "World in Harmony" promoting multicultural friendship and unity. It's wonderful seeing Hong Kong's diverse talents and identity showcased through the parade.

On cue, thousands of glittering balloons get released into the night sky, followed by booming fireworks. Cheers erupt from the spectators as the performances come to an epic close. There's no better way to start a new year than with awe-inspiring cultural celebration!

Beyond the cultural celebrations, it's amazing to reflect on the sheer scale and significance of Lunar New Year for communities worldwide.

• Over 1.5 billion people globally celebrate Lunar New Year. It's one of the most important and widely observed holidays in the world!

• In China, hundreds of millions reunite with families in the largest annual human migration on earth called Chunyun or Spring Festival. Around 130 million passengers were there in 2022!

• Public holidays for Lunar New Year range from 2 to 7 days in Asia. Hong Kong observes a 3-day holiday, with extra days if needed.

• Each year corresponds to 1 of 12 zodiac animals

It's incredible to think millions worldwide are celebrating Lunar New Year similar to Hong Kong. The valued traditions span cultures and generations.

More than anything, Lunar New Year represents precious time spent with loved ones. It's a chance to gather as an extended family and reflect on challenges overcome the past year.

There's so much hope and optimism surrounding Lunar New Year as we honor traditions passed down for centuries. We pay respect to ancestors and gods at crowded temples. Stories are shared over steaming bowls of poon choi, a hearty stew filled with seafood, meats and vegetables representing community.