Happy Lunar New Year 2011

Happy New Year, Year of the Rabbit! So what does Lunar New Year mean for Chinese people? I can't tell you all the history and why we do all the stuff that we do, but here's a very to-the-point perspective of what this month-long holiday/celebration means to me.

1. Clean the house. Start the new year by cleaning out all the dust and dirt (and bad spirits) from your crib.

2. Get hair cut. (Hey, I only do it at most three times a year, so gotta look fresh.)

3. Go home for big dinner. (Get fat.)

4. Go to big Chinese restaurants for many New Year banquet style dinners. (Hey, you don't stop eating when you're full. That's not American. Banquet count: 3 out of 4.)

5. Collect lucky money in red envelopes. Say thank you and have a Happy New Year as you receive with smile. (Get bills so crisp you kind of wonder if they're real.)

OPTIONAL. Go to Annual Chinese New Year Parade in Chinatown NYC. (Don't make it like you're really going going to the parade. Have some brunch with good friends and catch all the confetti and all the other crap on the ground before the Sanitation Department sucks it all off the streets.)

Fresh New Year flowers.


Dad goes overboard. Something for everyone.


Did we miss the parade? Let's go for ice cream!


Prettiest garbage you'll ever see.


Malaysian New Year tradition. It's a bunch of raw veggies, fruit, raw fish, and non-foods piled together drizzled with a tangy sweet plum sauce that everyone mixes together with their chopsticks. Eat up and enjoy because you can't get this any other time of the year.


Huge venue for banquet dinner with over 100 guest tables. Ambassadors speak. Lions and dragons dance. Karaoke is a must.


COME HERE AND TAKE MY RED ENVELOPE!!


Cousin, why are you so damn cute?