XINNIAN kuaile and gong hei fat choy! Jan. 29 is the Lunar New Year! Today marks the beginning of the lunar calendar and the changing of the Chinese zodiac cycle.
This year is the Year of the Snake. According to one online source, people born in the Year of the Snake are known for their “wisdom, intuition, and mystery” while also being “naturally strategic.”
If you’re looking for ways to enjoy the Lunar New Year, the Marianas Variety has you covered.
For lunch, the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan is offering a special Asian-inspired lunch buffet from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Terrace. Adult price is $40; $20 for children.
On the menu are Chinese cuisine favorites like Peking duck, Cantonese-style steamed fish, Shanghai-style spring rolls, garlic shrimp vermicelli noodles, and more.
Make sure to catch the lion dance in the hotel lobby at 1 p.m.!
The Joeten-Kiyu Public Library is gathering the community to celebrate the Lunar New Year from 3:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Children of Our Homeland library.
On schedule is a children’s read-aloud and craft activity, with an opportunity to “feed the lion,” as the Saipan Chinese Association will be at the library to perform a lion dance as well.
If residents are looking for dinner, they’re invited to enjoy a set menu good for eight persons at Majesty Chinese Restaurant. On the menu is an extensive list of offerings, including lobster, steamed local parrot fish, seafood soup, roast duck, chicken and scallions, seasoned vegetables, and much more, for $238.
Call 670-235-6075 in advance to make a reservation.
If you’d like to personally prepare for the Lunar New Year, it is traditional to clean your home in order to drive away “old things” and “bad luck” from your home, as well as to be ready for a new start.
Make sure to eat lots of dumplings as well. Dumplings resemble monetary ingots used in ancient times, according to one source, and are believed to bring wealth.
Children should be on the lookout for relatives holding red envelopes, known as hongbao or lai see, which will have money inside them.
Of course, considering China invented gunpowder, it is traditional to set firecrackers off at midnight to welcome the new lunar year. According to legend, loud noises were used to drive the monster Nian away from villages so it couldn’t harm people. Firecrackers commemorate this.
Happy Lunar New Year to our readers!
Majesty Restaurant has a set menu on special good enough for eight persons.
Parrot fish, lobster, and more are on the set menu at Majesty Restaurant.
Children pose for a photo with the dragon dancers at a past Lunar New Year event.
