Keshia agreed to chat with me and share her knowledge surrounding all things Lunar New Year. Following is our conversation. Thank you Keshia!
Me: Keshia! First of all, thank you so much for joining me on the blog today to talk about the Lunar New Year. I’ve been fascinated by the holiday since Disneyland started celebrating in 2011 and am excited to learn more about it from someone who actually celebrates this holiday every year. Let’s start with the basics. What is the Lunar New Year and why is it important in Asian culture?
Keshia: My family specifically celebrates Chinese New Year (which is one of many Lunar New Years celebrated in Asia, or otherwise known as a “Spring Festival”) – in Chinese culture, they have their own calendar, so Chinese New Year marks the start of the new year based on that. The first day of the Chinese calendar/New Year changes every year because it begins on the first new moon that appears between 1/21 and 2/20.
I can really only speak for my own culture, and it is important for Chinese families because it’s one of the few occasions where everyone comes together to celebrate this special day.
Me: Do you have a favorite memory of the holiday from when you were growing up?
Keshia: My family wasn’t always super big on traditions but my parents definitely tried to incorporate parts of our Chinese culture into our household. While I don’t remember too much, I would have to say the fun part of the holiday is definitely getting red envelopes filled with lucky money from my parents!
Me: Are there any traditional meals that are a staple of the Lunar New Year?
Keshia: I think it varies from family to family, but based on a conversation I had with my dad recently, at least in our family, we used to have a fish every year. The Chinese word for fish is pronounced “yú” which also sounds like the word for abundance. My dad mentioned that a lot of food traditions are based on play-on words which is why we’ll eat certain foods during this time of year. So with fish, you also don’t want to eat the entire thing in one sitting, so that in turn, there will be an abundance of food for you and your family in the upcoming year.
Me: What is the proper way to wish someone a Happy Lunar New Year?
Keshia: This also varies depending on which culture is celebrating, but in my family, we say “Xin Nián Kuài Lè!”
Me: How do you personally celebrate the holiday each year?
Keshia: Now that I’m married, we usually celebrate every year with my husband Kevin’s family. We’ll get together with his grandmother, father, and his cousins that live close by (most of Kevin’s extended family lives in Taiwan) and have a meal together. This year, Kevin’s grandmother prepared a whole hot pot spread that we got to enjoy!
My family doesn’t go all out, but we do try to make it a point to meet up for a meal. While we haven’t had the chance to celebrate with my family yet, we plan to do a belated Chinese New Year meal together at a restaurant in the next couple of weeks!
Me: Moving on to Disney for a few minutes, when was the first time you got to experience Disneyland’s Lunar New Year celebration?
Keshia: From what I can remember, I think it was only a few years ago when it was Year of the Dog. I remember when Disney used to bring out Mickey and Minnie in their Lunar New Year outfits only on the day of the holiday many years ago, but I never got the chance to meet them on the actual day before!
Me: What were your first impressions of the event?
Keshia: I loved getting to see my culture celebrated in a few weeks long festival! It was neat getting to see two of my worlds coming together (Disney and Chinese culture) and knowing that so many of the guests who visit the Disneyland Resort would be able to learn more about it too.
Me: Of the activities offered, which are authentic Lunar New Year traditions?
Keshia: The Dragon Dance in Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession is an authentic tradition! My dad was also telling me that these are traditionally done to spread prosperity. Also all of the red that you see in the decor and outfits are a sign of good luck and fortune!
Me: Are there any traditions that are missing from Disneyland’s offered experiences that you wish they would incorporate into future Lunar New Year celebrations?
Keshia: Because representation and diversification is so important to me, I would like to see more about how Vietnamese and Korean cultures celebrate Tet and Lunar New Year, respectively (I do recognize that there are other Asian cultures who also celebrate LNY, but it’s more widely celebrated in Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean families). Although I’m sure there are a lot of similarities in how all three cultures celebrate LNY, I think a lot of what we as guests are seeing at Disneyland’s celebration is mostly Chinese influenced.
Me: Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me, Keshia. One final question because you are the queen of style. Are there any specific articles of clothing (or colors) one should wear in celebration of the Lunar New Year and what is the cultural significance?
Keshia: This also varies from culture to culture but in Chinese culture, you’ll want to wear red for good luck! I like to take it a step further and wear a qipao/cheongsam, or the traditional Chinese dress to really embrace my culture during this time of year (it’s interchangeable, “qipao” is Mandarin and “cheongsam” is Cantonese).
Me: Thank you again for joining me on the blog today. This has been so fun and I’ve learned so much. Can’t wait to look at things through a new lens the next time I visit Disneyland for the Lunar New Year.
Follow Keshia on Instagram at keshiasih and if you want to learn even more about the Lunar New Year check out her blog keshiasih.com!
