Just Folks. The Lunar New Year.
January 25, 2025, was the beginning of the Lunar New Year 2025 festivities. Also known as Chinese New Year, it marks the beginning of a two-week long celebration starting on the evening of the first new moon after the Winter Solstice and continuing until the night of the first full moon of the lunisolar calendar. On this night, the holiday ends with a red lantern display that symbolizes hope and love.
This year, we welcomed the Year of the Snake. Those individuals that are born in the year(s) of the snake are believed to have many positive things going for them, such as resilience, adaptability, and the ability to face and triumph over life challenges. They are believed to be creative and often extremely intelligent and intuitive. As we know, the snake also sheds its skin. Similarly, the Year of the Snake is a time for us to shed toxic traits and feelings, letting go of grievances and anger. It is a year for growth.
Like our American Thanksgiving, Lunar New Year celebrations are centered around food and family. Of course, I was curious about the menu. Along with lots of noodle dishes, whole fish and whole duck are served and symbolize the reunion of the whole family. Dumplings are the ultimate comfort food and are always included. I didn’t realize how many variations and recipes for dumplings there are until I came across the Dumpling School in Cambridge, MA. Steamed, water boiled, pan-fried, deep fried, dim sum, and wonton dumplings. A lot of us are familiar with these deliciously doughy pot sticker varietals.
In addition to their mouth-watering deliciousness, I was struck by their symbolism….and that comfort food is in fact a universal language.
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