Chinese new year celebration - lunar new year, chinese food, recipes, asian family

Lunar New Year is considered the Thanksgiving of Asians and Asian Americans — and in Chinese culture, the new year is the most important holiday of the entire year. On Feb. 10, we bid

farewell to the Year of the Dragon and usher in the Year of the Snake. According to the Chinese zodiac, the snake is enigmatic, intuitive, introspective, refined and collected. People born

in the Year of the Snake — 1905, 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989 and 2001 — are said to be intelligent, wise, strong mediators and good at business. Spending time with family and

paying respect to elders are important traditions of this holiday. Chinese officials forecast that 3.4 billion trips will be taken during the 15-day holiday period in 2013, an increase of

8.6 percent from last year. "We start our celebration on New Year's Eve by going to my parents' home to have dinner,"said Fred Teng, newly appointed member of AARP New

York's executive council. "On New Year's Day, we visit my parents and my in-laws to pay our respects, and then my family and I go to Chinatown to catch the annual Chinatown

Lunar New Year Parade & Festival to enjoy the festivities." "Going to the home of my parents is a significant part of our culture as it communicates respect to our elders to

show appreciation and wish them longevity, good health and a prosperous year," Teng adds. "For me, the goal is to extend these festivities and share my culture with people and

groups outside of the Chinese community." In Chinese culture, the Lunar New Year is the most important holiday of the entire year. AsiaPix RF/Getty Images As with most cultures, food is

a way of celebrating the new year, and one of the ways we show our love and appreciation for family and friends. If your family does not live nearby, a great way to celebrate is to invite

close friends and their families over to have a homemade dumpling party. You can also cook a few dishes that symbolize health, prosperity, long life and good luck for the year. Here are

eight (eight is a lucky number in Chinese culture) recipes and party tips to celebrate your Lunar New Year. 1. POT STICKER DUMPLINGS WITH GINGER SOY DIPPING SAUCE BY NANCIE MCDERMOTT

Dumplings symbolize wealth, are easy to make and are a great take-away gift from the party! You can keep uncooked dumplings in the freezer to boil, steam or fry at another time. They are

also great additions to soups. Feel free to substitute ground chicken or turkey for pork. 2. LETTUCE CUPS WITH TURKEY BY LEANN CHIN AND KATIE CHIN The Cantonese word for lettuce sounds like

rising fortune so it is common to eat lettuce cups filled with other lucky food. For a bit of sweetness and crunch, you can also add chopped green apples to this dish. 3. PROSPERITY STEAMED

FISH BY MARTIN YAN In China, fish is a symbol of wealth and prosperity. When serving fish, you serve the whole head and tail, for eating the whole fish symbolizes having a prosperous year

from the beginning to end.