An Americanized Tradition

How Lunar New Year is Changing in America

As millions of Asian families immigrated to the United States, their traditions and culture followed them. Many families and communities have maintained the exact traditions that were passed down through generations; however, other groups have taken a different approach. This practice introduces the idea of cultural traditions actively influenced by American culture. One major tradition that has been impacted by this change is the Lunar New Year. According to the Smithsonian Museum of Asian Art, Lunar New Year is, “a celebration of the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar. It is the most important holiday in China, and it is also widely celebrated in South Korea, Vietnam and countries with a significant overseas Chinese population.” This celebration includes traditions like not cleaning the house and having a large feast for dinner. With an everchanging family landscape, some families have chosen to modify traditions like those associated with Lunar New Year, causing each to have a unique celebration that may better fit their current demographic.

For Kiana Krutchaiyan, a firstyear student at the University of Florida, her family celebrates Lunar New Year with a few key changes. Krutchaiyan is half-Thai and half-Chinese, but mentioned that her family’s celebration is Chinese-based. She described it as casual and family-centered as her family does not spend as much time at their temple.

Aside from not heavily attending temple, Krutchaiyan’s family follows many other traditions. Their day of celebration involves a meatless meal during the day and a large family dinner at night. She is also not allowed to clean the house or wash her hair, which are two staples of Lunar New Year. She also participates in the process of making the traditional glutinous rice balls, Tang Yuan.

“Happy Chinese New Year.” Later in the day, Shi makes dumplings with his family and enjoys how they “laugh about how some of them are terrible and they’re gonna explode in the pot.”

Krutchaiyan also noted the importance of maintaining tradition, and sometimes that means change. She believes, “Keeping the main cultural aspects of the traditions are nice, but you don’t have to follow it to a tee.”

Since arriving at college, Krutchaiyan has adapted her traditions to maintain the essence of Lunar New Year, just in a different environment. She explained, “I like how when I came to college I was able to continue some of it, like still going out for a big friends dinner, instead of a family dinner, with the people that I care about.”

Krutchaiyan and her family celebrate Lunar New Year while following many traditions, but they also enjoy a more laid-back day that consists of family time.

Similarly, in fourth-year University of Florida student Michael Shi’s family, Lunar New Year is tailored to his own family’s situation. Both of Shi’s parents are Chinese and first-generation immigrants; however, their celebration is toned down and features just a few typical traditions. He highlighted Hong Bao, the traditional red envelope gifts, as the start of his day. After receiving his Hong Bao, Shi responds with “Xīnnián kuàilè,” meaning

To Shi, Lunar New Year is heavily influenced by American culture, and lamented how, “We don’t get a lot of time. America pushes us to be very individualistic, and very much like ‘our time is sacred.’ So you gotta go, go, go. So, even the times when we’re not together, it makes me appreciate it a lot more when we can just sit down and spend hours just making dumplings, eating together and having that time with family.”

Time is everything when determining what a celebration can cover. Shi mentioned a celebration by the Jacksonville Chinese Association and a traditional Beijing opera, both of which he cannot fit into his day. Instead, he and his family choose to spend quality time together to celebrate the new year. Shi explained, “We just don’t have the time to do all those things. So I feel like we choose the thing that matters the most to us, which is that time of being together with our family. We could go to a performance, we could go watch these things and we could decorate the house. But I think what’s most important for us is just having that time of togetherness being in that peaceful moment where we can just laugh, talk and eat.”

Although Shi’s celebration isn’t a typical new year celebration, he is devoted to keeping his culture and tradition alive. He detailed that, “There’s something special about the history that has culminated, and thousands of years of people just doing this thing that they want to celebrate and show that there’s an importance to spending time together with your loved ones and then carrying that on.”

Shi’s Lunar New Year features several traditional events and foods, while also being adapted to what best fits his family. This tradition is “key to our identity,” according to Shi, and he believes that passing on tradition is important and will continue his cultural legacy.

As families and their following generations grow, traditions are bound to change; however, that does not mean these traditions should be abandoned, and change is not always hurtful. Asian families in the United States should learn to embrace a new and interesting take on cultural traditions and continue adapting to what works for each family or community. These changes occur naturally to better curate traditions towards younger generations, and they will ensure that these historical traditions continue to be passed down. Without any room for innovation, Asian traditions will be consumed by Western culture. Traditions should continue to adapt so that they are never forgotten and remain prevalent to every Asian American family going forward.