An believed two billion people today around the entire world celebrate the Lunar New Yr, which, in a lot of Asian cultures, is meant as a time to welcome a new year through family reunions and vibrant celebrations. So it is no surprise that it’s a well known event for resourceful, more than-the-leading activities, with fun aspects tying into themes of peace and prosperity. Each year in the lunar calendar is represented by just one of 12 zodiac animals—this year, it’s the rabbit—adding another pleasurable layer to celebrations. In 2023, Lunar New Year kicks off on Jan. 22.
We caught up with Amanda Ma, the Taiwanese-American founder and CEO of Innovate Marketing Team in Pasadena, Calif., to chat about all things Lunar New Year—including guidance for models and company teams setting up their individual celebrations. Listed here are her tips…
What color strategies and decor objects do you suggest leaning into for Lunar New 12 months celebrations?
We propose utilizing bright and heat colours like pink, gold, pink, and orange-crimson, which are incredibly well known and crucial hues as they symbolize fantastic luck, prosperity, passion, and pleasure. For classic decor, you can lighten up the occasion space with plum blossom flowers projected on the walls or function area, pink rabbit-shaped lanterns as the centerpieces surrounded by stunning florals, florals with heat shades, gold Yuanbao, and significant firecrackers. Or, giant stacked pink cubes with custom made brand name logos visible on a person side of each individual cube—other obvious sides of the cubes can would like “good luck,” “prosperity,” or “delighted Lunar New Yr” in distinct languages.
For her own Lunar New Year activities, Innovate Advertising Group’s Ma leans into dazzling and warm colours like crimson, gold, pink, and orange-crimson, which she notes symbolize superior luck, prosperity, enthusiasm, and joy.Photograph: Courtesy of Innovate Promoting Team
In the Year of the Rabbit, it truly is charming to integrate some rabbit-formed decor, themes, and functions. Floral decor and floral factors match well with this fluffy creature. An interactive action to have at your function is to incorporate a modest petting zone with actual rabbits, letting friends to pet them to get hold of excellent fortune. Or have a number of manufacturer ambassadors hold a single and walk all-around the function so visitors can pet them.
In addition, you can use a clever and fascinating way to give out blessings and greetings to your company linked to rabbits, like “Hopping into happiness” or “I desire you hop into the Year of Rabbit with fortune and luck.”
A enjoyment fact about the Calendar year of the Rabbit is the word rabbit in Chinese is “兔,” which is the very same pronunciation as “to”—so you can give out your greetings by saying “Happy New Yr 兔You” and “Good Luck 兔 You.” You can also integrate these phrases on the signage of your occasion to incorporate additional enjoyment to the total expertise!
What about foodstuff?
Eating all sorts of conventional foodstuff and treats is a big section of a Lunar New 12 months celebration, like dumplings, fish, oranges, spring rolls, shrimp, complete hen, lion’s head meatballs, and Lunar New 12 months desserts like Nian Gao (sweet rice cake), Jujube flower cakes, and almond cookies. The dumpling resembles ancient Chinese money—gold Yuanbao, an auspicious symbol of prosperity. By having fish, you wish you will often have a surplus and abundance each individual year. By ingesting the orange, you bring very good fortune and luck.
If you want to prepare some welcome or celebration presents for your party, we like these reward tips for desserts: Sugarfina Luna New Yr Bento Reward Established and Woman M My Melody Box. Sweet and fruit are also two preferred options, like this Lunar New 12 months fruit box and gold coin chocolate. Other than sweets, if you want to prepare one thing classy for your company, you can present them with tea items like this Warming Joy tea gift box, as tea is often a important cultural component for Chinese people.
What is the major detail to stay clear of when setting up a Lunar New Yr celebration?
You should really avoid some taboos when arranging a Lunar New Yr celebration to reduce lousy luck or inauspicious meanings. Initially, stay clear of black or white shades for your decor, as they are typically employed for funerals. Secondly, keep away from indicating undesirable text or swear text through the Lunar New Calendar year. When applying quantities or providing out red envelopes to your guests or personnel, stay clear of unlucky numbers like 4, or providing out an odd sum of income. Some of our clientele will question us to skip any table range with 4 in it: 4, 14, 40 , 41, and many others.
On top of that, scissors, knives, or chopping issues this sort of as your hair are also forbidden for the duration of the new 12 months so that you is not going to “slice” your prosperity. In phrases of food, never serve your friends porridge or bitter gourd, as porridge provides poverty and bitter gourd as it is a poor omen predicting bitterness.
Any strategies for models and corporate groups that want to accept Lunar New Calendar year? How can they make it sense meaningful and genuine?
For the corporate teams, we suggest you provide some genuine Chinese foodstuff and desserts to your attendees or personnel, and place up different new 12 months decorations in the event house and the business. Culturally, Lunar New 12 months is about the household reunion to celebrate and take in together. It is the finest time for corporate teams to have staff bonding or recognition activities that generate a entertaining and celebratory surroundings.
A Lunar New Year celebration is really energetic, with loud audio and entertainment and a great deal of meals and snacks! Some well known enjoyment possibilities are lion dancers, a mask-altering artist, martial arts demonstrations, calligraphy, audio, arts and craft demonstrations, drum performances, circus shows, and extra. To include a surprise-and-delight element, you can pass out red pockets to your attendees with blessed messages some of them can have revenue.
Reward: Look at out our podcast interview with Ma, where she shared a lot more strategies to make culturally delicate gatherings for Asian audiences.
Feeling impressed? Scroll down to see within some current Lunar New Calendar year celebrations…