Is Chinese New Year the most important celebration for Chinese children?
In the U.S., Chinese New Year’s is less important than in Asia and even less important on the West Coast than the East Coast. For example, in New York City, it is the one day that all the businesses shutter their doors, when even on Christmas day they do not. I think this has to do with how assimilated the population is; in New York, there is a higher immigrant population, and there are more places that support keeping and following traditions. For example, for years, there was not one Chinese bakery in Seattle and you could not buy cookies or pastries associated with New Year’s. You had to skip that part of the tradition and that’s how things are forgotten. 4. Can you give a brief description of Chinese New Year for those of us not familiar with it? The Chinese New Year is based on the lunar calendar. It is also the start of its annual animal astrological sign; this year is the Year of the Horse. It is a time of new beginning. You need to put things in order, sweep out dust from your
