Lunar New Year 2022: what it is and how to celebrate in New York
'01.02.2022'
Nurgul Sultanova-Chetin
The most important and beloved holiday of the year in China is the Spring Festival (Chunjie), the traditional Chinese Lunar New Year. There is no fixed date for the holiday. The onset of 2022 (4720 according to the Chinese calendar) falls on February 1. It will last until January 22, 2023. The beginning of the Chinese year falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice and moves between January 21 and February 21, explains “RIA News“. Edition 6sqft put together a list of the best options for celebrating the Eastern New Year in New York.
Each year is represented by a specific zodiac sign (animal) and element. The symbol of 2022 will be the Black Water Tiger. It represents change, fortitude, courage, health, vitality and physical strength.
Lunar New Year Parade and Festival в Chinese quarter
The 24th annual Lunar New Year Parade returns to Chinatown this year. On Sunday, February 20, the parade starts at 13:00 on Motte and Canal streets. It will move from Chattam Square to East Broadway, to Manhattan bridge and end near Sarah D. Roosevelt Park. The free event, hosted by Better Chinatown USA, also includes vendors and live performances celebrating the Year of the Tiger.
Celebrate the Year of the Tiger with live music, calligraphy and a rooftop lion dance parade. The February 5 event hosted by the Brooklyn Children's Museum is split into two parts. Morning program from 10:00 to 13:00 and afternoon program from 14:00 to 17:00. Children learn about the festival through stories and Chinese lessons with author Michelle Wong McSween. There will also be live music, a Chinese calligraphy workshop with Nelson Leung, and a lion dance parade by the Chinatown Young Lion Community. Reserve your seat here.
Virtual Book Adventure - New Year Grace Lyn
Brooklyn Public Library, online. The free event will take place on February 1 at 14-14:30
Read along to learn about some of the classic Chinese traditions and cultures that people celebrate on New Year's Day! Children aged 0-3 and their parents can enjoy this fun activity by watching it on Facebook.
Brookfield Place and New York Chinese Cultural Center
During the first week of February, Brookfield Place hosts a multi-day Lunar New Year celebration. Ice sculptures by local art group Okamoto Studio will be on display in the square. Take part in a live ice carving demonstration and enjoy the sculptures from February 3rd to February 5th. This Saturday, February 5th, the New York Chinese Cultural Center will be providing free craft kits for making Christmas lanterns.
Bryant park
In Midtown Park on February 6 at 15:00 pm, the Chinese Cultural Center of New York will also perform a special performance with a lion dance. In addition, visitors of all ages will be able to make a wish for the new year on the "Wish Tree" in bryant park.
Flushing Town Hall
This year, for the first time since the start of the pandemic, Flushing Town Hall is returning for the first time since the start of the pandemic in-person Lunar New Year celebrations. Queens Institution to Host Free Art Exhibition Feb 5-16 "Reunion: Start Again", featuring the work of eight local Asian American immigrant artists. Among them are Sofia Chizuko, Cui Fei, Chemin Xiao, Wuming Kim, Stephanie S. Lee, Weihui Lu, Pony Ma, Yu-Wuan Wang.
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Flushing Town Hall will also present a film festival "Lunar New Year" February 5-6. The festival will feature three films, followed by a Q&A segment. Festive events will end on February 13 with a concert “Korea meets Armenia”, which is part of a series of musical collages of artists from different countries. Tickets cost 15 dollars.
New York Philharmonic Lunar New Year Concert»
Celebrate the Year of the Tiger with renowned artists from the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. As part of a special Lunar New Year concert on February 8, violinist Stella Chen joins the orchestra in Bizet's Carmen Fantasy and « Nostalgia" Ma Sikong. Hera Hyesan sings songs by Dvorak, Cho Doo Nam and Lim Geun Su. Earl Lee conducts favorite works by Berlioz and Duke, as well as Li Huanzhi's Spring Festival Overture. Buy tickets from $90 to $159 here.
Pearl River Mart
A long-time New York City favorite for its unique Asian-inspired décor, Pearl River Mart is hosting several New Year's Eve celebrations. Enjoy a special Lunar New Year menu (kimbap rolls, bao and bubble tea) from the likes of Mao's Bao, Kimbap Lab, Tea & Milk and Kitsby at Chelsea Market February 5th. Book a heated private cabana outside and enjoy a front row seat to a performance by the Wan Chi Min Hung Gar Institute's Dragon and Lion dance team. Dinner for four at an outdoor heated table starts at $208 and for six people starts at $308. Book a table here.
Pearl River Mart also sells a Friendship Box (Friendship Box), which includes lucky foods, lucky red money envelopes, noise reduction to scare away evil spirits, a zodiac action book, the latest Chinese pocket almanac, and more.
Museum of the Chinese Language in America
Enjoy weeks of free virtual Lunar New Year events, at the Museum of Chinese in America. The museum is considered one of the most extensive museums dedicated to Sino-American relations. The online festival will include everything related to the tiger, including homemade crafts and stories. Other fun activities include a free dumpling-making class, a ribbon dancing workshop, and a meeting with author Eugenia Chu.
Lunar New Year at the Staten Island Museum
The Staten Island Museum at Snug Harbor is teaming up with the Korean Community Development Center to celebrate the Lunar New Year. At an in-person event, attendees can make holiday decorations using a custom madeupa, the traditional Korean craft of knotting, write your name in calligraphy, compete in chegichagi, a game similar to khakkisak, and take home a gift bag of traditional Korean treats.
House-museum Lewis Latimer
Lewis Latimer, which was once the home of African-American inventor Lewis Latimer, will host a Tinker Festival to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Organized in collaboration with the Chinese Theater Group on February 5, the event includes a shadow puppet making workshop and an introduction to Chinese opera. The two-hour event is free and will take place virtually via Zoom.
Queens Botanical Garden
This year, the Queens Botanic Gardens is hosting several Lunar New Year events, including an annual lucky plant sale. Until February 13th, choose from plants ranging from jade to peace lilies available at the garden shop. You can also get involved in a community art project by creating a tiger stripe mural or decorating a tiger's face. The work will be exhibited to the public in February. On Saturday, February 5th, QBG will host an all-day celebration event that will include a winter item hunt, compost tours (offered in Mandarin and English), lion dance performances, takeaway crafts, and more. Book your free event here.
The huge upscale mall at Hudson Yards is decorated for the Lunar New Year, including huge lanterns throughout the space. In cooperation with the New York Chinese Cultural Center on February 5 and 12 at 13:00 pm, 15:00 pm, and 17:00 pm, free performances will be held on the first level of the mall with traditional lion dances and ribbon spinning. Any customer who spends $188 in stores will receive a free set of chopsticks in a silk case.
