Henri: Tokki Chums Chinese New Year!

Hi everyone! This is Henri wishing everyone a happy Chinese New Year! I'm unfamiliar with Chinese New Year, also called Lunar New Year, so I had my chums help me understand how it came to be and some of the background for the holiday. I thought to share it within this blog for everyone else to know! Read on to learn more about this exciting holiday!

As mentioned, the Chinese New Year is also called the Lunar New Year, which is the beginning of a new year based on the lunar calendar. Each year, a different animal is honored based on the Chinese Zodiac. This year's animal is a snake, the 6th animal of the 12-year cycle of animals that are a part of the Chinese zodiac. While following the 12-year cycle, one element is represented along with each animal. This year, the element is wood, and when paired with the snake, 2025 will emphasize adaptability, creativity, and long-term planning.

To celebrate the holiday, my chums and I decided to take part in traditions accustomed to people who celebrate Chinese New Year. On the eve of the new year, we ate a fantastic feast we created together. From spring rolls to dumplings, noodles, steamed chicken, and more, we had plenty of food for all of us to share. Once we finished eating, we relaxed and talked more about the holiday and the many festivities people celebrate. Once it got closer to midnight, we got ready to go outside and set up firecrackers for the new year.

It's believed that whoever launches the first fireworks of the new year will earn good luck for the new year. Unfortunately, we couldn’t buy any fireworks for the event. Stefan bought firecrackers for us instead, as the store was all sold out of firecrackers. Many people were excited to celebrate the new year! We waited and started to count down as the time inched closer to midnight. At 12, we lit all the firecrackers and let them go crazy! It was a fun sight to see as each one went in different directions with loud noises. We heard many other firecrackers and fireworks in the distance, many of them lit up the dark sky with beautiful colors. We watched as people around us celebrated, but we decided to head in soon after as it was very cold!

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