Jaslene Jones

Last Friday, LAHS held an assembly in front of the Performing Arts Center to celebrate Lunar New Year.

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. — Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, is a significant traditional holiday celebrated in many East Asian countries, including China, Korea and Vietnam. This year, it was celebrated on Jan. 29, and the 2025 zodiac animal is a wood snake. In Chinese culture, the snake symbolizes wisdom, intuition and transformation.

According to National Geographic, Lunar New Year originated in China, and one of the first documented ways to celebrate this holiday was with the color red. One legend, told throughout many generations, tells the story of the monster Nian, who terrorized villages at the beginning of each year. The villagers discovered that Nian feared red, fire and loud noises, which is why people celebrate Lunar New Year with red decorations and firecrackers. 

Last Friday, Jan. 24, during lunch, Los Alamitos High School’s Asian Culture Club held a performance in the quad to celebrate Lunar New Year that amazed students, teachers and staff. ACC members dressed in traditional dragon costumes, danced in a parade and played drums.

Miller Chan started volunteering at Lunar New Year festivals two years ago.

“It never gets old: being able to see the smiling faces of people when they try new foods or watching the astonishing performances,” Chan said.

There are many different ways to celebrate Lunar New Year, like gift-giving, fireworks, red decorations and food! Lunar New Year is a time for indulging in delicious and symbolic foods such as dumplings and whole fish. These cultural foods symbolize the carefully prepared dishes that usher in good luck, wealth and prosperity for the new year. 

Many Chinese households are also thoroughly cleaned to drive out of the previous year’s bad luck and make the home welcoming to good luck in the coming year. During the first couple of days of the festival, it’s traditional to store brooms away, so the newly arrived wealth and prosperity will not be swept away.

The most common gift-giving practice for Lunar New Year is red envelopes, also known as hongbao or lai see, which is a symbolic way to show respect, generosity and compassion during the festival’s traditions. Elders typically fill envelopes with an even amount of money, as odd numbers are considered unlucky, and give them to children. The envelopes are seen as blessings and wishes for a bright future. 

Lunar New Year recognizes Asian culture and the start of a new year, with families all over the world celebrating to welcome good fortune and adventure.