By Nina Huang
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Cleaning the house, participating in a festive feast, and playing dice games are just a few of the common traditions that Asian families take part in to welcome the Lunar New Year.
Vietnamese American Tri Le grew up in Portland, Oregon. Her family took Tèt, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, very seriously. She said that parents would take her and her siblings out of school and treat it like a holiday.
“It’s all about welcoming new energy. There are a lot of similar traditions like cleaning your house, but the first person to enter your home brings the energy for the new year, based on their zodiac, so people are strategic about who they invite to set the tone for the year,” Le said.
Le’s mom’s favorite thing about Tèt was the tradition of not arguing.
Le said her mom always loved it, because no one could argue or raise their voice.
“She still loves it, too, because in a marriage, my parents try to be peaceful to bring each other good luck,” she said.
Le’s dad’s favorite aspect was the food. He loved bánh tét, sweet sticky rice stuffed with mung beans and salted pork wrapped in banana leaves.
As a kid, Le’s family would have a big party and they’d play a Vietnamese dice gambling game called bầu cua cá cọp, where players roll dice and get paid by the multiplication of those dice.
“We would just play for hours and hours to try and win money,” Le said. “That was my favorite tradition to stay up late and play with family and friends.”
Prior to having children, Le and her American husband celebrated Tèt by throwing a party every year.
“In some ways, he’s more Vietnamese than me. He’s encouraged me to do as much as possible. We’ve hosted parties until COVID, and now that the kids are older, we go out to celebrate,” Le said.
At home, they still prepare an offering meal to honor her ancestors. Le said it is important to be particular about how many bowls of food there are. She also said that they set out incense for their ancestors.
Offering meal. Courtesy of Tri Le.
Whole offering meal. Courtesy of Tri Le.
For the last few years, Le and her family have celebrated Tèt at the Seattle Center, which hosts an annual, family-friendly celebration. This year, they are planning to check out Little Saigon Creative’s events.
Tiffany Tsai has been trying to make it a tradition to host and get together to celebrate the Lunar New Year with friends, in addition to celebrating with family. Tsai’s grandmother is from the Shandong province of China.
During her Lunar New Year family dinner, they eat fish, pickled vegetables with pork, and beef with bean sprouts, along with her grandma’s homemade red bean rice cakes. Although Tsai is in her mid-30s, she still receives red envelopes from the older generations.
They also almost always eat at a family member’s house in Bellevue, where Tsai’s grandfather’s ashes are. Her grandfather passed away in 1980.
Janet Tan and her family are from Malaysia, but now they live in Seattle. They usually have a big gathering, where the kids receive red envelopes.
“I try to make as close to what we cook at home, and my parents will make the whole steamed chicken and fish dishes,” she said.
Tan makes these traditional dishes, as well as longevity noodles, to introduce Malaysian culture to her kids.
Jackie Mao, who is Malaysian Chinese, shared that Malaysian Chinese people are typically of Southern Chinese origin, such as Cantonese, Hakka, Teochew, Hokkien, Fuchow, and Peranakan (mixed Malay). Depending on what clan they’re from, they may celebrate with different dishes and traditions.
Hakka poon choi. Courtesy of Jackie Mao.
“We do something called ‘yee sang’ in Malaysia, which is a sashimi salad,” Mao said.
She said that some of the common Lunar New Year practices among these different clans include a Lunar New Year’s Eve family reunion house and no sweeping of the house for three days. There are, of course, plenty of Lunar New Year snacks, including mandarin oranges for luck. She also said that some people give each other red packets for unmarried people, wear red, and eat poon choi, which is mainly a Hakka dish.
Mao shared that the Hokkiens typically celebrate in a major way on the 15th day of Lunar New Year, a day called “chap goh mei,” which is their biggest celebration day. For Cantonese and Hakka, the first three days of Lunar New Year are the most auspicious, with the first day being the best day to throw open houses with lion dances.
Lion dance. Courtesy of Jackie Mao.
Some people also bring out the gambling cheer, with mahjong, a dice game called Fish-Prawn-Crab, and card games in their homes. Others prefer to just do a big spread of celebration food.
“I think the difference between my childhood Lunar New Year experience in Malaysia and the Asian American experience in the U.S. is the big celebration and community aspect,” Mao said. “It was so vibrant, loud, and busy [in Malaysia]… there were so many houses to visit, people to wish, cultural gifts to give and receive, whereas living in the U.S. means that I have to actively seek out and create the Lunar New Year cultural experience. It’s very easy to have it pass by without much thought if I don’t try.”
Mao also said that homemade snacks are a huge thing in Malaysia.
“It’s a bit of a flex to tell folks you managed to grab a few tubs of a famous, home-based snack-maker’s goodies, and offer them to your guests,” Mao said.
Courtesy of Jackie Mao.
Mao is also the founder and creator of Seattle Asian Moms, a local Facebook group to connect Asian moms with one another. She looks forward to gathering fellow moms together this year for a Lunar New Year potluck.
“I usually get a yellow potted mum and make paper lanterns with my daughter for simple decor at home,” Jonie Ng said. “I also dress her in a traditional qipao and take her to see a lion dance or firecracker show. I also give out red pocket envelopes with lucky money to my niece and nephews.”
Mums. Courtesy of Jonie Ng.
Ng also has a dinner feast at her parents’ house and sometimes she will make dumplings, too.
Uyjien Ung, who is Chinese Cambodian American, follows his dad’s lead on many of the dishes and order of traditions.
“We’ve woven some more interactive activities in recent years to make it more festive and not just an observance exercise, which while growing up it often felt like given the distribution of Chinese in the area,” Ung said.
Uyjien Ung’s daughter. Courtesy of Uyjien Ung.
Ung said his family will eat the usual auspicious dishes, such as the whole fish and longevity noodles. In recent years, they’ve gotten the kids involved in making dumplings.
They also play klah klok, a Khmer dice game, much like the Fish-Prawn-Crab game Le and Mao play with their families. In addition, they’ll also burn offerings for their ancestors and share stories about fond memories of relatives who’ve passed.
Uyjien and his son play a game. Courtesy of Uyjien Ung.
Ung said he and his family discuss going to their temple, but are often deterred by the cold and potential for overcrowding.
Tsetseglen B., a native of Mongolia, shared that Tsagaan Sar, which means “white moon,” is the Mongolian Lunar New Year, and one of the country’s most cherished traditions. In 2025, it will be celebrated from Feb. 29—March 3. The celebration is deeply rooted in Mongolian culture, and symbolizes renewal and unity.
The eve of Tsagaan Sar, known as Bituun, coincides with the new moon. On this day, families thoroughly clean their homes, and herders tidy their cattle stables in preparation for a fresh start. A key tradition on Bituun is feasting—everyone eats until they are completely full, ensuring no one ends the day unsatisfied.
The first day of the new year, Shiniin Negen, begins early, with everyone dressing in traditional deel. Women prepare milk tea as an offering to the earth, while men climb nearby hills to greet the first sunrise of the year. Visitors are welcomed with a warm greeting, “Amar baina uu?” meaning, “Are you living peacefully?” Hosts serve snuff tobacco, milk tea, dairy products, steamed beef, dumplings, and other traditional dishes.
“For three days, families and friends reunite, enjoy traditional cuisine, and strengthen bonds,” B. said. “Tsagaan Sar is a time for Mongolians to honor their traditions, celebrate the arrival of spring, and reflect on the resilience of nomadic herders after a harsh winter. It is truly a joyous and unifying occasion for all.”
Nina can be reached at newstips@nwasianweekly.com.