Guest Columnist: How A Local Family Celebrates Chinese New Year

Pam Wanstall has four children. Two of her children are adopted; one from Korea and one from China. To celebrate her children and their heritage the family celebrates the 15-day celebration of Chinese New Year together.

Here are some of the ways they celebrate:

Our favorite (and the best around), Asian Market is the HMart, 3 Old Concord Road, Burlington.

We always get little Chinese gifts, especially chopsticks, at Lotus Gifts in Museum Place Mall, Salem.

Two places we frequent are PF Chang's, for more upscale, expensive food and in town, Fen Yang's, mostly for take out.

Some local events are:

Lunar New Year Weekend Celebration at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem (Local libraries have passes). Feb. 12

CNY Celebration at the Children's Museum, Boston, Feb. 13, 11a.m. to 4p.m.

Lion Dance Parade, Boston's Chinatown, kickoff at 10a.m., festivities go until 5p.m. We have never been as we have been told that the firecrackers get quite loud.

A great group to see (they will be at the Peabody Essex Museum) is the Chinese Folk Art Workshop, they are a performance group of Asian kids, ages 12 to 18. They have a calendar on their website. They do Folk Dance, Lion Dance, Dragon Dance, Taiwanese Drums, Diabolo and Martial Arts. They are fabulous, I could see them again and again!

Some books we own:

My First Chinese New year

Lanterns and Firecrackers: A Chinese New Year Story

Moonbeams, Dumplings and Dragon Boats

Chinese New Year Dragon

And anything by Author Grace Lin

Craft Time

An easy craft I always do with my kids' classes is a Chinese Lantern, we usually use Red Construction paper.

The directions are on many websites, but this is an easy, readable one to try.


It is tradition to give children Red Envelopes with money in them for prosperity. We usually give our kids these with some kind of gift card in them.