Ring in the Lunar New Year with these dishes for luck and prosperity
With preparations underway for Lunar New Year celebrations across Sydney, here’s what’s happening in your area and the delicious dishes believed to bring luck and prosperity for 2025.
Blacktown
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Residents across Sydney are preparing to ring in the Lunar New Year hanging their dragons, cashing in red envelopes full of lucky money and feasting on delicious food.
More than 1000 years since the first recorded celebrations, and with multiple Asian countries and cultures joining in the festivities, the Lunar New Year joy has continued to grow across the city.
Among staple traditions such as the exchanging of red envelopes with money, making and flying lanterns and exploring markets, families gather together and eat certain foods to bring luck.
According to Ian Kim, restaurant operations manager from popular Korean BBQ franchise, Butchers Buffet, certain cultures eat specific meals during the Lunar New Year.
“Koreans eat a rice cake soup, that’s a must-have during the Lunar New Year,” Mr Kim said.
“We also have some dumplings as well. The dumpling and the rice cake have two different meanings in this soup. Dumplings means a prosperity and fortune, and the rice cake meanings is for long life.
“The Chinese have a spring roll because when they’re fully cooked, it shows a golden colour outside. So they think it looks like a gold bar that brings good money and prosperity.”
Mr Kim also noted that many Asian cultures celebrated the holiday in different ways.
“As a Korean living in Sydney, I’ve noticed a lot of distinct ways various Asian cultures celebrate the Lunar New Year in different ways,” he said.
“In Korea, we mostly focus on traditional rituals like bowing to elders and handing over fortune money. Meanwhile the Chinese are more like celebrating with dragon festivals, dragon dances and decorating their houses with red colours everywhere.
“On the other hand, the Vietnamese is more focused on gathering families all together with the beautiful decorations with pink blossoms.”
Council celebrations
Councils across Sydney are joining in with Lunar New Year celebrations.
Fairfield Council, with more than 40 per cent of its population of Asian descent, will be throwing their annual 10-hour Lunar New Year festival on February 15 at the Cabramatta Town Centre.
Activities include lion and dragon dancing performances, children’s activities, calligraphy demonstrations, the popular children’s chopstick challenge, amusement rides and fireworks.
With more than 20 per cent of residents born in either China, Korea, Vietnam and Indonesia, the Hills Shire Council will be hosting its Hills Lunar New Year at Arthur Whitling Park on February 8.
The Hills Lunar New Year will treat you to seven hours of delicious Asian staples such as dumplings, dragon beard candy, steaming bowls of ramen, and crispy Hong Kong bubble waffles.
In Blacktown, residents will be treated to Chinese fire crackers, a dragon and a lion dance and plenty of kids activities at the Chang Lai Yuan Chinese Gardens at Nurragingy Reserve, Doonside on February 7.
Canterbury-Bankstown Council will be kicking off its celebrations on January 18.
Locals can head to Griffith Park and Olympic Parade in Bankstown to enjoy food and activities from 4pm to 9pm.
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