Lunar New Year — Chicago’s Asian communities celebrate, reflect and feast

Red lanterns symbolizing good fortune are strewn above and along Chinatown’s Wentworth Avenue, while nearby businesses are decorated with pictures and signs depicting rabbits — all in preparation of Lunar New Year, which officially begins on Sunday.

Chinatown’s Evergreen Restaurant, 2411 S. Wentworth Ave., has been wishing a “Happy New Year” to patrons all week. The holiday, considered the most important in China, is also considered a major holiday in other countries including Vietnam, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia.

Chinatown is not the only neighborhood celebrating the first day of the lunar calendar, which marks months in moon cycles. For the Chinese and several other Asian cultures, 2023 marks the Year of the Rabbit. However, in Uptown, which has a large Vietnamese population centered on Argyle Street, preparations are being made to celebrate the Year of the Cat.

Vietnamese culture shares 10 of the zodiac calendar’s 12 signs — the rat, tiger, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. But the Vietnamese honor the cat instead of the rabbit and the buffalo instead of the ox.

The Chinese consider the rabbit the luckiest of the 12 zodiac signs, representing peace and longevity. People born in the Year of the Rabbit are thought to be vigilant, witty and ingenious. The Vietnamese say those born in the Year of the Cat have the same personality traits, astrological forecast and destiny. Among the most famous celebrities in the U.S. who are “rabbits” or “cats” are Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Brad Pitt and Charlize Theron. 

The Chinatown parade, scheduled to kick off from 24th and Wentworth at 1 p.m. Jan. 29, will feature dozens of floats, and organizers say could attract an estimated 30,000 people. The Vietnamese community in Uptown will host a smaller parade the day before.

But the holiday is about more than one-day events. 

For many, the start of the Lunar New Year is a time for reflection and to be with family, and is celebrated over several days. 

“Traditionally the Chinese celebrate with a big dinner at home either before or after Chinese New Year Day. People make a lot of dishes,” said Mabel Moy, a longtime Chinatown business owner and board member of the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce.

Many of the dishes are symbolic, like Chinese mooncake, a round pastry made from lotus seed paste that is served in small wedges, according to Paul Luu, chief executive of the Chinese American Service League.

“Before the new year, many make sure their homes are cleaned and do their best to pay off debts and then prepare many meals,” Luu said. “It’s a celebration and time for family members to come back home.”

Along with mooncakes, many Chinese also give two mandarin oranges to friends, symbolizing wishes for good health and good luck, Luu said. Additionally, red envelopes, sold at stores in Chinatown like the Sun Sun Tong Co. on Wentworth Avenue, are used to enclose small monetary gifts to family members and friends, wishing them good fortune in the new year.

“Often a $2 bill is put in the envelope,” Luu said. “We have 650 employees, and our directors personally hand out these red envelopes to everyone. It’s very personal; we hold two hands, we provide the red envelope, and before we let go, we look them in the eye and wish them and their family good health and a Happy New Year.”

For Chicago’s Vietnamese community, the Lunar New Year Parade, which starts at 1 p.m. Jan. 28, is more “grassroots,” according to Gregg Carroll, director of partnerships and events at Uptown United, the community group that holds the annual parade along Argyle.

“We have about 30 marching groups and floats, it’s less than a mile long, but everyone floods the restaurants afterwards, so it’s great for the business community,” Carroll said.

Uptown United also utilizes red envelopes, stuffing them with stickers to give to neighborhood businesses to give customers, and a few contain “golden tickets” in the form of gift certificates to local businesses, Carroll said.

He added that although the Vietnamese celebrate the Year of the Cat, the parade will feature both cat and rabbit mascots this year.