Vegetables and Good Fortune at Chinese New Year in Philly

One of the highlights of my SST experience was celebrating Chinese new year with my host family. This was my first time celebrating Chinese New Year, and I didn’t know quite what to expect. Pastor Aldo had mentioned when we arrived in Philly that Popo – our host Grandma – is famous for her Chinese New Year dinner. She did not disappoint at all.

Chinese New Year fell on a Monday. I remember going downstairs on the Saturday before Chinese New Year and our host grandma “Popo” had me try some of the peanut sauce she made. She had been preparing all weekend for the celebration. Monday evening came around and that’s when the festivities started. So many people flooded into Popo’s house. There was a wide assortment of food set out on the table.

One of the first things that people do before eating is that they each grab a pair of chopsticks which they use to dig into the platter of vegetables which they pile on top of each other. I understood this to symbolize good fortune. I remember feeling a bit confused as to why everyone was standing around the table holding a pair of chopsticks. However, I thought it was a really neat tradition.