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It’s the Year of the Tiger, and we’re going wild for our festive feline friend! Click here to learn more about the third Zodiac animal, tiger fun facts, and how to fold your very own origami tiger face.

 

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Fish symbolize abundance in the New Year. Using traditional Chinese paper cuts as inspiration, fold and cut a wriggly paper fish to usher in a year of plenty. Click here for the full tutorial!

Dumplings are one of the luckiest Lunar New Year foods! Shaped like gold ingots, or pieces of Ancient Chinese money, dumplings represent good fortune in the year to come. Families often get together to make dumplings on Lunar New Year’s Eve, and at midnight, they eat the dumplings and wish for good luck and wealth all year long. Join us and Sophia Hsu to learn how to make your own new year dumplings and see how much luck you can ring in for the new year!

Note on Ingredients: Please have ready your rested dough or store-bought dumpling wrappers for the beginning of the workshop. Sophia will not be making the dough live, but you can use her recipe to prepare your dumpling dough in advance. Store bought dumpling wrappers will also work well.  Additionally, please bring ingredients for the dumpling of your choosing, either pork and chive or veggie. Sophia will be preparing the veggie dumplings during the workshop, but will happily answer questions about the pork and chive dumplings. 

COOK: Download Sophia’s recipes for whole wheat dumpling wrappers, pork and chive filling, and a veggie filling! 

Participants joined NYCCC’s professional dancer to learn some beautiful and fun movements from the signature Ribbon Dance. Ribbon dancer Katrina introduced the background of the Lunar New Year, as well as the dance style, and showed dancers at home how to draw different shapes in the air with the dance props in hand. Participants were encouraged to dance creatively with a scarf, a hand towel, or anything you would like to dance with.

What does it take to make Lunar New Year dumplings? Dough? Filling? Patience? Watch this festive virtual MOCAKIDS Author Meet & Greet with Eugenia Chu, who joined us all the way from Miami! Eugenia shared tidbits from her brand new book Celebrating Chinese New Year and then read aloud from her first book, Brandon Makes Jiǎo Zi (餃子). Afterwards, Eugenia shared a tummy grumbling song about dumplings and showed us how to make a simple paper lantern.

What you’ll need: construction paper; scissors, glue or tape; string (optional)

Best for kids ages 3-9 and their care partners.

 

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Lion dance is a mix of martial arts, dance, and creativity. Shoo away bad luck by creating your very own lion costume from a large paper bag, colored paper, cupcake liners, and tape or glue. Move its mouth and dance to the drumbeat, just like a lion dancer! Click here for the full tutorial.

MOCA’s Lunar New Year Family Festival is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council; by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature; and by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.