Wrapped in red: Cathay members share their Chinese New Year traditions

Chinese New Year is a time of joy and we turned to some of our members to find out what they have in store for the holiday. From the quintessential lai see packets (red envelopes containing money) to family traditions, here’s how our members celebrate Lunar New Year all over the world.

Sarah Köhler, Photographer

Green member

Chinese New Year means stretchy pants and a lot of my grandma’s food – her speciality is the vegetarian feast on the first day. It’s so beloved that neighbours come around with their own boxes to take some home. She does everything according to the traditional Chinese calendar.

This means deep cleaning the house, folding paper “gold” to burn as offerings to our ancestors, taking a pomelo leaf shower and observing the no-hair-washing rule on the first day to keep the good luck intact. It’s also the only time of year when the contents of that blue tin of Danish butter cookies doesn’t disappoint. I can promise you that. With my adult money, I’m here to end the generational trauma of opening that tin only to find sewing supplies.

Pak Yiu, US news editor

Gold member

Growing up, my family would dash from one household to another, going from feast to feast. Now I’m an adult living thousands of kilometres away from mum, the new year starts with greetings over the phone. Then it’s off to a restaurant for a delicious Chinese meal. Being with the ones you love is what makes Chinese New Year special. This revolves around food such as poon choi (layered meat and vegetables served in a large pot).

I love digging for delicious ingredients: we’re talking abalone, phoenix claw (chicken feet), fish balls, dried prawns, white radish, fish maw, duck feet and fatty pork. This will be my first Chinese New Year living in New York, and if I can find the ingredients to make poon choi, you better believe it’ll be on the table. If the weather is nice, I’ll hike upstate with friends.

Valerie Chong, senior account manager

Silver member

Typically, many of my relatives fly back home to Hong Kong – they’re coming from everywhere from Toronto, Vancouver and San Francisco to Geneva and London – to celebrate together on the first day of Chinese New Year.

Afterwards, my family and I take advantage of the remaining days of the holiday by travelling together – we’re heading to Vancouver this year. At home in Hong Kong, mum always brightens up our house with peach blossom and many red decorations. And on the first day of Chinese New Year, my parents always give lai see as a symbol of good luck.

Isabella Luk, head behavioural veterinarian

Gold member

I typically celebrate Chinese New Year with my Chinese father’s side of the family. Our celebrations involve sharing delicious meals, and bai lin, or visiting family. It’s a wonderful time to reconnect with loved ones and embrace tradition. Our family traditions largely centre on food: we often have a poon choi feast on Chinese New Year’s Eve.

On the first day of the new year, we enjoy a smaller gathering with close family, sharing a traditional breakfast of lin go (sticky rice cake), which my aunt makes from scratch. That evening, we have a big dinner with extended family and exchange lai see to symbolise luck and prosperity for the year ahead.

Jacques Boissier, former managing director

Diamond member

Chinese New Year is always spent in Hong Kong. Although we’ll be in France in January, we’ll make sure to travel back to the city in time for Chinese New Year. It’ll be a time spent with friends and my wife Shirley’s Chinese family. We’ll gather around a nice meal, visit friends to deliver gifts and, of course, wear red underwear on the important days.

The apartment will be decorated with traditional Chinese objects and calligraphy. It’s not traditional, but the dish I like to eat around Chinese New Year is pan-fried foie gras with red berries. We’ll also enjoy trekking in the Hong Kong hills in the cooler weather, and let’s not forget the distribution of lai see to all.