How this Lunar New Year is being celebrated by Yukoners

Lunar New Year is one of the biggest celebrations for those of Asian heritage. It's a holiday that symbolizes new beginnings — a time for families to get together, receive lucky money, and reconnect with culture. 

But this year, what's meant to be a big family gathering with delicious meals is looking a little different as COVID-19 is changing the festivities.

CBC Yukon talked to a few residents of Whitehorse about what it means for them to celebrate away from their homeland and in times of COVID-19.

Kelly Jiang: It's all about the food

Kelly Jiang grew up in the southern part of China in Guangzhou.

Jiang said it is common practice there to prepare eight dishes for the festivities to symbolize the lucky number. Each dish is given a meaningful lucky name to represent different things such as good health, money and luck.

Jiang and her family have been in Whitehorse for 11 years. Although they try to follow their Chinese tradition, sometimes it's challenging when trying to recreate the New Year meals.

"Sometimes it's a little bit hard to find the ingredients here. We try to buy it online or every time we go to Vancouver, we'll buy more and then ship it," she said.

The Chinese New Year started Feb. 1. and runs until Feb. 15 as per the Lunar Calendar.

In preparations for the New Year, Jiang and her family do a deep clean of the house, which includes cleaning the windows and changing the bedding.

"Going [into] the new year, everything should be new and everything should be clean," Jiang said.

Then, during New Year's Eve, her family gets together for a big dinner. And on the first day of the Chinese New Year, they go to chat with and visit different relatives.

Since the pandemic started, her family has altered the traditions outside of the kitchen.

This year, they will stay at home and watch Lunar New Year movies or performances on TV.

Chaofeng Zhang: Staying connected through cookies

Chaofeng Zhang is the president of the Chinese Canadian Association of Yukon (CCAY).

In previous years, the CCAY organized big gatherings to celebrate the Lunar New Year at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre.

"The beauty of that celebration is that it actually reflected the diversity and inclusiveness of our communities because [of] the people that came to celebrate with us," Zhang said.

Pre-pandemic, the celebrations included a banquet and performances from various groups.

"Unfortunately, because of the COVID situation, we are not able to get together to celebrate the most important festival, or at least one of the most important festivals, in our culture," she added.

Zhang explained that this year, the CCAY delivered boxes of traditional Chinese cookies to the association members so people can still have a taste of the new year at home.

Cookies have always been a fond New Year memory for Zhang. 

She grew up in Zhang Jia Qiao, a small village in the Shanxi Province, China. But when she was seven years old, her family moved to a city.

"My parents didn't have the means to make so many things, but my mom, who at that time was a baker, stayed up all night before Chinese New Year and baked a lot of cookies or cakes," she said.

"Then, when we visited friends and families in the village, we would give them cookies."

With the pandemic, the Lunar New Year has become a time for both sadness and excitement.

"It's the occasion that reminds me of my roots and my culture. But then, the sadness is because I couldn't be with my family," Zhang said.

Zhang came to Whitehorse nine years ago and said the CCAY introduced her to a great supportive community.

"It's like a big family. Everybody is so far away from their homeland, but because of the passions about our culture and our common values, the Chinese community here is really tightly knit," she said.

Charmaine Cheung: Wanting to pass on the traditions

Charmaine Cheung moved to the Yukon 14 years ago.

For her, one of the hardest things about this particular new year is that she hasn't seen her extended family in over three years.

"Because we are so far away, a lot of us don't get to spend the new year with our families, so people in the Yukon have become our families here," said Cheung.

Cheung is living with her two-year-old daughter, her husband and her mom in Whitehorse. While they are not going to have a traditional Chinese New Year dinner, they will still get together and eat as a family.

"I have a two-year-old now, and I really would like to introduce Chinese culture and traditions to her," she said.

Due to public health restrictions, many Chinese-Canadians won't be able to gather together to celebrate.

During the New Year festivities, kids sing, dance and participate in activities. They also receive lucky money in red envelopes from their elders.

"I feel like it's really important for our children to remember our culture, identity and remember their roots. That's very important to me," Cheung said.

Cheung grew up on the central coast of China in Shanghai. She said her most vivid memories of celebrating the Lunar New Year are lots of food, lucky money and family gatherings.

Cheung explained that while every region has their own particular dishes, people tend to think Chinese food is just dumplings.

"But that's more of a northern thing," she explained.

In Shanghai, they eat a lot of rice-based foods for the new year. Like Nian Gao, a rice cake. Its pronunciation is similar to saying new year prosperity, said Cheung. 

Another thing they eat during the new year is Tang Yuan, circle rice balls with filling inside symbolizing being united with family.