How this Lunar New Year is being celebrated by Ottawans from different backgrounds

It's one of the biggest celebrations of the year for those of Asian heritage, involving games, traditional clothing, lucky money and lots of delicious food. But this year, for the third time, COVID-19 is changing Lunar New Year festivities.

CBC Ottawa checked in with four young people from different Asian cultures to see how they're celebrating once again in a pandemic.

Amanda Jeysing: A little bit of luck in Malaysia 

Normally, at this time of year, 26-year-old Amanda Jeysing would gather with friends and family around a small table just big enough to hold a platter of fish salad. Shredded carrots, cilantro, and pomelo garnish the raw fish, arranged neatly on a plate. 

Each person grabs a pair of chopsticks, but instead of digging in to eat, they toss the ingredients into the air with laughter.

The tradition says the higher they tossed, the more luck would rain down on them in the new year. 

Yee-sang or the prosperity toss, is one of Jeysing's favourite traditions back home in Malaysia. The best part, she said, was spending the day with friends and family who live there.

"It was common to do something called an open house back home, where you basically tell people that they can show up to your house to eat, and celebrate with you throughout the day … So you can show up in the morning, or later in the afternoon, or evening," said Jeysing. 

Because of the pandemic and distance, Jeysing hasn't celebrated the Lunar New Year with her family since moving to Canada for school in 2015.

Instead on New Year's Day her mom or sister will usually Facetime her to show her what festivities they are up to.

"I just cry when I see what food I missed out on," Jeysing laughs.

"That's the sad part [about being away]. It's better for me to just not know, but the family group chat is popping off so you know they're on it."

Sungeun Lee: Passing on the Korean traditions in Canada

When she was a child in Korea, Lunar New Year was the celebration Sungeun Lee most looked forward to.

Now that the family moved to Canada last year, she's excited to carry on those traditions with her kids, who are ages four, six and eight.

That includes the practice known as sebae — when young people approach their elders and bow while wearing their hanbok, a traditional Korean garment. 

"We bow to the elders and the elders, in return, share the words of wisdom and give the New Year's pocket money to the children," explained Lee.

After sebae, the family will play Lunar New Year games such as Yut Nori, a Korean board game that involves sticks, dice and lots of luck. 

"It's very easy and children are always off to do that. Everybody likes it," said Lee. 

Emma Lui: The meaning behind Toisanese foods

For Emma Lui, no Lunar New Year is complete without fat choy, a seaweed dish that made Lui laugh as a child because it looks like hair.

Made with mushrooms and dates, she says it has a subtle earthy taste. But more important than the flavour is the symbolism in her dialect, Toisanese — spoken in the Toisan region of China and related to Cantonese. 

In Cantonese, Fat Choy sounds like Kung Hei Fat Choi, which means wishing you prosperity — important at this time of year. 

"Symbolism is big in the foods that we eat for Lunar New Year. So for example, we often eat fish because the word in Chinese or in Cantonese means surplus," said Lui. 

Lui also looks forward to lai see, a tradition where elders give children money in a red envelope for good fortune in the new year.

"It was kind of exciting to have this envelope with old characters on it … and it was just something to give people for luck."

Raph Widjaja: The bright lights of 'Imlek' in Indonesia 

Though Lunar New Year was only recognized in Indonesia less than 20 years ago, Raph Widjaja says she can't remember a time when it wasn't celebrated by her family, who identify as Chinese-Indonesian. 

She explained the holiday, known there as Imlek, is celebrated by millions of Chinese-Indonesians and others with connections to other Asian cultures, so much so the president declared it a national holiday in 2003.

"Indonesia is more of a melting pot of cultures," said Widjaja.

"Indonesians pride themselves in the fact that there are a lot of cultures and people that live here so we're going to respect their traditions and also have our interpretations."

For Widjaja, the day involved visiting different parts of her hometown of Jakarta, to eat different foods such as ifumi, a dry noodle, before ending up in her neighbourhood for the lantern festival organized by the local committee.

"You would get to light up a lantern, write what you wished for, and then float them up to the sky with everyone in the neighborhood," said Widjaja, remembering the last time she took part in 2018 before leaving for university in Canada.

This Lunar New Year Widjaja says she doesn't know if she'll be able to celebrate in the traditional way. But she at least hopes to have dinner with her friends in Ottawa.

"It's not about your ethnicity," added Widjaja.

"It's all about being surrounded by the people you love, eating good food, and just welcoming the new year."