How’s the day been so far? Well, once I woke up, my parents gave me my red envelope. When you receive one, you’re meant to say a few words. Like, “Gong hei fat choy,” which means “Good luck, I wish you good health, good wealth.” A lot of kids my age — I’m 15 — think Lunar New Year is only about the red envelopes. But it’s not. It’s about celebrating a fresh start.
Have you been celebrating a fresh start? Oh my gosh, yes. I got a haircut, I got new shoes, I got this entirely new outfit to wear today, and I actually redid my room. I’d wanted to for so long but didn’t have the time, because I’m always busy with school and helping my parents at their restaurant. I’m a manager, but not officially, because I’m a kid, too. But anyway, I got a new desk, a new cabinet, and floating shelves. I’m very happy and very satisfied, and very grateful because a lot of people don’t have the privilege to redo their room.
Athena Mae De Leon Guerrero
Talent-acquisition coordinator, Ozone Park
Alena Chuchen
Third-grader, Upper East Side
Great outfit.
Well, we learned at school in social studies that on Lunar New Year, you aren’t supposed to wear black because it means bad luck. But I had to wear these boots because of the weather.
Joherra Harris
Assistant principal, Flatbush
Mia Tam
Second-grader, Dyker Heights
Miles Perlman
11th-grader, East Village
What have you seen today?
A lot of people around Chinatown were popping confetti and taking pictures in front of stores they like. And I got followed into the House of Joy by a dragon. They go into stores and restaurants and are given some money in exchange for a dance, which is basically blessing the place with good prosperity.
Aribella Hung
Sixth-grader, Chinatown
Tanyarat Tummasiri
Housewife, Westbury
What’s the best dish you had tonight?
Shrimp shumai is my favorite. I make it at home, too — I learned from my mom. When I was little, she wouldn’t really let me go anywhere. So I just stayed with her and cooked every day.
Gianna Perlman
Tenth-grader, East Village
Caleb Gao
3-year-old, Lower East Side
William Su
Association chairman, Financial District
Have you eaten here before?
Many times. We use it for banquets for the association I helped start in 1974 to support other people like me who were coming to the United States from Myanmar. We used to have a lot of members — years ago, we could fill all 100 tables at Jin Fong. But membership has been shrinking. Many of the old-timers have moved away or passed away.
Emerson Lee
Ninth-grader, Financial District
Brandon Lam
Eighth-grader, Fort Washington
Davis Fox
Stylist, Astoria
Max Lin
Kindergartner, New Hyde Park
What was your favorite part of the day?
The dragon. He wasn’t scary — he came around the tables. I tried to feed him money in an envelope, but I guess he didn’t want it. I don’t know why! He just walked away.
Claire Comisarow
Ninth-grader, Upper East Side
Joherra Cobwell
Third-grader, Flatbush
Chris Yeoh
Investor-services manager, Astoria
Love the shirt.
I know I’m supposed to wear red for Lunar New Year, but green actually suits me. I also read an article by a feng shui master saying that green is an auspicious color for this year. That being said, different feng shui masters will tell you different things.
Leila Wong
2-year-old, Albertson
Photographs by Timothy O’Connell
Athena Mae De Leon Guerrero
Talent-acquisition coordinator, Ozone Park
Alena Chuchen
Third-grader, Upper East Side
Great outfit.
Well, we learned at school in social studies that on Lunar New Year, you aren’t supposed to wear black because it means bad luck. But I had to wear these boots because of the weather.
Joherra Harris
Assistant principal, Flatbush
Mia Tam
Second-grader, Dyker Heights
Miles Perlman
11th-grader, East Village
What have you seen today?
A lot of people around Chinatown were popping confetti and taking pictures in front of stores they like. And I got followed into the House of Joy by a dragon. They go into stores and restaurants and are given some money in exchange for a dance, which is basically blessing the place with good prosperity.
Aribella Hung
Sixth-grader, Chinatown
Tanyarat Tummasiri
Housewife, Westbury
What’s the best dish you had tonight?
Shrimp shumai is my favorite. I make it at home, too — I learned from my mom. When I was little, she wouldn’t really let me go anywhere. So I just stayed with her and cooked every day.
Gianna Perlman
Tenth-grader, East Village
Caleb Gao
3-year-old, Lower East Side
William Su
Association chairman, Financial District
Have you eaten here before?
Many times. We use it for banquets for the association I helped start in 1974 to support other people like me who were coming to the United States from Myanmar. We used to have a lot of members — years ago, we could fill all 100 tables at Jin Fong. But membership has been shrinking. Many of the old-timers have moved away or passed away.
Emerson Lee
Ninth-grader, Financial District
Brandon Lam
Eighth-grader, Fort Washington
Davis Fox
Stylist, Astoria
Max Lin
Kindergartner, New Hyde Park
What was your favorite part of the day?
The dragon. He wasn’t scary — he came around the tables. I tried to feed him money in an envelope, but I guess he didn’t want it. I don’t know why! He just walked away.
Claire Comisarow
Ninth-grader, Upper East Side
Joherra Cobwell
Third-grader, Flatbush
Chris Yeoh
Investor-services manager, Astoria
Love the shirt.
I know I’m supposed to wear red for Lunar New Year, but green actually suits me. I also read an article by a feng shui master saying that green is an auspicious color for this year. That being said, different feng shui masters will tell you different things.
By submitting your email, you agree to our
Terms and Privacy Notice
and to receive email correspondence from us. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google
Privacy Policy and
Terms of Service apply.
or
Already a subscriber?
What is your email?
This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us.
Password must be at least 8 characters and contain:
Lower case letters (a-z)
Upper case letters (A-Z)
Numbers (0-9)
Special Characters (!@#$%^&*)
This password will be used to sign into all New York sites. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us.
You’re in!
As part of your account, you’ll receive occasional updates and offers from New York, which you can opt out of anytime.
or
Already a subscriber?
What is your email?
This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us.
Password must be at least 8 characters and contain:
Lower case letters (a-z)
Upper case letters (A-Z)
Numbers (0-9)
Special Characters (!@#$%^&*)
This password will be used to sign into all New York sites. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us.
You’re in!
As part of your account, you’ll receive occasional updates and offers from New York, which you can opt out of anytime.