Amy Wu

Opinion | Lunar New Year: how folding red envelopes opens up Chinese cultural traditions

Lunar New Year is an ideal time for cultural exchange that celebrates Chinese traditions, and one way to do that is making and giving lucky red packets, which also offer a link to the Chinese diaspora

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A woman selects red envelopes at the Lunar New Year Flower and Gift Fair in Richmond, British Columbia, on February 2. The tradition of handing out red packets remains strong both in China and among Chinese communities overseas. Photo: Xinhua

Amy Wu

Published: 4:30pm, 7 Feb 2024Updated: 8:31pm, 7 Feb 2024

A friend asks if I have folded lucky red envelopes before. I tell them about the hongbao workshop I will be leading. There’s some hesitation and a “hmmm”. No, I admit, but there’s always a first. Could someone even make their own envelopes?

The inspiration to hold a workshop at my local library on folding red envelopes – known as hongbao in Mandarin and lai see in Cantonese – for Lunar New Year was sparked by a desire to share more about my culture. I am first and foremost a Chinese-American. Since leaving Hong Kong and returning to the United States to work in 2013, I have made it a point to hold certain cultural traditions and holidays near and dear, and marking Lunar New Year is one of them.

Culture is a broad and welcoming platform to help uplift Chinese people in the US and celebrate our contributions, especially during these fast-changing and uncertain times. Cultural exchange is a platform for advocacy, even if its effect is not immediately obvious.

For example, I once held a Lunar New Year presentation at work. My colleagues, none of whom are Chinese, learned about the holiday through photos of my past celebrations and sampled foods symbolic to the holiday, such as dumplings representing lucky ingots and spring rolls serving as gold bars.

After the presentation, colleagues told me how much they enjoyed it and connected this holiday with Thanksgiving, where family gatherings are front and centre. As we are in an election year in the US, it can’t hurt to further uplift the wonderful aspects of our culture. The more we share, the more we gain an understanding of our respective histories and celebrate our uniqueness and similarities.

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Festive Chinese red packets are more than just a tradition

I have been the happy recipient of many a red envelope over the years. During my years living and working in Hong Kong and mainland China, I received them from grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who were older than me. As part of tradition, the envelopes are given to children and single people.