Christine Chiu.Photo: Courtesy
Christine Chiu,Ronny Chiengand other stars are celebratingLunar New Year!
On Thursday, in advance of the multi-day holiday, theBling Empirestar and comedian and actor participated in a panel discussion about their Asian culture and Lunar New Year traditions. Also joining Chiu and Chieng on the panel were award-winning chefLucas Sinand producer and activistJes Vu.
Sin, 27, reflected on his upbringing in Hong Kong where Lunar New Year meant visiting family and chowing down on snacks like turnip cakes and mooncakes.
Vu — who works withCAPE, a nonprofit dedicated to advocating for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the entertainment industry — chimed in with similar memories of gathering with her Vietnamese family for huge feasts.
Chieng, 36, followed with a discussion about red pocket money or hóngbāo, a tradition where children and unmarried young adults receive red envelopes filled with cash from older family members.
Ronny Chieng.Courtesy
“I think we can all unite behind getting money,” Chieng joked. “During Chinese New Year, getting money is probably the commonality, and actually I think it’s probably the most considerate and environmental of all presents.”
Chiu, 39, who isknown for throwing extravagant parties, gave insight into her giant Lunar New Year celebrations, which were featured in the premiere episode ofBling Empire.
During the episode, Chiu shut down Rodeo Drive to recreate Chinatown in Beverly Hills. She said it was a proud moment for her Asian American family — and one that would have happened with or without the show. (At the time,Bling Empirewas still largely in development, and Chiu said most of her guests didn’t even realize filming was going on.)
Lucas Sin.Courtesy
“We’ve been blessed for so many years, but we’ve been very busy and haven’t had an opportunity to take a moment and appreciate our heritage,” she explained. “When you have a child, you feel that responsibility to impart your background, and your history, and your heritage, and to educate your child.”
Jes Vu.
Also known as Chinese New Year and Spring Festival, the holiday marks the first new moon of the lunisolar calendar and is primarily observed in countries in East Asia, including China, South Korea, Vietnam and more.
As Chiu, Chieng, Sin and Vu discussed on the panel, traditional celebrations can vary across cultures, butcommon ways to ring in the Lunar New Yearare gifting money in red envelopes, wearing lucky colors including red and gold, eating symbolic foods including dumplings and spending time with family.
In addition to the four panelists,a number of other stars across the Hollywood community have also been celebrating the holiday. Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh, Daniel Dae Kim and Jackie Chan were among the celebrities who marked the day with posts about their Lunar New Year festivities on Tuesday.
source: people.com
