Celebrate the Lunar New Year at Katy Asian Town
Join the 2023 KAT LunarFest at Katy Asian Town, celebrating the year of the Rabbit!
What is the Lunar New Year?
Lunar New Year is a celebration of the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar. It is the most important holiday in China, and it is also widely celebrated in South Korea, Vietnam, and countries with a significant overseas Chinese population. While the official dates encompassing the holiday vary by culture, those celebrating consider it the time of the year to reunite with immediate and extended family.
Commonly known as the Spring Festival in China, Lunar New Year is a fifteen-day celebration marked by many traditions. At home, families decorate windows with red paper cuttings and adorn doors with couplets expressing auspicious wishes for the new year. Shopping for holiday sundries in open-air markets and cleaning the house are also beloved traditions. The Lunar New Year’s Eve reunion dinner is the highlight that kicks off the holiday, a feast with a spread of symbolic dishes, such as a whole fish representing abundance, that bring good luck and fortune. The fifteenth and final day of the holiday is the Lantern Festival, during which people have tangyuan, or sweet glutinous rice balls, and children carry lanterns around the neighborhood at night to mark the end of the celebration.
In the Chinese zodiac, 2023 is the year of the rabbit. In the Vietnamese and Gurung (Central Nepal) zodiac, the cat replaces the rabbit. In the Malay zodiac, the mousedeer replaces the rabbit. We also acknowledge that many Asian American and Pacific Islanders do not follow the Chinese/Lunar zodiac.
Ways to Celebrate
Dragon and Lion Dance Show
We invite you to watch this year's must-see dragon and lion dance show by the professional team of Lee's Golden Dragon. The show is performed to bring good luck and fortune for the upcoming year.
- Jan. 21 (Sat.) & Jan. 22 (Sun.) @ 11:30 AM in front of H-Mart
- Jan. 28 (Sat.) @ 3:00 PM in front of UMRE office
Traditional Chinese Crafts Activities
Come with your friends and family. You can experience writing spring couplets, making Lunar Festival lanterns, Fun Paper-Cut art, Chinese knotting, Embroidery, or Flower arrangement. You can bring the craft home when you complete it! The completed New Year Lantern will be hung in the exhibition hall for display throughout the lunar new year. Take a group photo with the lanterns you made on Lantern Festival Day (Feb. 5)!
There are limited spots available, so please register in advance! Click this link to register. Those who sign up can join anytime during the event hours!
- Jan. 28 (Sat.) & Jan. 29 (Sun.) @ 12:00 -4:00 PM
- Feb. 04 (Sat.) & Feb. 05 (Sun.) @ 12:00 - 4:00 PM
- Location: Katy Asian Town A6 (AMA Kitchen)
Katy Asian Town LunarFest Fair
Don’t miss out on the chance to win a New Year's Gift. From January 21st to February 5th, if you meet any of the following conditions, you can get a new year's gift!!
- Collect at least 2 Katy Asian Town Stores’ invoices (no minimum amount).
- Spend $100 (including 100) at any Katy Asian Town Store.
Redeem your gift at the KAT LUNARFEST FAIR event hours! (Jan. 28-29 & Feb. 4-5 @ 12:00-4:00 PM) Note that gifts are not specified and will be giveaway randomly by the organizer.
- Jan. 28 (Sat.) & Jan. 29 (Sun.) @ 12:00 -4:00 PM
- Feb. 04 (Sat.) & Feb. 05 (Sun.) @ 12:00 - 4:00 PM
- Location: Katy Asian Town A6 (AMA Kitchen)
For more information and updates about this Fair, please visit the event website.
