Happy Year of the Dragon

Multi-colored Sheep’s Head 

First up is the sheep’s head. In Tibet, the sheep’s head is a common fixture of new year celebrations — in part because the words for sheep’s head (“longo”) and new year (“losar”) sound similar in Tibetan. 

It’s custom for families to present the sheep’s head as a sacrificial offering to their ancestors. Some will use an actual sheep’s head, while others use sheep heads made of colored butter or barley cake.

Pineapple Tarts

Next on our list is the pineapple tart, which you’ll find across Chinese diasporic communities from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. This pastry fuses colonial influences from Denmark and Portugal and has become a staple in Chinese New Year celebrations for millions of Asian Americans. 

Fun fact: the word pineapple in some Chinese dialects languages such as Cantonese and Hokkien is (王梨 or ong lai) – which sounds like the word for “wealth arrives” ( 旺來).

Candles and Incense

The illustration also features the  bàn thờ,a Vietnamese altar dedicated to the ritual of paying tribute to their ancestors. Some families will set this up for Tết, or Vietnamese New Year, while others keep it in their home,  year round. to invite their ancestors to join the festivities through prayer. 

Every altar is different, but most include candles and incense.

Fruit Platter

In Filipino and Chinese cultures, round fruit — which represent wholeness or unity — play a significant role in new year celebrations. For the next few weeks, you might see round fruits — like pineapples, pomelos, cherimoyas, or dragon fruits —  displayed front and center in grocery stores like Seafood City. 

Each individual fruit has its own meaning, such as the watermelon representing wealth and prosperity. In some Filipino traditions, families eat thirteen round fruits on new years!

Orchid

The orchid (laan fa or lánhuā, 蘭花) represents fertility and abundance. This elegant flower is a staple in many Chinese New Year celebrations and the perfect gift/offering for a loved one.

Tea and Rice

Prayer (cúng) plays an important role in Tết – and happens  three times during the celebration. Before prayer, three bowls of rice and three cups of tea, as well as other dishes like bánh chưng (sticky rice) are offered up at the altar. After prayer, families enjoy the food offered at the altar with some setting aside an extra set of bowls and chopsticks so that the spirit of their ancestors can enjoy Tết with them!

Memorial Tablet

Last but not least is the memorial tablet (shinwi, 신위),an important Korean artifact used for charye (차례) – a prayer ceremony held during the new year to honor ancestors. Your ancestors’ names are written on the memorial tablet and placed on the altar. Families offer up dishes like tteokguk (떡국), or rice-cake soup, which represent purity – a fresh start to the new year!