Lunar New Year

The Lunar New Year is the biggest holiday in China and is celebrated across the world by millions of people. Each year we plan a way for FCCNE adoptees, families, and friends to celebrate together - and share other ways to celebrate across New England on our calendar of events.

Lunar New Year 2023 brings The Year of the Rabbit! This year we are planning an in-person event after two years of virtual celebrations. We will be in Boston's Chinatown on the day of the outdoor Lion Dance parades, and are once again collaborating with the Pao Arts Center for inside activities on Sunday, January 29th - please register and join us!

Here's a look back at some past FCCNE Lunar New Year Celebrations:

• 2022 - The Year of the Tiger - Virtual - We celebrated virtually with the Pao Arts Center and CCI (China's Children International) with a series of online activities from Feb 8-13, culminating on the same day as the Lion Dance Parades in Boston's Chinatown on the 2022 FCCNE Lunar New Year Celebration with the Pao Arts Center
• 2021 - The Year of the Ox - Virtual - For the first time ever we went virtual with our Lunar New Year Celebration because of the pandemic. We collaborated with Pao Arts Center and CCI (China's Children International) on a unique virtual Lunar New Year Celebration.
  
• 2020 - The Year of the Rat at Pao Arts Center with volunteers from CCI (China's Children International) - We celebrated in partnership with Pao Arts Center and CCI on the day of the lion dances in Boston's Chinatown. Already we were hearing about the coronavirus in Boston, and a day that is normally extremely busy one in Chinatown saw a fraction of normal attendance. We had all kinds of drop-in activities, and a wonderful team of volunteers from CCI worked with children and adults.
  
• 2019 - The Year of the Pig at Pao Arts Center with volunteers from CCI (China's Children International) - Hundreds of people came to our collaborative Lunar New Year celebration with Pao Arts Center on the day of the Lion Dance Parades in Boston's Chinatown! We had lion dance workshops for ages 5-12, dumpling making workshops, and tea tasting workshops.
  
• 2018 - The Year of the Dog at Pao Arts Center - We collaborated on a Lunar New Year Celebration with the newly established Pao Arts Center, on the same day of the lion dances in Boston's Chinatown! We had drop-in activities including our Lunar New Year Wish Tree, as well as two special events for adoptees: dumpling making for adoptees 16 and older, and Lion Dance workshops for all ages. Other collaborators: Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center
  
• 2017 - The Year of the Rooster at the Museum of Fine Arts - We celebrated at the Museum of Fine Arts Lunar New Year Festival, and had a special FCCNE gallery filled with hands-on activities and our Lunar New Year Wish Tree as a place for adult adoptees, college students, teens, children, parents, and families to meet up.
• 2016 - The Year of the Monkey at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston - We celebrated together at the free day-long Lunar New Year Festival at the MFA.
  
• 2015 - The Year of the Sheep at Boston Children's Museum Chinese New Year Festival - We celebrated at the museum's day-long Chinese New Year Festival, saw the new "Children of Hangzhou" exhibit and had a special FCCNE family get together with volunteers from Wellesley College China Care. Many of us went on to see the lion dances in nearby Chinatown afterwards!
• 2014 - The Year of the Horse - at The Children's Museum; FCCNE friends and families enjoyed the museum-wide activities, came together in a special private room for refreshments and quiet activities, then many of us went to see the lion dances in Boston's Chinatown afterwards.
  
• 2013 - Year of the Snake - at the Children's Museum - FCCNE families came together for a special performance and interactive workshop in Chinese dance with with Chu Ling Dance Academy.
  
• 2012 - Year of the Dragon - at Peabody Essex Museum Lunar New Year Festival - we celebrated the Lunar New Year at a grand celebration throughout the museum - and had a special private event for FCCNE families with author and illustrator Grace Lin, where we learned to create a dragon!
  
• 2009 - Year of the Ox - FCCNE Chinese New Year Party and Banquet - We got together for lion dancing, fan dancing, magic, Chinese music, crafts, Chinese clay molding, paper folding, calligraphy and more, followed by a traditional Chinese banquet at Empire Garden in Boston's Chinatown.
  
• 2008 - Year of the Rat - FCCNE Chinese New Year Party and Banquet, featuring traditional entertainment and lion dances, and craft activities for children at Empire Garden in Boston's Chinatown.