A symbol of new beginnings, prosperity, and happiness, the Lunar New Year (also known as Chinese New Year)is coming up on February 10, 2024. In addition to supporting your local Asian-owned restaurants and shops, keep reading for some AAPI-founded brands that we love, and learn about the meaning behind celebrating New Year traditions.
When is Lunar New Year in 2024?
The Lunar New Year in 2024falls on Saturday, February 10.
Is Lunar New Year the same as Chinese New Year?
Lunar New Year is sometimes referred to as Chinese New Year because it follows a calendar that was developed in China. Different Asian cultures hold true to differing traditions behind the holiday, so depending on where you live, you may celebrate the new year on different dates with different traditions.
What does Lunar New Year celebrate?
Lunar New Year celebrates a new year that's full of prosperity and good fortune. This is also an important time for Asian communities to remember and honor their ancestors.
How do you celebrate Lunar New Year?
Communities that recognize Lunar New Year often celebrate with many flowers, vibrant parades, firework shows, cooking traditional meals, decorating their homes, and gifting.
What does AAPI stand for?
AAPI stands for Asian American Pacific Islander.
AAPI Brands To Support This Lunar New Year
Fly by Jing x Our Place Hot Wok Set
This durable wok made by Fly By Jing + Our Place is pre-seasoned, ready to cook your favorite wok recipes with ease. It can handle temps up to 600°F, but still is lightweight enough to move from place to place in your kitchen. This set comes complete with a spatula, steamer basket, and chopsticks. Make sure to pick up some Sichuan Chili Crisp too!
Jing founded Fly by Jing, one of our fave AAPI food brands, with traditional hole-in-the-wall restaurants as inspiration. The brand offers authentic Chinese tastes through their range of spices, sauces, and cooking accessories.
Umamicart Snack Subscription Box
Andrea Xu founded Umamicart, an online grocery collection full of diverse and unique Asian American food, because of a love of delicious and unconventional food combos. She wants to showcase traditional foods and newer brands to bring you and your loved ones together at the table. This snack subscription brings forth the coolest Asian bites around.
Red Lantern Earrings from ChaoticNeutralNY on Etsy
Red and gold are both considered lucky colors going into the New Year, and these lantern earrings are a beautiful way to wear them. Beyond the meaningful colors, lanterns during the festival are generally considered a way to let go of your past self and enter into the new year.
Prisca Choe, whose love language is gift giving, started making acrylic art and jewelry for herself and friends when the pandemic began. Her friends encouraged her to start Chaotic Neutral NY as a space for motifs of her Korean heritage and her Chinatown community to come together.
Find ChaoticNeutralNY on Instagram
Mount Lai Jade Facial Spa Set for Lunar New Year
Jade is known as the stone of eternal youth and is often a part of the New Year because of it signifies hope, new beginnings, and good health. The gua sha ritual is part of wholistic ancient Chinese healing and promotes blood flow, reduces inflammation, and helps you release facial tension.
Stephanie Zheng founded Mount Lai with a modern approach to ancient Chinese traditions, inspired by her grandmother, who has been jade rolling and practicing gua sha for more than 50 years. Zheng hopes to pass on the wisdom and ritual found in these products, hoping they'll provide others with the same self-care they've given her.
Chunky Things Baby Dumpling Red Envelope
This handmade envelope is the perfect way to gift your loved ones if you celebrate the Lunar New Year. The shop celebrates numerous AAPI artists to follow year-round. Stop to browse in-person at Chunky Things in Chinatown, Los Angeles!
Find Chunky Things on Instagram
Ferme à Papier Lunar New Year Dragon Card
This set of eight cards has a colorful display of tigers that's perfect for the Lunar New Year. Not only are they gorgeous to look at, but they're also eco-friendly, using 100% recycled *and* chlorine-free paper. That sounds like another reason to celebrate.
Cal Seto founded Ferme à Papier after a visit to Paris inspired her to celebrate the small joys in life. Seto wants to focus on culturally relevant themes that support AAPI and Asian heritage, especially in the wake of hate crimes.
Find Ferme à Papier on Instagram
Ming Yu Wang Zhu Necklace
This stunning neckpiece made by Ming Yu Wang with jade beads and freshwater pearls recalls themes in ancient Chinese art including dragons, thus commemorating the Year of the Dragon in 2024. It symbolizes wisdom, spiritual energy, and power, which you will certainly feel once you put this necklace on.
Find Ming Yu Wang on Instagram
Sanzo Flavored Sparkling Water
This sparkling water's flavors are inspired by authentic cultural tastes in an aim to bring more Asian culture to the American sparkling water landscape. A sip of Sanzo brings you real fruit flavor with no added sugars! Enjoy it alone or with a delicious mocktail to have a super unique drink experience.
Wing On Wo & Co Lunar New Year Woodblock Prints
Founded in 1890, Wing On Wo & Co has been run for five generations, making it the oldest continuously operating store in New York City's Chinatown. With their porcelain wares and cultural goods, they hope to reinterpret tradition through an Asian American point of view, and give new life to cultural craft.
Find Wing On Wo & Co on Instagram
EDEN + ELIE Striped Medallion Drop Earrings
Marvel in the detail work of these gorgeous earrings that will pair well with any look, whether you're dressed up or down. Bring some deep tradition into your wardrobe, and expect a whole lot of compliments, too.
EDEN + ELIE is a design-centered APPI brand that brings careful, handmade jewelry to buyers. The company empowers makers of all backgrounds and aims to bring Singapore's past to the present.
Emilie Heathe The Classics Collection
Celebrate the New Year with a nail color collection that's both lucky and bold. Not only is a bright red timely but these non-toxic picks are made with Bamboo Extract, oils, and Vitamins that will make you feel as good as you look.
After discovering a love for the escape that art and beauty provided her, Emily H. Rudman trained as a makeup artist and got an MBA from Columbia University. She founded Emilie Heathe using ingredients, like anti-inflammatory bamboo and antioxidant-rich rice, that brought her back to her heritage.
Find Emilie Heathe on Instagram
Strange Bird My Happy Place Candle
This bubble tea-scented candle will become your #1 player in your weekly self care routines. Designed to bring you back to cherished childhood memories and indulge in personal freedom, this long-burning candle is definitely a wonderful way to support an AAPI brand and unwind.
Strange Bird aims to help women make self care easier and an often-practiced ritual. Founder Tina Chow Rudolf wanted to ensure that people like her and her family were represented in those rituals too, as well as the overall market.
Find Strange Bird on Instagram
Pearl River Mart Togetherness Tray Candy Holder
Trays like this can be traced back more than 1,000 years and during the celebration, they're chock full of candies, seeds, and dried fruit in the hope that the new year will be sweet. Not only do they symbolize sweetness, but putting them all together represents luck and togetherness.
Find Pearl River Mart on Instagram
Pink Moon Head to Toe Gua Sha Set
Practicing the gua sha ritual is made easy with this cute, minimal rose quartz set. We could all use some relaxation and self care in our day to day, so this set is great to gift to yourself or a loved one.
Pink Moon provides thoughtful self care to everyone. Founder Lin Chen recognized that devoting time to oneself nourishes one's confidence and power, and wanted to bring those exact feelings to customers of Pink Moon. With traditional wellness rituals in mind, the beauty brand also calls to the pink moon event that happens every April, signaling a positive time for change.
Chunks Juno Claw
Wear these lucky colors in a fashion-forward way, everyday. Not only are these chunky, retro clips stylish, but they're also nickel-free and will make you look towards summer.
Chunks was founded by Tiffany Ju after she realized there were no cute *and* high-quality hair clips. Inspired by Ju's love for color and culture, Chunks is on a mission to support eco-responsible manufacturing and emphasize how products are made instead of where they're made.
Yina Lunar New Year Set
Inspired by traditional Chinese medicine, founders of Yina, Angela Gray and Dr. Ervina Wu, set out to provide self care that intertwines modern wellness rituals with traditional wisdom.
Which local businesses in your area will you support this Lunar New Year?
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This post has been updated.
