Lunar New Year 2023: Usher in the Year of the Rabbit at these Houston celebrations

People dressed as dragons dance during New York City's Lunar New Year celebration at Sara D. Roosevelt Park on February 1, 2022 in New York City. The Lunar New Year is the beginning of a calendar year whose months are lunar cycles, based on the lunar calendar or lunisolar calendar. (Photo by Pablo Monsalve/VIEWpress) (Pablo Monsalve, 2022 @VIEWpress via Getty Images)

HOUSTON – Asian Americans in the Houston area will usher in the Year of the Rabbit later this month, celebrating the Lunar New Year with colorful decorations, performances, and prayers for good fortune in the year to come.

The Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays in China, Vietnam, South Korea and other Asian countries and begins on Jan. 22.

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Each year is named for one of 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac in a repeating cycle. The Year of the Rabbit follows the Year of the Tiger.

Celebrate the Lunar New Year at these community celebrations in the Houston area.

Lunar New Year 2023 at Asia Society Texas

Saturday, Jan. 28, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Learn about Lunar New Year traditions around the world through all-ages crafts, activities, and performances during this free community event held by Asia Texas Society. Create rabbit hats, take festive photos, learn about the zodiac and make lanterns in-between performances and demonstrations that include lion dancing, qigong exercises and storybook opera.

Details: https://asiasociety.org/texas/events/lunar-new-year-2023-celebrating-year-rabbit

Lion dancing at Phat Eatery

Sunday, Jan. 22 through Sunday, Jan. 29

Phat Eatery will host four lion dancing events Jan. 22, through Jan. 29. At each event, guests will enjoy a five-course tasting menu, presented family style, plus Lion Dance performances by Lee Golden Dragon. The feast will feature traditional Lunar New Year dishes such as the interactive Yu Sheng, or Prosperity Toss, a traditional Malaysian dish symbolizing abundance and other chef specialties. Admission is $88 for adults and $28 for children.

Details: https://www.phateatery.com/2023-year-of-the-rabbit

Lunar New Year at Discovery Green

Sunday, Jan. 22, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Discovery Green will host a Lunar New Year celebration with multicultural performances, including a fan dance, puppet dance and a hand drum dance.

Details: https://www.discoverygreen.com/event/lunar-new-year-at-solstice-sponsored-by-pnc-bank/

Lunar New Year Night Market

Some of the vendors at the food hall will offer special menu items to celebrate the full moon. There will also be a lantern lighting.

Details: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lunar-new-year-night-market-tickets-36641470625

Sprinkles Cupcakes honors Lunar New Year with specialty symbolic treat

Sprinkles' Gold Bunny Almond Red Velvet Cupcake (Sprinkles)

The Gold Bunny Almond Red Velvet Cupcake celebrates Lunar New Year culture and tradition at bakeries nationwide from Jan. 16-29. Sprinkles and Gold House, the leading Asian Pacific changemaker organization, have baked up a meaningful partnership to recognize the annual holiday celebrated across the world. Together, Sprinkles and Gold House designed a limited-edition Gold Bunny Almond Red Velvet cupcake, symbolic of the Year of the Rabbit featuring the iconic red velvet cake swirled with almond slivers on an almond cookie crust, topped with an almond cream cheese frosting and a Gold House sugar decoration. The cupcake’s central ingredient, almond, is symbolic of good luck in Chinese culture and is an ode to almond cookies traditionally gifted at this time. The Gold Bunny will be available for $6. Sprinkles also worked with Gold House and AAPI designer, Madison Mariani, to design exclusive red envelopes traditionally gifted to loved ones during the holiday. The red envelopes will be included in all Lunar New Year Red Box Bundle orders.


About the Author

Briana Zamora-Nipper joined the KPRC 2 digital team in 2019. When she’s not hard at work in the KPRC 2 newsroom, you can find Bri drinking away her hard earned wages at JuiceLand, running around Hermann Park, listening to crime podcasts or ransacking the magazine stand at Barnes & Noble.

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