Lunar New Year 2021

By Josephine Wang

As we say adieu to the Year of the Rat, thé Ox arrived on February 12 with new hope and refreshed purpose. While we don’t dwell in the past, we certainly can look into the future with wisdom from lessons learned.

MCGOP has been celebrating this tradition for the past four years, usually with a banquet at The New Fortune restaurant in the middle of Montgomery County.

Last year we had a Huge crowd in the main dining room and enjoyed the food, great speakers and fun cultural festivities. Due to Covid, we will not be able to do so this year, just a pass until we beat this pandemic.

The rest of the world’s one quarter population Asian and Eastern usually celebrates it with families: children getting red envelopes with money and visits from relatives, paying respects to the elderly and wearing red to show happiness. Dragon dancers will visit stores and put on a great show along with firecrackers to ring in the new year.

As the District of Columbia is relaxing their rule about in indoor dining perhaps there will be the usual dragon dance and a march along the China Town Arch (built with the help of great Asian-Republican businessmen!)

So here’s how to say happy New Year in Mandarin: Xin Nian Kuai Le (新年快樂).
Time to acquire a new language and yes, start thinking about this useful skill!

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Joséphine Wang 張容善 immigrated with her parents to America when she was a child. She’s the longest serving member of the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee.