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It’s time to celebrate Toronto’s robust Chinese culture as February kicks off the beginning of the Lunar New Year with an array of events and celebrations.
The Chinese New Year, or Lunar New Year, marks the beginning of a 15 day Spring Festival that celebrates the blessing of a new harvest year, following the moon’s phases.
While it is unknown how long the Chinese New Year has been celebrated, its origins predate the western calendar and can be traced over 3,000 years to the Shang Dynasty or earlier.
From restaurant meal deals to virtual events and performances, here are 10 ways to celebrate the Lunar New Year in and around Toronto.
Snag a meal deal at one of Toronto’s participating restaurants
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The New Year is a time to be thankful and bless the harvest to come with close friends and family. If you feel like skipping the cooking, Toronto restaurants have prepared special made-to-deliver multi-course meals with all the traditional fixings you look forward to for families to enjoy at home.
Tune into FCCM Presents: Chinese New Year 2022
Looking to celebrate virtually? The Federation of Chinese Canadians in Markham (FCCM) is hosting a multi-day virtual festival packed with Lion Dance, martial arts, New Year forecasting, and zodiac predictions. There will also be singing performances from musical artist Casto Luis.
The event can be viewed on OMNITV February 5 at 6 pm and 11:00 pm or
February 7 at 5:30 pm; on Fairchild TV February 13 from 6:05 pm – 7:00 pm; on Facebook February 5 at 6:00 pm; and on Youtube February 5 at 6 pm.
For complete event details, click here.
Check out Netflix’s new channel celebrating the Asian diaspora
Netflix has launched a new social media channel dedicated to championing stories of the pan-Asian diaspora. According to Lucie Zhang, manager of Netflix Golden, you can now follow the @NetflixGolden channels on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok to stay up-to-date on stories by pan-Asian talents in front of and behind the camera.
Virtually attend Dragon Ball 2022
The Yee Hong Community Wellness Foundation is holding its annual Dragon Ball benefit gala virtually this year. The event is the largest fundraising gala in North America in honour of the Chinese New Year. Viewers can tune into the celebration for free on Saturday, February 5 at 8 pm, or purchase a ticket for a special Dragon Ball 2022 culinary gift box complete with a four-course dinner.
Funds raised help support the culturally and linguistically appropriate care and services provided by Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care to seniors of various backgrounds in the GTA.
For tickets, click here. For the livestream, click here.
Livestream the Toronto Chinese Folk Art Centre performance on YouTube
This year, the Toronto Chinese Folk Art Centre will host its 14th Chinese New Year Performance on Youtube. The annual event aims to engage seniors, allowing them to interact with the rest of the community and reduce social isolation. The broadcast has been held online for the past two years in keeping with health regulations. It will feature a wide range of performances from Chinese artists.
Attend Markham’s virtual LunarFest
LunarFest will celebrate the Year of the Tiger and bring people together after two years of pandemic-related isolation. The message, or theme, of this year’s LunarFest, is: “Together, Stronger!”
The festival will hold virtual events on February 5 and 6, as well as a display of lanterns at the courtyard of Varley Art Gallery from February 5 to 22. For complete event details, click here.
Explore Yorkdale’s Lunar New Year art display
Get your shop on and visit Yorkdale’s Lunar New Year art display this February. Enjoy some retail therapy and get that perfect Instagramable shot at the mall’s breathtaking immersive display in front of Holt Renfrew from January 17 to February 11.
Designed by La Camaraderie and produced by MASSIVart, the installation invites visitors to celebrate Lunar New Year through a symbolic action: Crossing a Gate to the New Year – like a gateway through time. The portal is inspired by the tiger’s energy and strength.
See real tigers at Scarborough’s Chinese Cultural Centre’s virtual event
It’s the year of the tiger, so why not reign it in looking at real ones? Scarborough’s Chinese Cultural Centre’s virtual event will be livestreamed on Youtube on February 7 at 8 pm.
For 75 minutes, viewers will be enthralled with entertainment from Lion Dance, martial arts, chamber music, and folk dances to performances from singers Mandy Wu and Samantha Lai. There will also be paper-cutting and origami, a Tiger painting exhibit, a Chinese calligraphy demonstration, vegetable carving and predictions for the coming year by Sifu Paul Ng.
To take part in the event, click here.
Visit the Yue Moon: Tiger With Wings art installation
Downtown Toronto’s Chinatown BIA invited you to celebrate the year of the tiger virtually on February 5 at 7 pm.
In addition to the broadcast of its LNY Keepsake Video, the BIA has launched a Chinese lantern exhibition running from January 21 to February 28, 2022, at 519 Dundas Street West. Titled Yue Moon: Tiger With Wings, the outdoor lantern installation is a community-engaged, interdisciplinary public art project rooted in Toronto’s Chinatown led by artist Paddy Leung and artist assistant Meegan Lim, in partnership with STEPS Public Art and Chinatown BIA.
For complete event details, click here.
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