For many East and Southeast Asians in the UK, Lunar New Year is a time of treasured memories. Growing up, it was a special time of both gathering and welcoming.
In Chinese culture, this lasts for about two weeks. On the first night, we would have the reunion meal in which families would come together, travelling from far and wide to celebrate together. (It’s similar to Christmas in the UK – including the frenzied last-minute shopping!) In China, this period of travel begins two weeks before and has been called the largest annual human migration in the world. My relatives would gather together for the reunion meal, spending the whole day cooking up a colourful feast, with many traditional foods. For adults, these were prepared for their symbolic meaning: noodles for a long life or delicious steamed fish, signifying abundance. For me, I was just happy to fill my bowl with delicious food!
"Growing up, Lunar New Year was a special time of both gathering and welcoming."
Lunar New Year was not only a time of gathering, but also of welcoming and showing generous hospitality. Back home, this is expressed through the concept of the open house. Guests are invited to ​‘bà i nián’: to pay a visit to your house, eat, chat and relax. It would not be uncommon to be invited to multiple houses on the same day, so this required strategic thinking. You needed to show the host honour by visiting them, eat just enough to honour their preparations, yet still save space to eat again in the next home. Reading indirect cues was also crucial: even if homes were open for the whole day, there was an unspoken rule to leave after a period of time, to free the host to welcome other guests – in other words, to not overstay one’s welcome.
Growing up, hosting would be an all-day event, requiring much energy! We would wear cheongsams (traditional clothing), decorate the house with pink plum blossoms, fill baskets with sweet oranges, prepare ​‘angpaos’ (red envelopes) with fresh banknotes to give to children, and run around serving drinks to guests. The value of hospitality is so great, that even if strangers turn up to your door when you have an open house, it is considered rude to turn them away.
This year, I celebrated Lunar New Year with a fairly multicultural crowd: my husband, church life group and some guests. We distributed chopsticks to each guest to toss the ​‘yee sang’ together, a boisterous activity in which a salad with different symbolic shredded vegetables and sashimi are tossed together. Traditionally, the higher the toss, the more prosperous the new year, especially while proclaiming ​‘auspicious phrases’! However, as good Christians, we also recited different fruits of the Spirit as we enthusiastically mixed the salad together, making a big, beautiful and delicious mess on the table.
After this, we had a hotpot in which different ingredients are added to a communal, bubbling pot. This is not a quick meal (ours lasted about three hours!), but a cosy experience that brings people together to laugh and chat. Each person brought a different ingredient, ranging from frozen dumplings, thinly-sliced meats, delicious Korean noodles to fancy Waitrose mushrooms! Rather than people being served as guests, everyone pitched in with sincerity and gusto: whether chopping vegetables, playing music, or ensuring people’s bowls were always full.
In the body of Christ, we can enjoy this same mutuality. In the same way that everyone brought a different ingredient, each of us in the body brings our unique gifts and contributions to share together. An example was when one of our British-Nigerian sisters discovered the joy of a delicious pineapple tart for the first time that evening, her eyes shining. The Malaysian sister who brought the tarts could have easily kept these precious homemade treats to herself, but brought her contribution to share. In doing so, this new experience was an opportunity to share her culture and bless others.
"In the body of Christ, each of us brings our unique gifts and contributions to share together."
Scripture is abundant with images of God as the ultimate host and the rich hospitality we are called to reflect. We don’t need to worry if we’re wearing the right clothes or bringing the right gifts, for His warm welcome and invitation is extended to all (Luke 14:12 – 14). In our Father’s house, we are welcome not only as guests but as cherished sons and daughters. We don’t need to worry about taking up space, for He has many rooms. We don’t need to fear that we may overstay our welcome, because He has already prepared a room for us. We belong because we are adopted into His family through His Son who has prepared a place for us. As special as Lunar New Year is, how much more beautiful the gospel welcome – of a Father’s house in which we are not guests but family who belong, and then in turn bless others with generous hospitality.
