Lunar New Year ‘as big as Christmas’ for some parishes

Celebrating Lunar New Year is a big deal for mom Christina Lee.

Lee was in Grade 10 when her Korean family immigrated to Canada. Now her children are in their university years, but distance and time have not diminished the significance of cultural practices for her.

“Catholic faith is a core value in my family, but so is that heritage,” said Lee, communications coordinator for St. Andrew Kim Parish in Surrey. “It’s a reminder of where I came from.”

Every year, St. Andrew Kim hosts a special New Year’s Day Mass on or around the first day of the Lunar New Year, followed by a festive reception. (This year, their celebration is Sunday, Jan. 26).

“It’s as big as Christmas,” Lee said. 

The church, with a seating capacity of about 750 people, is often packed for Lunar New Year.

New Year’s Masses at St. Andrew Kim (celebrated on the nearest Sunday) involve readings chosen for the occasion and used by Korean Catholics around the world, Lee said. Many parishioners dress in traditional hanboks, and the church is decorated with an offering of Korean foods like rice, soup, vegetables, seafood, rice cakes, and pears.

“Traditionally, Koreans celebrate Lunar New Year with a special table setting to commemorate our ancestors,” Lee explained. “We are not worshipping our ancestors. We are just celebrating what they have given us … to signify that it is our heritage.”

St. Andrew Kim Parish is one of at least a dozen Catholic communities celebrating the Year of the Rat in 2020.

St. Francis Xavier Parish in Vancouver celebrates Lunar New Year with a combined Mass in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese, followed by a potluck in the school gym and entertainment including members of the community performing dances with ribbons or the dragon dance.

Parish secretary Jennie Siu estimates about 300-400 people turn up every year and expects the same turnout Jan. 26 

“A lot of people dress in a Chinese traditional outfit,” she said. “Everybody brings a little food, so we share.”

Siu isn’t a huge fan of 2020 being called the Year of the Rat. For her it’s “the Year of the Mouse,” she joked, adding that the festivities at her parish this year will include one lucky winner going home with a golden mouse.

Meanwhile, Precious Blood Parish in Surrey is planning to ring in the Lunar New Year with its first-ever carnival Jan. 25. Father Paul Chu, head of Chinese Ministry for the Archdiocese of Vancouver, expects up to 1,000 participants.

“I heard from some parents that ‘we live here far away, and our children don’t have any experience of this celebration,’” said Father Chu. He hopes a large, local cultural event will help new Canadians connect with their Chinese heritage.

He also sees a grand New Year’s celebration as a tool for evangelism.

“We welcome people from all faiths or no faith. We hope to attract some people from no religion to come and know about our church,” he said.

“If they feel comfortable in meeting people here, in seeing the place or the celebration, they may come back.”

The carnival, which will begin after 11 a.m. Mass on Saturday, will feature performances, a professional lion dance, karaoke, games, items for sale, a photo booth, a display of traditional Chinese calligraphy, and other attractions. The carnival will run from 1:30 to 6 p.m.

Meanwhile, at St. Matthew’s Parish in Surrey, about 900 people are expected to turn up for Mass and a festive reception to ring in the new year in Vietnamese Jan. 26.

“It’s something for them to come and remember, a home away from home,” said Father Tien Tran. “It builds community ... not only church community, but the Vietnamese community at large.”

He said people who share his heritage will make the trip for the Lunar New Year celebration at the Surrey parish from as far away as Vancouver.

Festivities at St. Matthew’s this year will include Mass with Bishop Joseph Nguyen of Kamloops, lucky money for children, gifts for the elderly, a feast, speeches, and entertainment including a dragon dance, all for free.

“It’s all so exciting,” Father Tran said. “We get to celebrate Christmas, New Year, and then another New Year all in one month.”

The Lunar New Year officially begins Saturday, Jan. 25.

See: Archbishop offers prayers for Lunar New Year.