This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

#NewYearFortune #CollectiveBias

I think a great way to raise tolerant, compassionate, and educated children is to expose them to as many different cultures and customs as possible. Personally, I want my son to understand that other children look, speak, eat, and talk differently from him, and that is okay. Travel is a great way to do that, but not everyone has the financial means to do so. Thankfully, with the internet and a few good maps, we can bring another country and culture to our home. In a week or so China will celebrate the Chinese New Year. Gabe and I have been talking about China and the celebration with the help of authentic restaurant inspired Tai Pei® frozen foods. I have a few suggestions about how you can celebrate the Chinese New Year in your home and teach your children about the festive holiday.

Chinese New Year will be held February 19 this year. Gabe and I began our discussion of Chinese New Year by locating China on a map or globe. He enjoys equating distances, and I pointed out that China is on the other side of the World. The Chinese New Year celebration is centuries old and it’s celebrated in other countries with large Chinese populations. It’s also know as the Chinese Spring Festival. The official date fluctuates slightly and can range from January 21 to February 20. Every year is marked by a Chinese Zodiac symbol, and this upcoming year will be the Year of the Sheep.

Here a few unique aspects of the Chinese New Year celebration:

• Chinese families gather the evening before for a reunion meal.
• It is customary to clean the house thoroughly before the start of the Chinese New Year. They believe this will help wipe away any back luck for the beginning of the New Year.
• The color red is believed to bring good fortune. The Chinese will wear red and decorate with red lanterns and paper goods.
• The Chinese light fireworks and firecrackers to celebrate.
• Scrolls of Chinese poetry, called a couplet, are often hung on doors.
• Red envelopes filled with money are often given to children and elderly. The money is usually an even amount.
• They often exchange small gifts like chocolates. There is also a list of items that are taboo.
• Floral arrangements for tables contain certain lucky flowers.

We had fun looking at maps, images, and videos of Chinese New Year celebrations while enjoying our Tai Pei® egg rolls and spring rolls. Gabe loves Asian food, so he enjoyed talking about the area it comes from.

Tai Pei® offers a broad selection of authentic Asian food. I included several spring roll and egg roll varieties in this post.

These are the Tai Pei® chicken and pork variety egg rolls. They also offer veggie, shrimp, and spicy chicken varieties.

The spring rolls were definitely our favorite and Gabe grabbed over half before I could get the plate photographed. They are available in chicken and vegetable varieties.

The Tai Pei® egg rolls and spring rolls both come with dipping sauce (pictured above).

I found Tai Pei® in the frozen food aisle of the local Walmart. These were ready in just a few minutes. They are loaded with fresh vegetables, chicken, pork, or shrimp. Everything that I cooked disappeared in minutes.

I’m grateful that Tai Pei® sponsored today’s post and a delicious learning experience for my son. Our family might celebrate the Chinese New Year (because my house needs a deep cleaning and who doesn’t need a little good luck) this year. It’s an easy celebration that honors friends and family, and centuries of tradition.

You can read more about the Tai Pei® brand on their social channels:

• Facebook 
• Twitter
• Pinterest

Check out the cool Chinese New Year app on the Tai Pei® Facebook page. They are offering a “red envelope” of savings while supplies last, and check out your local newspapers and other publications  on 2/8 for an offer from Tai Pei®.

Have you ever celebrated Chinese New Year? What custom did you enjoy reading about? Gabe was pretty excited about the red envelopes.