Happy Lunar New Year 2024

Lunar New Year is upon us! Wishing you peace, health, and prosperity for the Year of the Dragon. 

Happy Lunar Year to all celebrating around the world. 2024 is the Year of the Dragon, a mythical creature symbolising bravery, strength, and independence. How do you celebrate the Lunar New Year?

Celebrating Lunar New Year at the Museum of the Docklands

It is importan to us that Lady Yeya embraces both her Chinese and Indian heritage. As such, we always do something fun to mark both Diwali and Lunar New Year. With Lunar New Year starting on Saturday, 10th February, the Museum of the Docklands curated a fantastic weekend programme to celebrate the Year of the Dragon with many family-friendly activities. I invited my friend who is pregnant with a baby girl and her two boys to join us for a fun-filled afternoon in Canary Wharf. 

At the Museum of the Dockland, I was able to snag spots at several ticketed interactive workshops throughout the afternoon. As Lady Yeya is currently taking karate lessons, she was keen for Dragon Kung Fu, an ancient form of martial arts. There was also a ribbon dance workshop which the kids enjoyed trying their hand at twirling the ribbon around without getting tangled up. The highlight was the final performance of the Lion Dance at 4pm. To usher in the New Year, the lion dance brings good fortune by chasing away evil spirits with its festive dancing. The kids had a wonderful afternoon getting in touch with their Chinese roots. A lovely day out catching up with my good friend and look forward to meeting her baby girl born in the Year of the Dragon in two weeks

 Traditional Peking Duck for Lunar New Year Lunch

Having a traditional feast with family and friends is an important part of the Lunar New Year celebrations. On Sunday we invited the twins and their parents over for a tasty lunch of Peking Duck. Two years ago, I attempted to make Peking duck from scratch, from air-drying to roasting. It was  very laborious so never again! To save time this year, I ordered two 2.5kg oven-ready ducks from Four Season Chinese Restaurant in Chinatown, which comes air-dried. It was aromatically seasoned with Chinese five spice and doused in maltose syrup. All we needed to do was pop in the oven and wait until the skin turned extra crispy. 

Accompanying the roast duck  were noodles to symbolise longevity,  dumplings for prosperity, and broccoli tenderstem for good health. The girls each received a lucky red envelope with chocolates and fortune cookies. We had a great time celebrating with the twin’s parents. And the girls watched Disney’s Raya which was perfect to mark the Year of the Dragon. 

Happy Year of the Dragon! May the Year of the Dragon bring good health, peace and prosperity!