UPDATED: The writer added more detail and commentary to the original post.

The Lunar New Year began Tuesday, Feb. 17, marking the start of the 15-day Spring Festival celebrated across many Asian cultures. At our home in Ellison Park, we hosted a gathering that introduced neighbors and friends to traditions centered on symbolic dishes and cultural activities.

More than a meal: A cultural renaissance

Lunar New Year’s Eve (Chuxi 除夕) is the final night of the lunar year, marking an important traditional family reunion, often celebrated with a lavish dinner, fireworks and staying up late to welcome the new year. This year, the gathering offered a glimpse into how global cultural traditions are practiced locally and showcased the growing diversity of Waltham’s community, including Vietnamese, Korean, Malaysian, Taiwanese and Chinese residents.

Red paper cutouts decorated the windows to symbolize good fortune, while guests received red envelopes containing monetary gifts, a tradition meant to pass on blessings and luck for the year ahead. The celebration also featured games of chance, representing hopes for prosperity in the coming year.

Food played a central role, with each dish carrying symbolic meaning. Dumplings represented wealth because of their resemblance to ancient gold ingots, fish symbolized abundance reflecting the wish for surplus and prosperity, longevity noodles represented long life, and fa gao (發糕), a steamed cake that rises during cooking, symbolized growth and progress.

Growing diversity and energy of the community

Waltham has long been a “Watch City” that keeps time for the region, but its greatest strength is its evolving cultural clock. The Year of the Fire Horse in 2026 is regarded in the Chinese zodiac as a powerful, dynamic and transformative time, bringing strong potential for breakthroughs, decisive actions and personal growth.

Local celebrations such as this help preserve cultural heritage while fostering cross-cultural understanding among residents. As Waltham’s population becomes increasingly diverse, community gatherings around global traditions continue to shape the city’s cultural life.