The Irwin Family Celebrates Chinese New Year
Irwin Family: Then and Now
Today, we’d like to introduce you to the Irwin family, who adopted through America World’s China program. Below, Leslie Irwin shares with us how their family has celebrated Lunar New Year over the years and talks about special traditions they have made a part of their annual celebrations. While this holiday looks different now that their children are older, the Irwins are enjoying their traditions and making new memories, especially regarding how they prepare their Chinese New Year meal. Let’s take a moment to look inside the Irwin home and see how they have celebrated Chinese New Year over the last week…
Their Story
“Each year, our family celebrates Chinese New Year with traditional foods and by incorporating different traditions from China. We give each of our six children a hóngbāo (red envelope) with money. For all holidays we celebrate, we love to use decorations with sentimental value and display items our children have made over the years, and Chinese New Year is no exception. We enjoy using and displaying items we have received as gifts, items we purchased on each trip to China, and items we have found or have made since then. We even leave our Chinese New Year decorations out for several weeks!
Hot Pot on Chinese New Year
“One of our special traditions is having Hot Pot on Chinese New Year. This meal is from Chongqing, where our two sons were born. One year for Christmas, our younger son asked for a traditional Chinese hot pot. Since that Christmas, it is now a kitchen tool we bring out to use several times a year, but always for Chinese New Year. Our youngest daughter LOVES cooking and has learned to make many traditional Chinese meals that we enjoy as part of our celebrations and throughout the year.
“As an adoptive parent, you should realize that what is most important is not celebrating on an exact day or in a certain way. Instead, focus on sharing various traditions from their birth country with your children. Explain to them from the time you adopt them how important it is for your family to cherish and treasure these traditions and holidays together.”
As always, our staff loves seeing updates from families who have grown their families through adoption, even many years later after the adoption process has ended. Thank you, Leslie, for sharing your family’s story!
What About You?
Is your family considering adoption? Do you have questions about the adoption process? We’d love to help guide you in this process and answer any questions. Please reach out to us at info@awaa.org or by phone at 800-429-3369 and let America World help you get started on your adoption journey.