Lunar New Year: 13 Gifts to Celebrate the Year of the Dragon
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Happy Lunar New Year! If you’re not familiar with Lunar New Year, which starts Feb. 9, the annual celebration — also known as Chinese New Year — follows the lunar calendar. It contains 354 days, versus the 365-day Gregorian calendar that you might be more familiar with.
2024 marks the Year of the Dragon, which symbolizes strength and good luck. The Chinese zodiac is separated into 12 astrological signs that are governed by different animals like the tiger, rat, snake, horse, ox, monkey and dragon. The astrological calendar repeats itself every 12 years, which means that there are a lot of people who were born in years that correspond with the dragon. (Of course, you don’t have to be born during a dragon year to get a gift.) In China, where Lunar New Year celebrations can last up to 16 days, the color red represents happiness, success, vitality, beauty and good luck, which is why most Lunar New Year products feature red coloring.
Chinese New Year Must Haves
To help you get prepared, we’ve put together a list of items to buy for Chinese New Year — comprised by Billboard’s Senior News Editor, Anna Chan.
See the list below.
- Mandarins/oranges symbolize good fortune and wealth.
- Candy dish (like these on Amazon).
- Red envelopes (these dragon ones on Amazon are perfect for this year; but there are a lot of beautiful options).
- Red clothes to symbolize good luck/fortune.
- Candies include chocolate coins, White Rabbit candies, sweetened coconut strips, lucky candy (in red foil wrappers) and other sweets.
- Seeds: Sunflower seeds, Red watermelon seeds and Gourd/melon seeds are the options chosen by Chan.
- Decorations: Red lanterns (like these, or a whole package!)
Keep reading for a curated list of Lunar New Year gifts to shop from Lego, Kate Spade, Tory Burch along with Asian-owned brands and more.
Pandora Chinese Year of the Dragon Charm
New year, new jewelry! This beautifully designed Chinese Year of the Dragon Charm from Pandora is made from 14k plated gold and features red, pear-shaped stones for eyes with pavé along one side of its body and scale details on the other. Shop the full collection here.
Tory Burch Lunar New Year Collection Monogram Cloud Mini Bucket Bag
A couple of the purses in the Tory Burch Lunar New Year collection sold out already, but there are a few other cute styles still in stock such as this mini bucket bag. The mongram bag is crafted from woven jacquard, lined with soft microsueded and features gold hardware with a dragon charm representing the mythical creature. Shop the full collection here.
Our Place Saucy Hot Wok Set
Food is a major part of Chinese New Year celebrations. Our Place’s The Saucy Hot Wok Set is perfectly designed to celebrate with a pre-seasoned, 12-inch carbon steel wok, steamer and glass lid, and Fly by Jing’s Year of the Dragon Triple Threat Set.
Fossil Everett Three-Hand Gold-Tone Stainless Steel Watch
Looking for a new watch? Fossil’s Lunar New Year collection watch is designed with a dragon in the bezel behind a red background. Click here to shop men’s and women’s watches and other items in the collection.
Esjay 2024 Chinese New Year Decorations – Dragon Plush Stuffed Animal (9.8 Inches)
Another cute gift idea from Amazon, this stuffed plushy doubles as a decorative piece. The 8-inch rabbit is made with a blend of cotton and short plush.
LEGO Year of the Dragon
The LEGO Year of the Dragon set makes a great gift to put on display. Designed for ages 8 and up, the 2024 Lunar New Year set showcases the dragon with big eye and a moveable tail and a brick-built base that symbolizes the sky and clouds. The set includes red envelopes for good luck. Interested in other Lunar New Year set? Shop the 2023 Lunar New Year Display at Lego.com, Target and Walmart.
Kate Spade Lunar New Year Dragon Sweater
This dragon sweater from the Kate Spade Lunar New Year collection is almost out of stock! The crewneck, wool sweater features an embellished dragon motif. Click here to shop the full collection of apparel, jewelry and a tote bag.
New Balance Lunar New Year 1906N
New Balance is celebrating the Year of the Dragon with a new twist on staples like the Lunar New Year 1906N — an all-time classic sneaker with a mesh upper and woven accents sea salt and shell pink.
KOIO Capri Lunar New Year Sneaker
This Lunar New Year Edition of the best-selling Capri sneaker features an adorable Dragon illustration on the side drawn by designer Dahan Chung. The red and white leather sneaker featurees a recycled rubber sole.
NARS Lunar New Year Quad Eyeshadow Palette
The Lunar New Year Quad Eyeshadow Palette from Nars features four, festive shades including a matte apricot, matte neutral beige, matte taupe brown and metallic, light champagne.
Charlotte Tilbury Lunar New Year Matte Revolution Lipstick
Charlotte Tilbury released a special Lunar New Years Edition of the popular Matte Revolution Lipstick in limited-edition burnt orange red.
Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum Lunar New Year
Shopping for luxury skincare? Sulwohasoo’s First Care Activating Serum is available in a limited Lunar New Year edition. The paraben-free, bestselling serum is infused with ginseng extract and a “Korean herb blend” designed to improve hydration and radiance while soothing and nourishing the skin.
COACH Boxed New Year Rogue 25 With Dragon
Coach is another brand with an extensive selection of Lunar New Year items including apparel, jewlery and of course, bags. The Box New Year Rogue tote feature a lovely dragon illustration. The bag is also available on resale sites such as ebay and StockX. Shop the full collection here.
Latifah Muhammad
Billboard
