Growing up as a Filipina American, I personally didn’t observe Lunar New Year, but over the years, I’ve learned the different ways my friends celebrate. Labels like “Asian” and “Asian American” try to encompass the vibrant, overflowing diaspora, like red mesh bags of oranges at the market, but our past, present, futures, generational curses, inherited blessings, trauma, and joy burst at the seams. This holiday is a reminder that we aren’t all the same. There’s variation among the things that make us #VeryAsian.
While I might not have directly celebrated Lunar New Year traditions growing up, there is diasporic crossover when it comes to auspicious foods. I drew pancit canton ingredients (e.g. shrimp and green onions) framing the “2022 Lunar New Year” noodle letters. The sumo orange rising in the background references the round fruits that are typically consumed in various Lunar New Year traditions. The deep red background is a nod to the red envelopes given out during Lunar New Year (e.g. in Chinese and Vietnamese traditions). The tiger, with its red manicured nails, treads across the uncertain waters of 2022. As we enter the Year of the Water Tiger in these ever-changing times, I’m channeling the same courageousness.