As Asian Americans usher in the Lunar New Year Friday, the usual festivities are out.

In Orange County, visibly absent this year is the colorful Vietnamese Tet parade.  (Last year, there were even two.)  Ditto in places like Los Angeles and San Gabriel, which plan to hold virtual events to mark the new year celebrated in the Chinese, Vietnamese, Taiwanese and Korean communities.

Instead of live parades and multi-day festivals, the new year will for the most part be fêted quietly across Southern California. COVID-19, however, has not dampened the holiday spirit.

“The new year spirit is still here despite the pandemic,” said Hacienda Heights resident Sung Kim, a Korean immersion language teacher at Cedar Lane Academy.

Especially after the hardships of 2020, everyone is looking forward to a new beginning, said Kim, president of the International Korean Educators Network.  “We have hope for the new year, with vaccines, a new government and new president and efforts to clear the pandemic,” she said.

Friday, Feb. 12, marks the start of the Lunar New Year, which is tied to the year’s first new moon.  Vietnamese  call it “Tet.”  Koreans call it “Seollal.” Chinese celebrate with the Spring Festival, which lasts 15 days, and call the holiday “Chūn Jié” in Mandarin.

The new year is a time for family celebrations and traditions, including the gifting of money tucked into bright red envelopes.

Westminster resident Stacy Bui, 17, is still expecting those red envelopes. But other traditions this year will have to change.

“We usually head to my grandma’s house with all the aunts, uncles and kids. Everyone brings a Vietnamese dish and we sit and all eat together.”

The family usually plays games, kids pop firecrackers, and most of the aunts dress in traditional ao dai, or silk tunics.  After the meal, the family takes turns honoring their elders, starting with the grandparents.

“They sit on two chairs in the middle of the living room and we line up to pay our respect and wish them a good year,” Bui said.  After some 30 relatives express their good wishes, the exercise is repeated for the next oldest and so on.

This year, the family wants to respect the elders by not holding a large gathering, she said. “We’re not planning to have a party. But still go to my grandma’s and pass out the red envelopes and come back home as soon as possible.”

Bui and her mother, Lisa Bui, were at the Flower Festival outside the Asian Garden Mall earlier this week looking for some flowers they could bring home, another common tradition.  The Westminster mall in the heart of Little Saigon holds the outdoor market every year, this year with a much smaller number of vendors.

Meanwhile, across  Southern California, other malls, restaurants and businesses hoped to still attract customers with Lunar New Year specials and decorations. But with COVID-19 restrictions, it’s not easy.

“Chinese New Year’s Eve was our annual epic event,” said Andrew Chiu, co-owner of Peking Tavern in downtown L.A., which specializes in homemade dumplings popular during the new year.  “We started a new tradition, a nighttime party after all the daytime Lunar New Year celebrations. The pandemic took it away from us.”

In Los Angeles, one of the better known festivities is the Golden Dragon Parade in Chinatown – this year marks the 122nd anniversary.

Billed as the longest-running Lunar New Year parade outside of China, this year’s event will commemorate the Year of the Ox with a Facebook event that reflects on the history and achievements of Chinese Americans in Los Angeles.  The program will feature performances and stories of culture, dance and music during a live streaming from 1 to 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12, by its sponsor, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of L.A.

Other firsts caused by the pandemic: the huge Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights is closed to the public, but is live streaming its new year services online.

And in San Gabriel, an annual festival will also flip to an online program, featuring a video of past festivities, an interactive game night and an opportunity for community members to submit a message of hope or a wish for a “Wishing Tree” in front of the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse Plaza.

San Gabriel Councilman Jason Pu, a Chinese American, noted the holiday is a time to be with family. For those who already are adhering to COVID-19 guidelines, staying home for the holiday “is quite consistent with Lunar New Year traditions.”

Still, for those who are used to traveling far to visit relatives, the pandemic has brought that to a halt.

For Santa Ana Councilwoman Thai Viet Phan, that means her mother won’t be traveling to Vietnam for the holidays and she gets to enjoy her mom’s homemade bánh tét and other holiday treats.  Still, she won’t be seeing her for dinner – the treats will all be delivered.

“We’re not in her COVID bubble,” Phan said. “My sister will come over Friday night to have dinner, enjoy our mom’s food and spend time with each other.”

“These big holidays are the hardest,” Phan said of all the traditions the pandemic has upended.

Corona resident Julian Hsieh, vice president of the Inland Chinese Association, said with most of his family back in Taiwan, he often tries to go back to visit. But this year, “the only thing we can do is call each other or send messages through social media.”

Yet, the holiday retains its meaningfulness, he said. “It’s a time to count your blessings, especially if your family members are all doing well and are healthy.”

This year, those who are celebrating the Lunar New Year have one key wish, Hsieh said.

“We only wish for good health. And for everything to go back to normal.”

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