Building Tradition: A LEGO Lunar New Year Celebration

Today’s guest article comes from Lia Chan, a LEGO builder and space nerd who is taking a look at the new LEGO Chinese Festivals sets for the Lunar New Year, which begins today.

A New Year

Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year, is one of the most beloved and joy-filled holidays in Chinese culture. It’s akin to the American Thanksgiving or Christmas in the sense that it’s a time for families to come together, reflect on the past year, and look forward to the future with hope and good fortune. A significant part of the holiday revolves around food, with family meetings centered around a reunion dinner, which is a symbol of unity and love. This year, however, I found a different way to bond with my mother and celebrate our heritage—by building the LEGO Chinese New Year set 80117 Good Fortune together.

This article shares the experience of building the set with my 81-year-old mother, who had never put together a LEGO set before. As we built, I learned more about my own culture and about the cultural significance of the various objects in the set. It became a beautiful opportunity to not only enjoy some quality time together but also to explore the deeper meanings behind the elements that are so important during the Lunar New Year.

Building LEGO Across Generations

This was the first time my mom had ever worked on a LEGO set—and it became a new tradition I’m excited to continue. I let her take charge of the first instruction booklet while I worked through the second one. In the beginning, she struggled a little with some of the instructions and had trouble finding the pieces, but she quickly caught on as we progressed. By the time we finished bag 1, she was already impressed with the details of the build and eager to continue.

As we worked on the first bag, my mom was impressed with the details of the gold circle pattern on the base of the set. She explained that in Chinese culture, circles symbolize the cyclical nature of life and the pursuit of balance and harmony. In the inner round green circle, she identified that as a jade pendant. In Chinese culture, jade symbolizes purity, inner peace, and moral integrity—values that are deeply embedded in the Lunar New Year spirit of renewal and hope.

Symbolism and Meaning

When we reached bag 2 and began assembling the three gold ingots, my mom shared a fascinating historical tidbit. In ancient China, gold and silver ingots were used as currency, much like the paper money we use today. Gold ingots, in particular, were considered more valuable and were typically carried by the wealthy.

She also pointed out the symbolism behind having three of them in the set. In Chinese culture, three is a lucky number, associated with growth, new beginnings, and prosperity. When pronounced, it also sounds similar to the word for “birth,” which makes the three gold ingots particularly meaningful during Lunar New Year celebrations. My mom mentioned that chocolate candies in the shape of ingots with gold foil wrappers are often given to children during the holiday as symbols of good luck and prosperity.

Moving on to the persimmon fruit in bag 3, my mom explained that persimmons are traditionally seen as a symbol of good fortune and prosperity. They are often given as gifts during Lunar New Year visits to friends and family. However, she added that oranges, tangerines, and pomelos are more commonly eaten during the holiday since persimmons are typically harvested in late fall and early winter.

Calligraphy and Culture

The last build in the first instruction booklet was a red scroll featuring the Chinese character for “Spring” written in traditional Chinese calligraphy. I asked her to show me how to hold the calligraphy brush and the correct steps to write the character for Spring. She explained that Chinese calligraphy is more than just writing—it’s an art form and a way to connect with culture and history.

She also shared an interesting tradition: it’s common to hang these calligraphy scrolls upside down during Lunar New Year. The word for “upside down” sounds very similar to the word for “arriving,” so when the scroll is hung upside down, it symbolizes that spring is arriving. Another common Chinese character that is often seen written with Chinese calligraphy during Lunar New Year is the word for “Fortune.” It is also hung upside down to have the meaning of “fortune is arriving.”

Porcelain and Fans

As we worked through the rest of the set, my mom admired the details of the porcelain vase with three red-dyed pussy willows and the decorative hand fan. She explained that blue-and-white porcelain was a dominant export from China to the Western World back in the Imperial Time and remains a popular item in Chinese gift shops.

The three red pussy willows, she said, symbolize birth, growth, and prosperity—key themes of the Lunar New Year. She also said that LEGO could also use other common Lunar New Year plants such as plum and peach blossoms, the Water Fairy Flower, orchids, kumquat tree branches, or lucky bamboo—which I excitedly told her that LEGO had created almost all of those plants as sets already.

The hand fan, which was traditionally a symbol of elegance, grace, and artistry, also caught my mom’s attention. The more intricate the pattern and the more exotic the material (such as silk with gold leaf), the wealthier or more upper-class the owner was considered to be. My mom still has a decorative hand fan she was gifted from a friend years ago that she proudly displays in her room.

A Bonding Moment

What made this Lunar New Year particularly memorable was the time spent with my mom building this LEGO set together. Over the years, we’ve shared many special moments during the holiday, like her teaching me to cook traditional Chinese meals, folding paper lanterns, and visiting family. But this was the first time we had ever done a LEGO build as a bonding activity. My mom has always encouraged my creativity and imagination, and as a child, she would get me LEGO sets whenever we could afford them. To now be sitting beside her, building a set and learning more about our shared culture, felt like a beautiful full-circle moment.

With each step of the build, I was learning new things about the meaning behind the symbols and objects of the Lunar New Year. It was a unique opportunity to listen to my mom’s stories and deepen my understanding of our traditions. This experience has already led to plans for more LEGO sessions. My mom has already chosen the LEGO Botanical Lucky Bamboo set 10344 for us to build together next. I can’t wait to spend more time with her and find out more about my own culture.

80117 Good Fortune is available from LEGO for around $90 US, £70 UK, €80 EU, 130 AU and 120 CA.

DISCLAIMER: This set was provided to BrickNerd by The LEGO Group. Any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.

Have you ever used LEGO to celebrate a holiday tradition? Share your stories in the comments below.

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