Image Credit: Disney/ABC
Celebrating Chinese New Year (or the Lunar New Year) in America often means being met with blank stares about why you can’t make the Super Bowl party (because it falls on the eve of the biggest holiday in Asia!) or why you’re suddenly cleaning your house and getting your hair done. Well, maybe if the traditions of Lunar New Year became more well-known in the United States, that would change.
On Tuesday night, ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat became the first network sitcom with an episode devoted to the Lunar New Year. Part home for the holidays slapstick fare and part cultural education, I thought this week’s show did a great job showing how important the holiday is to Taiwanese American families, and what it’s like to have your traditions misunderstood and misappropriated.
Fresh Off the Boat airs at 8/7c Tuesdays on ABC. Miss the episode? It should be available for streaming on the ABC website soon.