Celebrating Lunar New Year: Welcoming the Year of the Horse

We love creating moments that bring our community together, honour our teams’ diverse backgrounds, and offer gentle opportunities for connection. This month, our Peer Support Group marked Lunar New Year with a beautiful session celebrating the Year of the Horse.

A huge thank you goes to Tim, our trainee support worker, who thoughtfully led the session and shared insight into her culture, traditions, and the meaning behind this important festival.

Tim explained:

“During this festival, we share a variety of traditional foods — it’s practically a season dedicated to gaining weight with your loved ones! Today, in addition to enjoying food together, we also wrote fai chun (festive calligraphy banners), embraced the blessings of the season, and explored the cultural meanings behind the traditions. Wishing everyone a fresh and hopeful new beginning!”

The group enjoyed learning about the symbolism woven through Lunar New Year customs; from the colours and decorations to the foods that represent prosperity, luck, and renewal. Writing fai chun together offered a moment of calm creativity, with participants choosing blessings and phrases that resonated with their own hopes for the year ahead.

We’re so grateful to Tim for sharing her heritage with such warmth and enthusiasm. The session was a joy for everyone who attended, and a wonderful reminder of how cultural traditions can bring comfort, connection, and a sense of new beginnings.