Need help? Start on our program sites:
On Monday, February 17, millions of people around the world will celebrate Lunar New Year—a time of renewal, reunion, and hope for the year ahead. Red envelopes will be exchanged, special foods will be prepared, and families will gather to honor traditions passed down through generations.
For some foster and adoptive families in Wisconsin, this will be a new celebration—one they’re navigating for the first time with a child in their care who comes from Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, or another Asian heritage. For others, it’s one example among many of learning to honor the cultural traditions that matter to the children they’re raising.
Today, as we wish everyone celebrating Gong Xi Fa Cai (Happy New Year), we want to talk about something bigger: why cultural celebrations matter in foster and adoptive families, and how to honor them well.
Why Cultural Traditions Matter So Much
Let’s start with the foundation: for children separated from their birth families or communities, cultural traditions are more than nice activities. They’re connections to identity, heritage, and belonging.
When we honor a child’s cultural traditions, we’re sending powerful messages:
- Your background matters
- Your culture is valuable and worth celebrating
- You belong in this family and in your cultural community
- We see all of who you are
For transracially adopted children or those in foster care, maintaining cultural connections supports healthy identity development, self-esteem, and resilience. Research shows that children with strong cultural identity have better outcomes across mental health, academic success, and overall well-being.
But What If You Don’t Know the Traditions?
Many well-intentioned caregivers tell us they hesitate here. “I don’t know how to celebrate Lunar New Year. I wasn’t raised with these traditions. What if I do it wrong?”
We hear you. And we want to offer this reassurance: it’s okay not to know everything. What matters most is being willing to learn and try, even when it feels uncomfortable.
Where to Begin:
1. Learn Alongside the Child
Approach cultural learning as something you do together. Read books about Lunar New Year (or Ramadan, or Diwali, or Juneteenth, or whatever traditions are relevant). Watch videos. Attend community celebrations. Make it clear that you’re learning because this part of them matters to you.
For young children who don’t yet understand their heritage, you are the bridge. You’re holding their culture for them until they’re ready to claim it themselves.
2. Connect with the Community
The best teachers of cultural traditions are people who live them. Reach out to cultural organizations, community centers, or places of worship connected to your child’s heritage.
For the Lunar New Year, many cities have festivals, performances, or community gatherings. Attend them. Let your child see people who look like them celebrating their shared heritage.
Build genuine relationships—not just transactional “tell me about your culture” interactions, but real friendships with people from your child’s cultural community. These relationships become windows for your child into their heritage.
3. Bring Traditions Into Your Home
You don’t need to be an expert to incorporate meaningful practices:
- Prepare traditional foods (or order from authentic restaurants)
- Decorate with culturally significant items
- Learn a few words or phrases in your child’s heritage language
- Display photos or art representing their culture
- Read stories and watch media featuring people from their background
For Lunar New Year, that might mean:
- Red decorations symbolizing luck and joy
- Lucky money in red envelopes (hongbao)
- Special foods like dumplings, fish, or nian gao (sticky rice cake)
- Learning about the zodiac animal for the year (2026 is the Year of the Horse)
- Watching lion or dragon dances together
The specifics matter less than the consistent message: This part of you is important to us.
4. Honor All Heritage, Not Just One
Many children, especially in foster care, have complex, multi-racial, multi-cultural backgrounds. Try to honor all parts of a child’s heritage rather than emphasizing one at the expense of others. Each piece of their identity deserves celebration.
A child who is Black and Vietnamese deserves connections to both communities. A child with Mexican and Native American heritage needs access to both cultures. It’s not either/or—it’s and.
5. Adapt Traditions to Fit Your Family
Something worth remembering: cultural traditions aren’t static. They evolve, adapt, and blend as families create their own versions.
Maybe you can’t make traditional Lunar New Year dishes from scratch, but you can order them and make eating them special. Maybe you don’t have a Vietnamese community nearby, but you can video chat with families who do.
Do what you can with what you have, and keep trying to expand access as your child grows.
What About When Your Child Seems Uninterested?
Sometimes, especially with older children, you’ll encounter resistance. “I don’t care about that” or “That’s not my thing.”
A few things we’ve learned from families navigating this:
Consider continuing to offer opportunities, even when they’re declined. Children need access to make their own choices later, and what feels unimportant at age 8 might become meaningful at 16. Even if they seem uninterested now, they may want these connections as teenagers or adults.
It can help to gently explore what’s behind the resistance. Sometimes children have experienced racism or bullying related to their culture, or they’re trying to “fit in” by rejecting differences, or they associate their culture with loss or trauma. These are important conversations, and they might need support from a therapist who understands identity development.
Your own participation matters. If you’re genuinely engaged, interested, and respectful of their cultural heritage—even when they’re not—you’re modeling that their identity matters. Your child is watching.
Beyond Single Celebrations
The bigger picture: supporting cultural identity goes well beyond one celebration per year. It’s about:
- Living in diverse communities where your child sees people who look like them
- Choosing schools, activities, and social circles with cultural representation
- Building ongoing relationships within cultural communities
- Addressing racism and discrimination when your child encounters it
- Continuously educating yourself about their heritage
- Centering their cultural identity in your family’s life
Lunar New Year is one celebration. Black History Month is one month. Indigenous Peoples Day is one day.
But identity support? That’s every day, woven into how you parent, where you live, who’s in your circle, and what you prioritize.
Happy Lunar New Year
To everyone celebrating today: Gong Xi Fa Cai. May the Year of the Horse bring energy, freedom, and forward momentum.
And to all the foster and adoptive families learning to honor traditions both familiar and new: we see the work you’re doing to honor the whole child. We see you learning, growing, and staying committed even when it’s uncomfortable. That commitment makes a real difference.
A child’s culture deserves celebration—not just in February, not just on holidays, but as an essential thread in the fabric of who they are and who they’re becoming.
The Coalition for Children, Youth & Families and Wisconsin Family Connections Center are committed to supporting families in honoring the cultural identities of children in their care. For resources, support, or questions about transracial and transcultural parenting, visit https://wifamilyconnectionscenter.org or contact us at 414-475-1246 / info@coalitionforcyf.org.