The Lunar New Year as a Poor Child
Happy Lunar New Year! Also known as Chinese New Year to most, and Tết in my Vietnamese culture - otherwise called the Lunar New Year Festival. This celebration is a festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year in the traditional lunisolar calendar. This celebration often lasts for 3 days (up to an entire week), and it's always been a source of happiness for me. I started learning about money when I was young, and I wish every child could learn about money and the need to be responsible with it.
I really liked having money and being able to learn about money and being able to use money as a kid. I had a very "school of hard knocks" kind of education with money and I've made plenty of mistakes as I was growing up. As you may know, I grew up pretty poor (the kind of poor where you ate ramen nearly every day, or even rice and some seasoning sauce as an excuse for a snack). However, during the Lunar New Year, I would feel rich. If you didn't already know, during this festival, children receive red envelopes containing money from their elders - often called "lucky money." You can imagine the excitement for this occasion each year as I think about all the money I would get. My relatives aren't exactly wealthy by any means, but they were always generous with what they had. I would remember getting $1, $5, $10, and the occasional $20 bill!
I don't recall a time where I would ever get more than $200 in one year, but would often hear about friends getting more than me. I had to learn that not all families are as fortunate as others. I had to learn how to suppress my jealousy. I had to learn to be happy for them.
As I grew up and learned about money and the math behind it, I would also grow in appreciation for my family's willingness to celebrate the Lunar New Year with us in mind. I had a lot of cousins, so trust me when I say, there was a lot of money flowing from one household to another!
As my family grows and the number of nieces and nephews I have grows, I am thinking about how I can teach these children to be wise with their money and instill in them an appreciation for what that money can do for their lives. Like me, I hope they make mistakes as they grow up and learn hard lessons. I hope that they learn those lessons before they go out into the world and make life-altering mistakes. I hope that they know when to ask for help and when to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. I hope that they are grateful for what they have, and that their passions drive them to desire more than just money - to propel them toward a greater purpose. I hope that they are ultimately successful in all that they do, and that they are humble about it.
In the end, I hope that as the years go on and the children grow up, they are learning a little bit about their roots, the tradition, and about the importance financial responsibility. Camilla and I will be cheering for them, and teaching them what we can, if they're willing to listen. We want them to pursue financial independence their own way, for their own reasons. One day, we will have our own kids and we will want the same for them. Until then, we will love our nieces and nephews and guide them the best way we know how.
(Once again) Happy New Year! May your year be full of prosperity, joy, and peace.
Khang