Y’all, this Friday is the Lunar New Year and I am so excited! Why? Because it’s the Year of the Ox! And guess what–I’m an Ox! I don’t know why but I just feel like that means it’s going to be MY year. I’ve never had that feeling before but I’m feeling it now. 2021 will be the year that all my dreams come true. Or at least the year I get to catch up on sleep and fit into my skinny jeans again, lol. To celebrate Lunar New Year I wanted to attempt homemade fortune cookies for the first time. I thought it would be fun to make some fortune cookie printables and share them with you!

what is Lunar New Year?

The Lunar calendar typical goes from February through February, although the exact date will shift because a lunar year is roughly 354 days whereas a solar year is 365 days. This Lunar New Year (the Year of the Ox!) will be February 12, 2021 through January 31, 2022.

In the U.S. Lunar New Year is more commonly lumped together with Chinese New Year; however, Lunar New Year is the more inclusive and accurate term because it applies to the holiday worldwide. Lunar New Year isn’t only observed in China. It’s celebrated across several countries and other territories in Asia, including South Korea, and Singapore.

find out more about the Chinese Zodiac sign of the Ox

Do you know what your Chinese Zodiac sign is? I think it’s fun to know what they say about your Chinese Zodiac sign and see if it applies to you. Supposedly the Ox is known for being diligent, dependable, strong, and determined. You can read more about the different Chinese Zodiac signs here.

other ideas to celebrate Chinese new year:

• gifts of money in red envelopes are typically given during Lunar New Year, find instructions for making your own red envelopes here
• Chinese dragon and lions dances are traditional, find out how to make cute puppets for your own “parade” here
• it is considered bad luck to clean at the start of the New Year so make sure your cleaning is done beforehand
• here are some cute children’s books to teach your kids about Lunar New Year
• oranges, kumquats, tangerines, and pomelos are often given as gifts for Lunar New Year since they’re believed to be good luck and bring happiness, find a recipe for orange poppy seed bites here
• a Lantern Festival finishes off Lunar New Year celebrations, find instructions for making your own lanterns here

diy fortune cookie printables

I have been wanting to try making homemade fortune cookies for awhile now. I held off because I assumed it would be too hard. Well, I was wrong! I found this recipe on fifteenspatulas.com and realized I had all the ingredients on hand. I definitely wouldn’t say that it’s hard to make your own fortune cookies. However, but it is time consuming since you can only make a couple at a time. And there’s a learning curve to getting the shape right. Mine aren’t nearly as pretty as Joanne’s, but they were very delicious! I’m looking forward to making more with her recipe and perfecting my technique.

where did the fortune cookie originate?

Did you know that the fortune cookie didn’t actually originate in China? Although the exact origin of the fortune cookie is unknown (there are several people that claim they were the first to make them in America), they resemble a cookie was eaten in Japan in the 19th century.

For these cookies I thought it would be fun to make a more traditional set of fortune cookie printables as well as a fun set for kids. There are 30 motivational fortunes and 15 funny fortunes that kids will love! One printed sheet should be plenty of fortunes for a single batch of fortune cookies.

Will you be celebrating Lunar New Year? Do you know what your Chinese Zodiac sign is?