THE JOURNAL
Sky lanterns are released to celebrate the Lunar New Year, New Taipei City, Taiwan. Photograph by AFP/Getty Images
For anyone culturally aligned with the lunar calendar, this time of year is filled with rituals. Family feasts, fireworks, the reading of animal zodiacs and copious amounts of vermillion red, all act as a catalyst for good fortune and renewal for the impending months. This can also be positively influenced by what you wear: a new outfit is thought to kick off proceedings on an auspicious note. To mark the shift in the astrological charts for 2022, we spoke to three of our Style Council members about the rituals they’ll be observing to ring in the Year of the Tiger.
01.
Mr Michael Xufu Huang
Mr Michael Xufu Huang has had an artistic streak from an early age. He began collecting at 16 and co-founded Beijing’s M Woods Museum aged 22, before establishing his own private museum – X Museum in 2020 – a platform for supporting emerging artists globally and embracing innovativepractices.
How are you celebrating Lunar New Year?
I work very hard throughout the year and I finally get to take some days off to spend quality time with my family. Celebrations for Lunar New Year – known as the Spring Festival in Chinese culture – last until the 15th day of the New Year. To start, we usually watch the Spring Festival Gala on TV on New Year’s Eve, and each consecutive day has its distinct traditions that people stick to. For example, day five is the God of Fortune’s birthday and this will be marked with a large banquet. The celebrations end on the 15th day with the lantern festival, when we will eat yuanxiao (a rice ball with sweet bean paste filling).
What will you take into the Year of the Tiger and what will you leave behind?
I’ll be taking everything with me from a personal perspective as it makes me who I am. Professionally, I’ll take the positive energy and my vision for X Museum into 2022. We have a lot of exciting programmes planned for this year to cultivate new and innovative talent, including exhibitions of Trey Abdella, Mika Rottenberg and Javier Calleja, another on women sculptors and a showcase of X Museum’s collection of pink works, which I will be curating.
What will you be wearing?
Probably something that matches my dog Zangzang’s outfit. I’ve been very into tailoring recently, so I’m sure I can find a pair of suits that match. It’s tradition to wear something red, of course, as it is believed to bring luck, so I’ll be wearing this SAINT LAURENT sweater and a pair of red ribbed socks from Charvet, too.
02.
Mr Teo Yang
After a stint designing for boutique hotels around the globe, interior designer Mr Teo Yang established his Seoul-based studio in 2009. He specialises in custom modernist interiors that blend traditional architectural elements and high-end art. His work has been profiled in the pages of Vogue Living, Elle Decoration and Monocle.
How are you celebrating the Lunar New Year?
I’ll be celebrating with many family gatherings – it’s really important to spend time with your relatives and loved ones, to share gifts and great home-cooked food. Above all, it’s a time for happiness and celebration. I also have some fitness goals for next year, so I will be making resolutions to get in more time at the swimming pool and explore new routes when I run.
What are your go-to recipes or dishes for New Year?
Tteokguk – a Korean rice cake soup – is a must. We have long tradition of eating this dish on New Year’s Day, as we believe it brings good luck and also signifies the gaining of another year in age. In fact, some of my fondest memories of Lunar New Year are associated with food. At a particularly brilliant family feast before the pandemic, we had traditional Korean Lunar New Year fare, alongside tuna poke and char-siu manapua (steamed, marinated-pork buns), followed by mochi and shaved ice for dessert.
What will you be wearing?
I tend to favour more casual attire, but pieces that are also elegant at the same time. A Loro Piana cashmere zip-up cardigan and cashmere sweatpants have the ideal balance of comfort and style that work well for all the activities around Lunar New Year. My favourite Vacheron Constantin watch will also be on my wrist to clock the arrival of midnight on New Year’s Eve.
03.
Mr Brandon Jew
As a chef, Mr Brandon Jew is in his element with food, which is particularly useful during a holiday associated with culinary delights. His Michelin-starred restaurant Mister Jiu’s and its spin-off Mamahuhu in his hometown of San Francisco serve up Chinese-American dishes to an epicurean clientele.
What will you take into the New Year and what will you leave behind?
For us, it’s a time to undertake preparations to attract good fortune for the future and settle the past. Last year, my dog, Roux, passed away, but we also welcomed our first child, Bo, into our lives. I always write a list of goals that I’d like to achieve each year as it helps me stay more focused on what I’m trying to accomplish.
What are your thoughts on the Year of the Tiger?
I enjoy studying the traits of the lunar zodiac animal and thinking about the characteristics that will be needed to succeed in the new year in a superstitious way. I think it’s really interesting how the Year of the Rat and Year of the Ox were the last two years.
What are you looking forward to this year?
I am looking for a certain amount of stability. Chefs are used to surrounding themselves with procedures that offer a lot of control, in order for the formalities of cooking and dining to be performed day in, day out with consistency. One of the challenges of the job is to take the ever-changing products we use and achieve the same level of perfection. With so many things out of our control in the past two years, I’m hoping the patience and perseverance shown by our team will pay off in 2022.