Celebrate Lunar New Year at Panda Express
Celebrate Lunar New Year and the Year of the Rat at Panda Express
Mark your calendars because January 25, 2020 marks the beginning of Lunar New Year and the Year of the Rat in the Chinese zodiac and Panda Express is a great place to celebrate!
Lunar New Year traditionally includes the coming together of family and friends to feast and welcome the new year. A variety of lucky foods are served because of their symbolic meaning surrounding either their Chinese pronunciation or physical appearance—with individual dishes representing specific aspects of good fortune to come in the new year.
Panda Express locations throughout North Carolina serve egg rolls which symbolize wealth; long chow mein noodles that symbolize long life; and shrimp that symbolize happiness—making celebrating Lunar New Year with your family fun and delicious!
Another tradition of Lunar New Year is the giving of red envelopes, called hong bao in Mandarin. These monetary gifts are presented at social and family gatherings to children and unmarried adults during Lunar New Year. The color red symbolizes good luck and is said to ward off evil spirits.
To bring good fortune to your family this year, enjoy a family meal at your nearest Panda Express location to celebrate Lunar New Year beginning January 25. You can also make your own red envelope donation to kids treated at Duke Children’s at the register.
Your donation will help kids like Aubrey.
Aubrey was born with spina bifida, which causes scoliosis. She plays on a wheelchair basketball team and loves caring for her guinea pig—Aubrey didn’t have time to be slowed down by the surgeries that are frequently required in scoliosis cases.
Aubrey came to Duke, where physicians implanted in her back a MAGEC (MAGnetic Expansion Control) rod that can be lengthened to accommodate growth by remote control, without surgery. Aubrey’s visits are quick and painless, getting her back to her busy life—and a normal childhood– in no time.
Join nearly 20% of the world that celebrated the thousands of years old tradition of Lunar New Year at Panda Express.
In 2019, Panda Express employees and customers donated more than $29,327 to Duke Children’s and we are so happy to be partnered with them. Panda Express funds are vital to Duke Children’s as they help our hospital fund many of the materials and programs that give the hospital a welcoming, warm, and child-friendly environment. Our Child Life team relies on the games, craft activities, music therapy, arts education, both as distractions from a child’s uncomfortable procedure, their emotional challenges during a prolonged hospitalization, and missing the social camaraderie a school routine offers. Our Panda Express partnership provides the necessary tools to normalize a hospital environment for our patients.