The end of January is almost here, and I bet you’re wondering where did the first month of the new year go. Well, depending on what country you live in, you might just have the opportunity to do a “Happy New Year!” do over. This is also your chance to become more open-minded, and learn about new year celebrations in other countries. Remember, the true meaning of life is to learn something new every day.
Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) is celebrated in China and East Asia (Vietnam, Korea) between late January and mid-February, based on the lunar calendar. 2026 is the Year of the Horse, or more specifically, the Fire Horse, and begins February 17, 2026 until February 5, 2027. The horse is the 7th animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac. It represents energy, freedom, speed, action, a dynamic time for new ventures, bold moves, social connections, and traits of honesty and independence. The fire horse adds passion, intensity, and transformation aka "purification by fire”, and “trials by fire”.
Thailand celebrates New Year twice, officially on January 1st (International New Year) with fireworks and parties, and traditionally for Songkran in mid-April (April 13-15), which is the culturally significant Thai New Year with water festivals and family rituals. While January 1st is a national public holiday for the global New Year, Songkran is the major traditional festival.
Hindu/Buddhist New Years: Various regional festivals (like Songkran in Thailand, Vaisakhi in India) occur around mid-April, often linked to spring equinoxes.
Islamic New Year (Hijri New Year): Marks the start of Muharram in the lunar Hijri calendar, so the Gregorian date shifts yearly, observed by Muslim populations globally.
Nowruz (Persian New Year): Celebrated in Iran and parts of Central Asia on the spring equinox (March 20 or 21).
Ethiopian New Year (Enkutatash): Falls on Meskerem 1 (around September 11) in the Ethiopian solar calendar.
From the many food articles I have written, it is well known that Roy and I simply love to indulge in Asian cuisines. Recently we celebrated New Year’s Eve at Ja-Roen Thai & Sushi here in Monticello. Not only did we have the best in food to dine on, but spent the last day of 2025 with some of our favorite people, the staff at Ja-Roen. I did ask if, in April, the restaurant would do a Thailand New Year’s celebration menu, and the manager, Palm, liked the idea of that. I hope owner Waen and Robert go for the idea too, as we’re looking forward to see what kind of dishes are served at that time.
For Chinese New Year, in the past, making a delicious concoction of seafoods and vegetables, in a savory broth, was our honor towards the culture. Typically known as Asian Seafood Soup or Seafood Hot Pot, this versatile recipe allows you to use various combinations of seafood and vegetables to create different types of Asian soups, such as a spicy Korean Jjampong or a tangy Thai Tom Yum. In other words, when the new year celebrations come around for those countries, you’ll have a recipe to do them honor as well.
Not everyone is lucky to live in an area where fresh seafood is available, so frozen needs to be used. To tell if frozen seafood is good to buy, check the packaging for no tears or frost, ensure the fish is solidly frozen without ice crystals or liquid, and look for uniform color and no freezer burn (white/dry spots); this indicates proper freezing, minimal temperature fluctuations, and better quality, with Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) shrimp being a good choice. Many frozen seafoods come from Asian countries, like China, and should be avoided due to use of chemicals and poor-quality control. Look for country labels such as: United States, Canada, Iceland, Norway, New Zealand, Scotland, Indonesia, Argentina, Ecuador, Honduras. Yes, they may be pricier, but safer to eat and better quality.
Don’t be discouraged if the local market does not have the vegetables or seasonings needed; larger supermarkets are more diverse, so will more than likely have what’s needed. Then again, from what I have been seeing, local markets are bringing more versatile products in, to keep the customers satisfied with needs and wants. If you cannot find a fish listed, yes, you can substitute, but make sure it’s a firm fish; delicate fish will simply fall apart when cooking in the broth.
Asian Seafood Soup
Ingredients:
4 quarts Asian fish broth
½ lb. pollack, cut into bite sized pieces
1 lb. medium sized raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lb. whole baby clams, previously removed from shells (canned is acceptable)
½ lb. each chopped boy choy and shredded Chinese (Napa) cabbage
¾ lb. snow pea pods, strings removed
2 cups straw mushrooms
2 tsp. minced ginger root
3 Tbsp. oyster sauce
Preparation:
In a 6-quart pot, on high heat, bring the fish broth to a boil. Reduce to medium-high heat, add in pollack and cod; cook for 10 minutes.
Next, add in shrimp, clams, bok choy, cabbage, snow pea pods, straw mushrooms; cook for 10 minutes (shrimp will turn pink).
Reduce heat to low, stir into pot the garlic, ginger root and oyster sauce; cook for 10 minutes.
Serve in bowls; if desired a sprinkle of chopped chives or green onions is a sense-sational garnish.
Makes 8-10 generous servings.
The key to making a simple Asian fish broth is to use the bones from non-oily fish like snapper, cod or bass.
Ingredients:
1 lb. fish bones and head, gills removed (don’t worry over meat stuck to the bones, only adds to the flavor of the broth)
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 Tbsp. minced ginger
¼ cup diced white onion
4 cups boiling hot water
1 Tbsp. Chinese Shaoxing wine
¼ tsp. white pepper
Preparation:
Rinse the fish bones and head thoroughly under cold water, washing away any blood near the spine. Pat them dry with paper towels to prevent oil splattering during frying.
In a 3-quart pot, heat oil, medium-high heat; add ginger and white onion, sauté for 2 minutes. Add fish bones to the pot and pan-fry until they are lightly browned on all sides.
Add boiling water and Shaoxing wine; bring mixture to a boil, and reduce heat to medium. Cover pot and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the liquid turns a creamy white color; do not go over 30 minutes or broth could turn bitter.
Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer to remove all solid bits, including small bones. Discard the solids, leaving a clear, flavorful broth. Broth can be frozen up to 6 months.
Makes one quart.
Mary Cokenour
