Wah, who is the Wellsville Fiscal Officer, is of Chinese descent and enjoys sharing her Chinese culture. She taught nine children ranging in age from four-to-14 about the Chinese New Year and the traditions, foods gifts and celebrations associated with it.  

Wah read three stories to the children which helped provide the history and details on the Chinese New Year such as the dominant colors for the event being red which means luck and gold; the lighting of the lanterns on the last night of the celebration which always falls on the night with the first full moon of the year; decorations and their meanings; and, why certain foods are important during the celebration. 

The children learned to say “Happy Chinese New Year” in Chinese as well as learning how to say the names of colors and their names in Chinese and the Chinese meanings behind their names. Wah wrote each child’s name.

Additionally, the children learned about the Chinese Calendar and which of the 12 animals represented on the calendar is associated with the year of their birth and what that animal symbolizes.  They each received a coloring page with their animal and the background on it.  

Wellsville Fiscal Officer Hoi Wah reads stories to children about Chinese New Year during the Lunar New Year children’s program at the Wellsville Carnegie Library. (Photo by Kristi R. Garabrandt) 

The children dug in when it came time to taste the long noodles made by Wah. Each child was given a set of chopsticks and taught how to use them.  

Wah explained that long noodles were an important meal for the Chinese Year Celebration because they symbolize luck and long life. She also introduced the children to white rabbit candies, fortune cookies and Chinese hard candy. 

Each child created a Chinese paper lantern to take home with them. The library provided battery operated tea light candles to put in their lanterns. 

Wah closed the children’s program by presenting each child with a red envelope which contained a sticker and a chocolate coin and explained it was tradition to present the red envelopes with money in it during the New Year Celebration to loved ones as a way to wish them good luck and fortune in the coming year. 

“Chinese New Year is the biggest and the most important celebration in Chinese cultures,” Wah said. “We look forward to gathering with family, lighting firecrackers, receiving blessings and eating delicious noodles; it’s also a time for us to remember our ancestors and honor their traditions. It’s always my pleasure to share the language, the stories, and most of all the joy of my motherland with all the wonderful children and the families in the community.” 

Hoi Wah serves Addie Johnson, 4, and Ellie Johnson, 7, long noodles she baked for the children attending the Lunar New Year program to try. (Photo by Kristi R. Garabrandt) 

 Rachel Freed, youth librarian, said that this was the second children’s program with Wah at the library.  

“We are so lucky to have Ms. Wah as a member of our community.  She is a lovely person and has been so eager and excited to do programs with us at the Wellsville Library,” she said. “I think it’s important to share these multicultural programs with the community so kids can learn about new places and how different people live, eat, and celebrate.  The kids always have fun learning about new languages, new foods, and new holidays.”   

Wellsville youth aren’t the only ones who have had the opportunity to experience learning about the Chinese Culture from Wah.  

 Wah recently did an adult cooking program where she taught how to cook rice and Chinese dishes. Freed said that the turnout for the program was overwhelming, and they had to add a second session to accommodate everyone who wanted to attend. 

 Wah’s parents in turn joined the library for the Books and Bagels program where they tried bagels for the first time. 

Hoi Wah teaches children attending the Lunar New Year program at the Wellsville Carnegie Public Library how to eat long noodles with chopsticks. (Photo by Kristi R. Garabrandt) 

 “Sharing our cultures with each other has been so rewarding,” Freed said. 

 Wah expressed her gratitude for being able to be a part of culturally diverse and fun programming offered by the library.  

Savannah Kenner, 12, works on assembling a Chinese lantern. (Photo by Kristi R. Garabrandt) 

Rachel Freed, youth librarian, Wellsville Carnegie Public Library looks on ready to help as children work on creating the Chinese lanterns they will take home with them. (Photo by Kristi R. Garabrandt) 

Hoi Wah helps Sean Sands, 10, finish putting together his Chinese Lantern. (Photo by Kristi R. Garabrandt) 

Elektra Chase, 13, shows her Chinese Lantern lit by a battery-operated tea light candle. (Photo by Kristi R. Garabrandt)

Hoi Wah shows the red envelopes with a sticker and chocolate coin she will present to the children. The red envelope with currency is traditional during the Chinese New Year Celebration to symbolize good luck and fortune in the coming year. The envelope has a horse and 2026 embossed on it since 2026 according to the Chinese Calendar is the Year of the Horse. (Photo by Kristi R. Garabrandt)