Happy Chinese Lunar New Year!

Celebrate Lunar New Year and the Year of the Rat at Panda Express!

We hope you marked your calendars, because January 25, 2020 marked the beginning of Lunar New Year and the Year of the Rat in the Chinese zodiac. It’s not too late! 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 in the Merced/Fresno/Porterville area 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 Valley Children’s Hospital at the register. In 2019, Panda Express employees and customers donated more than $695,000 to Valley Children’s Hospital!

Your donation will help kids like 13-year-old Sariah Moreno who now lives seizure free after undergoing a hemispherectomy at Valley Children’s Hospital.

Join nearly 20% of the world that celebrated the thousands of years old tradition of Lunar New Year at Panda Express. Find the nearest one here.