The first Lunar New Year Stories for Chatham Square Library's collection were recorded this week. Several students in the Morning Conversations class on Tuesday, February 4th and the TechConnect class on Wednesday, February 5th told stories about dumplings, celebrating the holiday in New York City, memories from their childhood celebrations, and favorite decorations.

Chatham Square Library has 19 iPads available for patrons to record their Lunar New Year memories. These recordings will be available as part of a circulating collection and on The New York Public Library website in the upcoming months.

"This is an exciting project. The library is recording a part of Chinese history, " said Berries Long before she began recording her story. She is looking forward to telling more stories about her childhood Lunar New Year memories on Saturday.

This upcoming Saturday, February 8th, iPads will be available all day at the library for the public to drop-in anytime from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and record their stories.

Listen here to part of a conversation between Winnie Lau and Xi Zheng as Ms. Lau is interviewed by Ms. Zheng about her family's traditions:

Here are some questions below in both English and Chinese if you'd like to have a conversation with your family and friends about your Lunar New Year:

Chinese Translation

1. 你童年農曆新年的回憶是什麼？
2. 你家人有什麼特殊的食物準備過年？
3. 在農曆新年你家有什麼裝飾或佈置？
4. 描述唐人街如何準備農曆新年，多年來，如何改變了？
5. 你家人在農曆新年有什麼習俗（風俗或習慣） ？
6. 今年你家人是怎麼慶祝農曆新年？
7. 今年你有什麼慶祝活動? 你有没有去遊行？爆竹典禮活動？其他任何慶祝活動？
8. 在新的一年，你希望是什麼？

English Translation

1. What are your childhood memories of Lunar New Year?
2. What are the special foods that your family prepares for Lunar New Year?
3. What decoration do you see often in your family at Lunar New Year?
4. Describe how Chinatown gets ready for Lunar New Year. How has that changed over the years?
5. What are some customs in your family for Lunar New Year?
6. How has your family been celebrating Lunar New Year this year?
7. What celebrations did you go to this year? Did you go to the parade? The firecracker ceremony? Any other celebrations?
8. What are your hopes for the new year?