Celebrate Lunar New Year Traditions and Customs With LEGO’s Year of the Tiger Collection

The Lunar New Year—sometimes referred to as the Chinese New Year, although these celebrations are not just traditionally Chinese—begins on Tuesday, February 1, and marks the start of the Year of the Tiger. The Lunar New Year happens on the second new moon after the winter solstice, which means the specific day changes each year. To celebrate the upcoming Year of the Tiger, LEGO has released a range of sets for children to play with and learn about the season’s traditions.

There are more Lunar New Year celebrations than just the ones from China, and the LEGO collection highlights this through its eight buildable scenes, including DUPLO sets for younger children. Though a few have already sold out, there are still plenty to choose from and enjoy while learning.

The largest brick-building set in the collection is the 1519-piece Ice Festival scene for $120 on the LEGO site and Amazon. The snowy scene’s center shows a ski slope that runs into a frozen lake where characters can play hockey and ride in a penguin-shaped sled. It comes with 13 minifigures, including an ice sculptor, a sweet potato vendor, and even a penguin. One minifigure dons a tiger outfit, in homage to the Year of the Tiger. Beyond sliding on the ice, the scene features a rental equipment shop, a sweet potato stand for the vendor, a photo booth, and more.

For another impressive set, there’s the Lunar New Year Traditions 1066-piece display (priced from $80 on Amazon), which comes with 12 minifigures. The scene shows six traditional activities that happen during this time of the year, including hongbao, a practice wherein red envelopes filled with money are exchanged—typically from older to younger generations, bosses to employees, or students to teachers.

There are also many smaller projects to try out if a set with over a thousand brick pieces seems too daunting. One such example is the DUPLO Happy Childhood Moments two-in-one set ($100 at LEGO), intended to help preschoolers learn about the Lunar New Year and get them ready for kindergarten. The scene looks like the inside of a house and displays traditions like the more extensive LEGO set, but includes daily routines like cooking, cleaning, and more. For even easier pieces to build, a few animals and figures are available in the collection, such as a lucky cat and a person wearing a lion costume ready for the traditional Chinese dance (both $10 at LEGO), and a trio of pandas ($20 at LEGO).

Learn more about the Lunar New Year and check out LEGO’s latest collection in honor of this time of year.

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