It may be after January, but that doesn't mean your New Year’s celebrations have to end! Chinese New Year is on February 19^th. Also referred to as the Spring Festival, this lunar-based celebration is filled with traditions that wish good fortune and prosperity for all.   Aside from eating a hearty feast, one of the traditions of Chinese New Year is a cleansing of the home in order to clear away bad fortune and make room for good luck. Messages of good fortune, happiness, and wealth are then hung about the house, along with traditional red decorations.   Here in America, Chinese New Year is celebrated in a number of big cities, like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York. And we even have our own lucky traditions and foods… like fortune cookies! Even though fortune cookies are an American invention, they’re a popular addition to any Chinese New Year celebration.   Fortune cookies are a light dessert choice after a big celebratory meal. Crisp and hollow, they’re made with vanilla and sesame seed oil, and folded into that iconic fortune cookie shape! On the piece of paper inside, you may find words of wisdom or a prophecy of your future, as well as a Chinese phrase and lucky numbers. Whatever you find inside, it’s usually a positive message foretelling good luck. Some people have even won the lottery using their lucky numbers!   Sharing fortune cookies this month is the perfect way to wish others prosperity and good luck. There’s no food quite as lucky a fortune cookie, and there’s nothing like breaking one open to discover the advice and wise aphorisms hidden inside. Find luck and good fortune this Chinese New Year by cracking into a few cookies to see what your future may hold!