2025 is the Year of the Snake! Our upcoming Chinese New Year party goes all out with festive activities, a unique Chinese night market, and a delicious seated family-style Chinese banquet dinner!
Bring your friends and family and come together to celebrate this awesome holiday with the Yip family and community, as our 2025 Chinese New Year party is the liveliest and most colorful celebration the Rocky Mountain area has ever experienced!
Attire: Festive (Think cocktail attire – not black tie. Many people wear beautiful, colorful Chinese dresses and jackets!)
*All proceeds benefit the Nathan Yip Foundation, helping us expand our reach to even more rural communities!
Year of the Snake
Each Chinese lunar year is represented by 1 of 12 zodiac animals that reflect traditional Chinese culture, and Jan. 29 will mark the start of the Year of Snake!
Long long ago, there was a severe drought on the earth. The rivers and lakes were dry, the crops withered, and people had to go far away to fetch daily water. Knowing this, the God of Heaven Jade Emperor decided to send someone to help human beings on his behalf. He chose the clever and kind-hearted snake.
Coming down to the earth, the snake did not simply call for rain to save people from the drought; instead, he taught them to dig well to get underground water, build reservoirs to store rain, and cherish water in daily life, so they could survive even if there was another drought. Its good deeds not only touched human beings, but also impressed the Jade Emperor a lot and earned itself high praises. When selecting the zodiac signs, the Jade Emperor picked the snake.
Then why was snake ranked the sixth among all zodiac animals? One of the most popular explanations goes like this, which is somehow related to the traditional Chinese time-calculator method: During the 6th time slot of 12, which is 09:00-11:00, snake is the most active, so used to represent that time period. When ranking the 12 zodiac animals, snake was put into the 6th position, too.
The years of the Snake include 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025, 2037… People born in these years are considered rational, calm, thoughtful, and loyal to the loved ones.
Cocktail Party and Silent Auction
Come on time at 5:30pm to enjoy a complimentary drink, take a photo on our Balloon Chair, mingle with friends, and bid on our amazing silent auction items!
Silent Auction
This year, we will kick off the silent auction on February 1st and provide access to online bidding.
Even if you cannot come to our party, you’ll still have a chance to bid on featuring items, including gift certificates to restaurants or theaters and sporting events, vacation getaways, and other unique experiences!
Auspicious Seated Chinese Banquet Dinner
This year, we are bringing back the sit-down banquet dinner, our tradition of Salad Tossing, and Lucky Red Envelope Sales!
Salad Tossing (Yu Sheng)
As a tradition in south Asia, friends and families will mark the new year by tossing together a large plate of Yu Sheng (traditionally raw fish), a salad of fish, vegetables, fruits, and other lucky ingredients to ensure an auspicious, healthy, and prosperous year for all. Raw Fish in Chinese is pronounced the same as prosperity, so it is viewed as a symbol of good luck.
Lucky Red Envelopes
At Lunar New Year, it is a tradition to give a red envelope to your friends and family. These envelopes are typically filled with money and symbolize good wishes for the new year ahead.
At the Nathan Yip Chinese New Year Party, you can purchase a red envelope for $5, or five for $20. Each envelope includes a gift voucher from a local business, and one lucky envelope will contain a golden ticket for a Grand Prize! Will you be a lucky winner?
An Amazing Program and Live Auction Awaits
Our lovely emcee, Anne Trujillo, of Denver’s Channel 7, will be returning to welcome guests warmly for an evening of giving. Open your hearts, and your wallets, for some incredible experiences! All auction items have been donated in full to the foundation, so 100% of proceeds will benefit our many projects in rural Colorado.
LIVE APPEAL DONATIONS FOR SPECIAL LOCAL PROJECTS
With your help and our commitment to reaching students in some of Colorado’s most underserved regions, we will be able to provide much needed resources to these school communities.
After-Party: Night Market
Night markets are popular throughout Asia and offer a variety of bustling stores, food stalls, games and activities. Ours will be no different!
Night market booths will include:
- Scarves, jewelry, shoes, and other accessories
- Beautiful Chinese clothing – yes, we will have a dressing room for you to try things on!
- Ring toss game to win a bottle of wine
- Student sponsorship booth where you can support one of our many students at schools throughout China
- Portrait artist, palm reader, and calligraphy – to write your name in Chinese!
NEW! – Try on a festive Chinese costume or hat and step into our Animated GIF Photo Booth
A GIF is a series of photos captured within a few seconds, mashed together, and looped as a mini video. In our photo booth, you can take a GIF photo and then share it straight to Instagram (or Facebook, email, or your phone… you get the idea).
