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

Mark your calendars because January 25, 2020 marks the beginning of Lunar New Year and the Year of the Rat in the Chinese zodiac and 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 San Antonio 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 The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio at the register.

Your donation will help kids like Reid get back to being kids.

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

In 2019, Panda Express employees and customers donated more than $340,000 to The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio, and donations are still coming in. Your gifts have made it possible to continue providing the children in our community with the best care available, regardless of their ability to pay.