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Kapamilya Snaps: How the stars celebrated Chinese New Year 2023

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Mary Ann Bardinas

<p>Due to our close, enduring ties with the Chinese ever since pre-colonial period, we, Filipinos, have acquired some of their culture and traditions and ingrained them in our own – from food to language, beliefs, lifestyle, and even the occasions they celebrate.</p><p>And one of those is the much-awaited Lunar New Year, or also known as Chinese New Year, which we celebrated last January 22. This annual festivity serves as a great opportunity for families, especially those of Chinese lineage, to gather and participate in several traditions regardless where they are in the world.</p><p>Since we love merriments, many of us joined our Chinese and Fil-Chi friends in welcoming the year of the Water Rabbit, such as the stars listed in this Kapamilya Snaps feature!</p><div><strong>Kim Chiu</strong></div><p>As one of the famous Chinese-blooded celebrities in the country, we arguably anticipate how Kim celebrates this occasion every year. And for 2023, the Chinita Princess threw a big party at her home which was attended by her family, friends, and boyfriend Xian Lim.</p><p>Kim gave us a glimpse of their celebration through an Instagram reel, wherein we spotted a table spread filled with sumptuous Chinese dishes and their abode decked with gold and red decorations. There was also a lion and dragon dance, rolling of oranges on the floor for prosperity, and awesome fireworks display.</p><div><strong>Denise Laurel</strong></div><p>She may be known as Filipino-Spanish, but Denise actually has a Chinese ancestor in the paternal side of her family, which many of us probably don’t know. So, she and her son Alejandro, who was also born on the Year of the Rabbit, spent the day together by going out, buying a toy rabbit, and watching fireworks.</p><div><strong>Darren Espanto</strong></div><p>The talented chinito heartthrob wowed his fans when he posted a set of his OOTD pics, in which he’s seen wearing a sheer black shirt that he topped with a dark red denim jacket. Along with those photos was a short video of Darren enjoying the pyrotechnic show at Lucky Chinatown, where he had a live performance.</p><div> <strong>Enchong Dee</strong></div><p>While many were either at home or at restaurants to celebrate, Enchong was up in the air to welcome the Chinese New Year. In an IG post, the <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/asap"><u><em><strong>ASAP Natin ‘To</strong></em></u></a> mainstay and proud ChiNoy shared snaps and a clip of him paragliding somewhere in Binangonan, Rizal. It might be scary, but he made the experience adorable by having Winnie the Pooh stuff toys as his knee pads.</p><div><strong>Riva Quenery</strong></div><p>Riva and her beloved family greeted their followers “Gong Xi Fa Cai” by sharing pictures of them taken during their recent photoshoot. Riva, her partner Vern Ong, and their daughter Athena were all cladded in red traditional Chinese attires and had a set that was decorated with red lanterns and faux cherry blossoms.</p><div><strong>Ryza Cenon</strong></div><p>Ryza amused her followers when she posted the cute snaps of her son Night while wearing a traditional Chinese costume. But instead of uttering “Gong Xi Fa Cai”, the little boy said “HO HO HO!”</p><p>Ryza captioned that post, “Ready na sya sa hinese new year, kaya lang yung sinuot nya nag HO HO HO! Mukhang may hangover pa sya kay Santa. [sic]”</p><div><strong>Vicki Belo</strong></div><p>Those who have been following the family of the celebrity doctor surely know that they never fail to endear us with their greetings for every occasion. And for Chinese New Year, Dra. Vicki and her daughter Scarlet made a cute yet informative video to wish all of us a happy and prosperous Year of the Rabbit.</p><p>Scarlet, meanwhile, also prepared a short video demonstrating two techniques of folding dumplings.</p><div><strong>Joross Gamboa</strong></div><p>Joross truly had a great time with his wife Katz and their two sons Kyler and Kody when they celebrated the Lunar New Year at a hotel in Muntinlupa City. Joross shared that they had dinner in the restaurant at its rooftop, wherein they had the best view of the Metro South skyline and of the fireworks display that they all enjoyed.</p><div><strong>Nicole Cordoves</strong></div><p>It was indeed a busy day for the beauty queen and Showtime Sexy Babe “<em>choose-gado”</em> for she had a hosting gig then at Lucky Chinatown. Nicole posted pictures of her wearing a fabulous gold cheongsam, or a Chinese dress, and a few shots and a clip of her taken from the event.</p><div><strong>Kira Balinger</strong></div><p>After getting off the grid on social media for quite sometime, Kira surely delighted her followers when she finally posted an update on IG recently. Kira greeted everyone a “Happy Chinese New Year” by sharing a carousel of snaps and a video of her taken during her “quite chilly” escapade in Tagaytay City.</p><div><strong>Kyla</strong></div><p>The Queen of Pinoy R&amp;B took this holiday as a chance to share some nuggets of wisdom to her followers. She posted a photo of her and captioned it, “Being content with solitude, quiet, and savoring every moment. Paring back to create some space to breathe. Kung Hei Fat Choi! Have a great one, beautiful people!!!”</p><div><strong>Magandang Buhay</strong></div><p>Days before the lunar holiday, <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/magandangbuhay"><em><strong><u>Magandang Buhay</u></strong></em></a> invited two lion dancers on the show to celebrate the new year with momshie-hosts Melai Cantiveros-Francisco, Regine Velasquez-Alcasid, and Jolina Magdangal-Escueta. A few snaps of that number were posted on social media and was captioned, “Sana swertehin pa tayo at mas dumami pa ang ating blessings ngayong taon!” Feng Shui expert Master Hanz Cua also guested to give us his forecast for the Year of the Water Rabbit.</p><div><strong>ASAP Natin ‘To</strong></div><p>Another Kapamilya program to mark this special, joyous holiday is <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/asap"><u><em><strong>ASAP Natin ‘To</strong></em></u></a>, which treated us to a slew of feel-good and world-class performances courtesy of its talented roster of hosts and artists.</p><p>The cast of the ongoing action series <strong><a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/THEIRoNHEART"><u><em>The Iron Heart</em></u></a>, </strong>led by Richard Gutierrez, and of the new teleserye <strong><a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/dirtylinen"><u><em>Dirty Linen</em></u></a>, </strong>top-billed by Janine Gutierrez, Zanjoe Marudo, Francine Diaz, and Seth Fedelin also graced the show to thank and ask the Kapamilya viewers for their fervent support!</p><p>How about you Kapamilya? Did you also celebrate the Lunar/Chinese New Year?</p>

Find out how our favorite celebrities celebrated the Lunar/Chinese New Year this 2023 in this Kapamilya Snaps feature!