NEW YORK - An annual walking tour in downtown Manhattan continues to educate Americans about Chinese traditions and culture around the lunar new year season.

Organized by the Museum of Chinese in America, the walking tour, held on weekends leading to the Chinese new year, takes place mainly in Manhattan's Chinatown.

Jay Glickman, a Chinese-American tour guide, takes participants of historical importance to the Chinese, such as Mott Street and Mosco Street.

Mott Street was where the first Chinese immigrants from Guangdong province settled in, and Mosco Street was where the Chinese "pushed out" Italian settlers with their lucrative funeral businesses, Glickman said.

He said that a typical funeral could cost between $15,000 to $20,000 as the Chinese likes to hold elaborate funerals. However, talking about funerals and death are frowned upon during the Chinese new year as they are deemed to be inauspicious.

Glickman, whose surname comes from his stepfather, was born in China but was raised in the United States. He said Chinese culture remains a big part of his life in the US.

One tour participant, Tequila Minsky, from nearby SoHo, said she has always been curious about Chinatown's history, where she occasionally does her grocery shopping because the prices are reasonable.

But she has no idea what some of the vegetables are. She said it will be good if she could attend some Chinese cooking classes to learn how to prepare them.

Myra Alperson, who has an adopted Chinese daughter who is now 15, said she celebrates the Chinese new year every year.

"I give a red packet to my daughter on that day, and we celebrate the Spring Festival with other families who have adopted Chinese kids," Alperson said.

"It will be a small gathering in a Chinese restaurant. My daughter's favorite food is noodles and dumplings."

Although the tour has helped her learn more about celebrating Chinese new year, it also serves to prepare her for a "food tour" she will organize a week later in Lower East Side and Chinatown.

As the owner of NoshWalks, Alperson organizes culinary walking tours throughout New York City neighborhoods, where participants will explore historical landmarks and try out authentic food from around the world.

Six-year-old Issac Platt Zolov may be one of the youngest tour participants but he already knows how to say "how are you", "thank you" and "noodles", his favorite Chinese food, in Mandarin.

Issac's father, Jason Platt Zolov, said the family has many Chinese friends, including Issac's babysitter.

Although the family lives in Brooklyn, they come to Chinatown very often for Chinese food and to look at "interesting things".

Asked if they will celebrate Chinese new year, Jason Zolov replied: "We went to the Chinese New Year Parade in Chinatown, and we might do it again this year."

China Daily