Gung Hay Fat Choy!
It means “congratulations and good fortune”. Today is Chinese New Year’s day. It’s the Year of the Pig. Chinese Zodiac is made up of 12 animal signs. Check out your sign here: http://www.chinatoday.com/culture/zodiac/zodiac.htm
When I was little, my mom said the longer I stay up on New Year’s Eve, the longer I’d live. Of course, at a single digit age, you’d believe whatever your parents told you. Now that I’m a parent, I’m not repeating this particular tradition. There’s a lot more than other fun things about Chinese New Year that I think my kids ought to experience rather than being supersticious.
You might wonder why Chinese New Year happens on a different date every year. Most of the Far Eastern countries including China use the Lunar Calendar while the Western world uses the Gregarian Calendar. Chinese New Year usually occurs between January 21 st to February 20th. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year Each month begins with the new moon. New Years celebration last up to the 15th day of the first month and it’s celebrated more as a Spring Fest rather than a religious holiday.
On New Year’s Eve, we typically have a big feast with immediate family members to bit farewell the “old year” and prepare to welcome the New Year. First thing on New Year’s Day, mom and dad would give us Lai See (lucky money in red envelopes). The first day of the New Year is celebrated with family members only. Visiting friends and relatives would start on the second day. I loved visiting the relatives for I would collect more Lai See! I gave Lai See to my boys this morning to let them experience a bit of the tradition that I grew up with. They love the Lai See and were showing them to everyone they encountered throughout the day!
It is said that the lion dance, the color of red, and the firecracker noise are to scare the evil away. Other than sea of red, yellow is also incorporated in a lot of different decors. Yellow/gold color is a symbol of good fortune. Mixing the two colors in banners look festive but mixing them in an outfit will probably not going to win you the “best dressed” award. But I’d do it for the spirit of my tradition.
Sunny
