Wishing everyone a Happy Chinese New Year (02/18/07)!!

                                    "Gong Xi Fa Cai!"

Today is Chinese New Year, and begins the Year of the Pig in the Chinese zodiac.

I actually celebrate Chinese NY more than I do the american/ western new year's. Some of the ways my family celebrate today are:

1) Pass out "hong bao" to unmarried/ younger folks. These are red paper envelopes with crisp (gotta be crisp!! lol) bills of money. My Nylah gets her first this year! YAY!

2) No cleaning today, following the Chinese belief that this would sweep luck out for the year. That means esp. no sweeping (in this case, vacuuming), and NO LAUNDRY either! (but house should be clean already!)

3) Visit relatives. Traditionally, this happens for a few days, I think visit paternal first, then maternal family next day. But my parents are the only ones here, so we visit them today.

4) Eat Chinese "hot pot." We have a large electric wok (or pot) on the table, with simmering broth. There are many small plates of raw food, including chicken, beef, vegetables, mushrooms, tofu, noodles. We choose what we want and drop it in the pot, then take it out and eat. Basically you  cook all through the meal.

5) Eat Chinese "Nian gao" -- new year cake. This is made with sweet rice flour and is v. sticky when heated!

6) Eat oranges and lots of sweets to bring a lucky, sweet year.

7) Wear brand new clothes and shoes. I like that part -- excuse to shop, haha.

8) Hang up lucky signs. These I make each year simply -- just take a diamond of red construction paper, write a large Chinese character for "luck" or "Spring" on it with a thick black marker, and hang upside down on the front door. The upside down part is supposed to bring luck IN the house instead of out. I do this a week ahead.

Besides all this, Chinese New Year is of course a time to celebrate, count our blessings, be joyous and look forward to prosperity and happiness for the New Year!!

Tags: chinese new year, holiday, celebrate, family, food, chinese, year of the pig

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