by Jack Yip Wing Hang

2016 is the Year of Monkey.

February is usually the Chinese New year (CYN) which is a traditional festival for Chinese people. Everything is painted in red because read is an auspicious colour in Chinese culture. It is believed that it can cast away evil spirits. This article features the custom of Chinese New Year in four aspects, namely housekeeping, greetings, entertainment and food.

Housekeeping

Chinese families give their homes a thorough cleaning, which sweeps away the bad luck of the preceding year and makes their homes ready for good luck. Homes are often decorated with paper cutouts of Chinese auspicious phrases and couplets. Family offer cured meats as sacrifices for  gods and In many households where Buddhism or Taoism is prevalent, home altars and statues are cleaned thoroughly, and decorations used to adorn altars over the past year are replaced with new decorations.

Greeings

People visit the members of their extended families, usually their parents and grandparents. Members of the family who are married also give red envelopes containing cash to junior members of the family, mostly children and teenagers. The red envelopes are a form of blessings and to suppress the aging and challenges associated with the coming year. However, the third day of Chinese New year is known as “red mouth”. It is considered an unlucky day to have guests or go visiting.

Greetings during visits include auspicious words or phrases such as

Congratulations and be prosperous

May all your wishes come true

May gold ingots pour in from all sides!

Entertainment

Markets or village fairs are set up as the New Year is approaching. These usually open-air markets feature new year related products such as flowers, toys and clothing. It is convenient for people to buy gifts for their new year visits as well as their home decorations.

After dinner, some families go to local temples hours before the new year begins to pray for a prosperous new year by lighting the first incense of the year. Some families may invite a lion dance troupe as a symbolic ritual to usher in the Chinese New Year as well as to evict bad spirits from the premises. Others will set off firecrackers, but it may not be allowed in some areas in China.

Chinese New Year Delicacies

New Year is a time of celbration, family a food, and the the Chinese New Year is no different! Here we have some Chinese New Year classics which you can try for yourself to get stuck in.

Tang Yuan

Tang Yuan is small ball made from glutinous rice flour. It is made from Glutinous rice flour is mixed with a small amount of water to form balls and is then cooked and served in boiling water. Tang Yuan can be either filled or unfilled.

Mandarin Oranges

Mandarin Oranges are the most popular and most abundant fruit during Chinese New  Year. Also, the name of Mandarin oranges in Cantonese is a homophone of “luck” or  “fortune”.

Melon Seed/Guazi

Other variations include sunflower, pumpkin and other seeds. It symbolizes fertility and having many children.

Nian Gao

Nian gao is made up of glutinous rice flour, wheat starch, salt, water, and sugar its pronunciation is a homophone for “a more prosperous year”

Sweets

Sweets and similar dried fruit goods are stored in a red or black Chinese candy box.

Taro Cakes

Taro cakes are made from the vegetable taro. The cakes are cut into squares and often fried.

Turnip Cakes

Turnip cakes is a dish made of shredded radish and rice flour, usually fried and cut into small squares.

Comment Below (Moderated)

comments