It's Chinese (lunar) New Year!

[Jackie07]

'Happy New Year and may you have good monetary gains (fortune).' [Correction: I read the wrong calendar. The Year of the Tiger actually begins on Valentine's Day this year.]

I am a day late posting this. Over in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong (as well as Chinese communities all over the world), it is the 2nd day of the New Year celebration (Spring Festival) already. Some wisemen devised this the day for all married daughters to go visit her parents' home along with her children. This way, the daughters and the daughter-in-laws will not be in the same room at the same time - eliminating gossips and conflicts.

Chinese New Year is traditionally celebrated for 15 days. It starts with the new moon (first day of the month on the farmer's calendar (or 'lunar calendar' as opposed to the 'solar calendar') and ends with the full-moon which is also the lantern festival. Kids (and sometimes adults) walk around neighberhood with beautiful lanterns (for girls) and torches(for boys). Big cities still hold the traditional 'lantern riddles' meetings at night (and the popular ones are broadcasted on TV). Anyone in the crowd below the stage can raise his/her hand and give the answer to the riddle that has been read out loud to the audience. If the answer is correct, you get a prize.

Our local Chinese church had a New Year celebration Saturday. We made Chinse dumplings together and enjoyed good fellowship while making and eating the dumplings. The dumpling is shaped like a gold nugget - so it is also a symbol for fortune. The fillings are traditionally fine chopped pork with green onions and cabbages.

We skipped the 'Red Envelope' tradition - some family might have done it at home - giving fresh dollar bills in a specially made red envelope.

Just about everyone brought oranges Saturday - a traditional New Year's fruit because the pronounciation is similar to 'good sign' in Chinese.

So go to a Chinese restaurant and chat with your host/hostess about the Chinese New Year. See if you might get a red envelope from them. (Mr. Lee, owner of a local restaurant - 'House of Lee' - has kept the tradition for over 20 years.)

[Jackie07]

This is the day I am supposed to go home to visit my parents. But I am 8000 miles away...

Found this website http://www.educ.uvic.ca/faculty/mroth/438/CHINA/chinese_new_year.html
You can find more by searching the web on 'Chinese New Year'.

A real nice website on Chinese culture is http://www.Chinapage.com.<WWW.CHINAPAGE.COM>

[ElaineM]

Happy New Year !! May everyone have good fortune, good health and peace !!

[StephN]

Thanks Jackie. We are a very diverse group indeed.

My husband was born in Shanghai French Concession, so we always have to add Chinese New Year to the Orthodox holidays which come after ours. Lots of celebrating!

Almost lost an eardrum when a firecracker exploded at my feet one Chinese New Year!

[Jackie07]

How amazing! My Mother stayed in Shanghai for several months in 1949 when she was trying to get to Taiwan where my father was stationed. She eventually was able to get an airline ticket for her and my oldest Brother and Sister.

Several of my Chinese church members are from Shanghai - they can't help speaking their own dialect among themselves whenever they are together. Most everyone can understand Madarin, the official language. But with the 2nd generation who were born here, English has to be added for everyone to communicate.

[StephN]

In Seattle we have a large Asian community and our own "International District" which is heavily Chinese. Yesterday they had a big parade with dragons everywhere.

Hope Jackie celebrated in suitable fashion.

Happy Year of the Tiger. (I like that animal!)

[ElaineM]

Chinese New Year is celebrated in Hawaii too.
Kung Hee Fat Choy !!!
Anyone for some Jai? (My favorite Chinese New Year food.)

[Bill]

Happy New Year!!!!! (it's the Year of the Tiger?)

[Jackie07]

http://www.foodmuseum.com/chinesenew.html

Yes, it is the Year of the Tiger. There are twelve animals used to denote the years [Mouse, ox, tiger, rabit, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, pig.] Chinese used to use 5 cycles as a group - 60 years was considered the average age of an 'old' person. Traditionally it is the first 'big birthday' celebration and a 'banquet' is in order.

Usually when strangers are introduced to each other, very seldom would anyone ask directly about another's exact age. [I know, in the western culture, 'age' should never be the subject in a conversation anywhere. But Chinese are 'different'... :)]Instead, people would tactfully inquire each other's Chinese Zodiac - which animal do you 'belong to'. It's a good ice breaker because everyone knows someone else who belongs to the same zodiac. Then they can discuss about the personality traits and whether or not the zodiac is a good prediction...

Of course, according to the description of each zodiac, everyone is bright, smart, prosperous, ambitious... [kind of like the description about people in Lake Wobegon where 'all the children are smart and all the women are good-looking...' :)]

The Year of Tiger begins on Valentine's Day this year. [my original post confused the date with last year's calendar - has to be careful about information retrieved from the Web] [Chinese used a 'lunar calendar' (also called 'Farmer's Calendar' for planting and harvesting schedules) Instead of 30 and 31 days each month, the months in the Lunar Calendar are 29 and 30 days each month. Instead of having an extra day every 4 years for leap year, the Chinese put an extra month now and then (7 times every 19 years) It follows the exact movement of the moon (thus 'Lunar Calendar). One can just look up the moon and figure out which day of the month it is. 'Full moon' is the 15th day of each month. Many festivals fall on the days of full moon. For example, the 'Lantern Festival' is the 15th day (and the last day) of the New Year celebration. The 'Moon Festival' is the 15th day of the 8th month. The 'Mid Festival' which honors the dead is the 15th day of the 7th month.

My birthday was around the Chinese New Year. So my parents always 'double' the amount of money they put into the 'red envelope' they gave me. Close friends (all of my parents' relatives had been separated from them because of the Nationalist-Communists conflict. My parents and my siblings did not get to visit 'home' until the mid 90's) of my parents who visited during the Festival always give me a red envelope - the advantage of being the youngest child. As a 'good' child, I always gave most of the money back to them to 'deposit' in my Mother's 'invisible' bank. [Have to also consider that they would need to give 'red envelope' to the guest's children as well.]

We had a 'Jiao-tze Hui' (dumpling-[making] party) Saturday noon at one of the local church building. Traditional festivals are a good opportunity to reach out to oversea Chinese students and for the locals to gather together (We've got several Bapitist, Lutherine, Presbyterian, and Catholic families in town.)

[Am watching the Chinese figure skating in the Winter Olympic program on NBC. So smooth, so beautiful...]

[Bill]

Then "Raaaarrrr!", it's my year! (not to be confused with "Arrrgghhh!" which is the cry of those who were born in the 'year of the Pirate')

[juanita]

happy new year!!!!

['lizbeth]

Happy New Year Jackie!

At my school I teach Chinese students and they all cooked for us. And they did the Lion dance. It was fun.

[harrie]

Happy New Year everyone....esp Jackie!!!

[schoolteacher]

Happy New Year, Jackie. I love dumplings.

Amelia

[islandgirl]

Gung Hay Fat Choy! My daughters (age 10 and 15) are adopted from China. We celebrate every year. It's been a rough year for all of us, and we're finally seeing the 'other side' (I finish herceptin in May). I had treatment today in Seattle. I occasionally see a 'chemo' pal at treatment who is Chinese. The first time I met her, she had brought home cooked Chinese food for much of the staff at Swedish Cancer Center. She was crocheting up a storm. We talked a bit (it was my first or second time on the infusion floor). She said her cancer had returned but she said "I'm not going to whine or complain about it. That's life!!! You just do what you can do!!!. I will never forget how upbeat and positive she was. I later learned she has Stage IV rectal cancer, had a husband who left her at the time of diagnosis, has an young son and a 23 year old daughter who is helping support her. I saw her today - she has a big smile and such warmth. We wished each other Happy Chinese New Year. While she has a dreadful prognosis, she is clearly 'living' with it in such an inspirational way.