Chinese New Year is the time when the Chinese celebrate with big family gatherings, exchange of gifts, traditional customs and rituals. It is celebrated as a festival for nearly two weeks, after which begins the Chinese Lantern Festival. It is usually observed during mid January to mid February according to the lunar calendar. In 2012, Chinese New Year will be observed from January 22 (New Year's Eve) to February 6. This festival is also known as the Spring Festival.
The Chinese New Year celebration is rich in traditions, foods & customs. Here are a few of the many traditions and customs associated with this celebration.
Cleaning the house and decorating it: On Chinese New Year's Eve, people clean their homes with the belief that it will help them get rid of bad luck and get the house ready to accept good luck in the year ahead.
Creating lanterns: The Chinese indulge in paper lantern crafts not just to adorn their houses during the New Year Festival but also to enjoy the Lantern Festival that follows the New Year celebrations. Families not only light lanterns but also hang them on walls or poles to be used in lantern parades.
Honor the animal associated with the New Year: 2012 is the year of the dragon according to Chinese zodiac. So, while the Chinese adorn their houses during this time, they are sure to use dragon figures in their decorations.
Giving good luck presents: One of the popular Chinese New Year traditions is to present your dear ones gifts that are symbols of good luck and prosperity. Most adults gift red envelopes filled with money to their younger family members, relatives, and friends. The recipients bow three times to show their respect when accepting the gifts. It is a custom not to open the envelopes until the recipient leaves the house of the person who has offered the present. The adults also offer gifts packed in red covers to unmarried family members.
Family gatherings and feasting: The Chinese visit their relatives' houses and have a grand feast with eight to nine dishes ,as these are considered to be lucky numbers. Some dishes eaten normally during this festival are Chinese dumplings, long noodles, and oranges. The noodles symbolize long life and oranges are a sign of
completeness. Sticky rice cakes and sweets are also eaten during this time.
brown sugar and sugar soup are also offered to the god to please him. The Kitchen God is assigned by the emperor of heaven, Yu Huang, to monitor every family all through the year.
New clothes: Wearing new clothes is one of the Chinese New Year traditions. The Chinese try to wear red clothes, as they believe the color helps in getting rid of evil spirits. But they do avoid wearing black clothes as they consider "black" as the sign of death. They also cut their hair so as to make a fresh start to the year ahead.
Special prayers: The Chinese New Year has a special significance for the business houses. They offer a special prayer on the 2nd day of the festival, especially if they plan to start a venture at this time of the year. They believe that by doing so, they will be blessed with good fortune and prosperity.
A special highlight of Chinese New Year celebrations is the preparation of the Tray of Togetherness which is octagonal or circular in shape. This tray comes with an assortment of foods like sugared fruits, coconut, winter melon, water chestnut, and lotus seeds. In addition, it may have carrots and tangerines. The purpose is to wish for a sweet beginning in the year ahead.
Drexelbrook Catering wishes you the very best this New Year and offers you best wishes this "Year of the Dragon"
References:
http://www.wikipedia.com/
http://www.ehow.com/
http://www.123chinesenewyear.com/traditions/
No comments:
Post a Comment