Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is without question the most celebrated festival in the Asian culture.
It can be compared to the western New Years Eve. It announces the beginning of the new Chinese Year that always starts with the first new moon in the new moon cycle and ends on the 15ths with the "Latern Festival".
Picture by KamalSell


Scare Away The Dragon (History)

The story goes like this, There used to be this really bad monster called "Nian" (which means "Year") hunting for food and living deep down in the ocean.

So far so good, the only problem was, once a year, on Chinese New Years eve to be exact, the monster decided to take a little detour and come up to China mainland, for a huge feast on helpless and poor people. Because thats what monsters do best in the end.

As a result, people started to hide in the mountains, once this time of year came closer to arrive.
One day a guy, dressed in red, suddenly arrived at the unfortunate city and conducted a huge firework (that he was carrying in his pocket all the way), which surprisingly scared away the monster instantly, saving many lifes.

And this is the reason, why until today every Chinese New Year there is a big firework and people get crazy about the color red, in every aspect. They hang up lanterns, dress in red, put up even more red decoration, paint their doors and windows red, and even buy more red underwear (as I astonished read in the local newspaper a couple of days ago).


The Dinner Of The Year (Reunion Dinner)

After the house was perfectly cleaned the day before Chinese New Year, washing away the bad luck and some dead cockroaches, everybody gets his reward on Chinese New Year eve, with the arrival of the the best, the most delicious and most indulging dinner of the year. The Family Reunion dinner. All generations and family members come together to celebrate the arrival of the New Year, having traditional food like fish and dumplings, not worrying about spending too much money on this fantastic occasion.


Throwing Your Food In The Air (The Tradition Of Yusheng)

Especially in Singapore it is very common to have "Yusheng" during the Chinese New Year festival. I had my "first one"last year, and I truly enjoyed it.

The dish itself is a mixture of salmon, fish, abalone and a lot of vegetables, that get thrown in the air, mixed up and then eaten. Sounds funny, is funny. And actually very tasteful as well.

The dishes usually arrive neatly separated on a plate, and then get tossed high in the air while wishing everybody prosperity and good luck for a happy new year. The higher you toss your food the better, and the more fun.


The Almighty Red Envelope (Traditional Presents)

Giving and Taking. This is very important in the Asian culture. And if possible should always be leveled up.

Red envelopes are usually given out by the eldest to the children and unmarried, or by companies to their customers, supposedly bringing more luck to the people by scaring away the bad ghosts.

The envelopes are usually filled with amounts ending with even numbers like 88 and 168, as odd-numbered money gifts are traditionally associated with funerals. Furthermore there is a widespread tradition that money should not be given in fours, or the number four should not appear in the amount, as the number itself has a similar tone to the Chinese character for "death", and it signifies bad luck for many Chinese.


Oranges And Tangerines

If you don't give out a Hong Bao, it is tradition to bring other small presents during friends or family visits such as fruits, cakes, biscuits, chocolates, or candies.

However, it is very common to give your hosts two tangerines or oranges upon your visit and get two of the same type back once leaving the house. The fruits symbolize luck and fulfillment, and you will definitely stay healthy as well, having enough fruits to serve you for the next weeks.


The Dancing Dragons And Lots Of Bad Luck

Again... as if not enough luck would have been spread already, the Dragon Dance of course, is for only one purpose... Luck! Yes you guessed right.

The dragon is the old symbol oft the Chinese nation, and by praying to him, you hope for a better turn of your life. Having a dragon dancing around you is supposed to get you onto an even higher level of everything I guess.

But besides the dragons, there are things you are definitely not supposed to do, if you want to start healthy and with that extra portion of luck into the new Chinese New Year. Namely things like cutting your hair or buying new shoes. And since this good / bad luck showdown is kind of interesting I will write an extra post about it.