It's been sometime since I last posted. I will be back soon once I got most of my deadlines out of the way.
Anyway tomorrow the 26th Jan is Chinese New Year, the year of the Ox.
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL CHINESE AND ANYONE WHO CELEBRATES.
GONG XI FA CAI (GONG HEE FATT CHOI) 恭喜發財!
XIN NIAN KUAI LE 新年快樂!
By the way 'Gong Hee Fatt Choi' does not mean happy new year it means 'wishing you prosperity and getting rich', a phrase every Chinese especially businessman will like to hear.
The actual phrase for happy new year is 'xin nian kuai le' (i.e. in mandarin) or 'sun nin fai lok' (Cantonese).
In northern part of China is 'chung jet kuai le'(mandarin) 春節快樂 meaning happy spring festival.
Here are some traditions and customs relating to food and superstitions if your don't already know.
Before the new year the house must be spring cleaned or redecorated to clear away clutters, dirt and anything unwanted or considered no good so to bring in the new leash of live and new hopes for the new year. The house is nicely decorated and lots of cakes and biscuits are prepared for visitors during the festive season. Banners of good luck charm or word of good wishes/good lucks posted everywhere, usually red.
Chinese New Year always fall on the 1st day of the 1st lunar month (正月)
Chinese New Year is celebrated for 15 days + New Year's Eve
NY Eve (除夕) - In many Far East countries this is the day/night to buy flowers or kumquat (or any small citrus tree) full of golden fruits to decorate the house (like an oriental Christmas tree), flower markets open till very late at night. Anyone who buys kumquat tree usually hangs 'lai see' or empty red packets all over the tree like Christmas tree ornaments. It is a big day when all family members will gather together to have a big feast and wait till midnight to welcome the new year. The Meal is as elaborate if more than a Christmas meal, with a table full of best food the family can afford. Usually there is fish, meat, vegetable etc.... If permissible, fire crackers will bang all night long to chase away any devils.
Day 1 - The New Year begins from midnight, from this hour to dawn many will pray to their ancestors or to their gods for blessings. Many family will eat some traditional food for breakfast or for the whole day:
- Noodles - kept as long as possible to symbolise long life
- Glutinous rice dumplings soup - a sticky chewy dumplings, sweet or savoury to symbolise all the family will stay together happy, no arguments and no separations.
- Glutinous rice cake - a sweet sticky steamed chewy cake, to symbolise life is sweet and family will be together happy.
- Many cantonese like to have savoury turnip cake (mooli cake) to replace the sweet glutinous rice cake
- in some part of China or many Chinese like to eat pot sticker dumplings as they look like the old chinese gold ingots, to symbolise prosperity.
In our family, we usually have a meat free day and eat only stir fry monk's vegetables 羅漢齋 and sweet glutinous rice cake slices fried with beaten eggs for breakfast. Then there is the morning rituals of the youngsters greeting the older members of the family in various traditional ways, and married couples will give children red packets 利是 (Lai See) filled with money. RED is big for new year, it is the colour of luck, it's seen and used everywhere. Then the rest of the day will be visiting member of the families usually the senior member and friends and relatives will come to visit your home. These visits are called 拜年 (Bye Nian). Children will get Lai See everywhere they go from married friends and relatives. Then there may be more fireworks and lion dance. The whole day goes on and on with people coming and going and lots of noise. Also another thing about day 1 in my family and others is no one is allowed to use the broom to sweep the floor it's is considered very bad luck (sweeping away any good luck and new blessings), we are only allowed to clean with a wipe or clothe.
Day 2 - Day 2 is quieter. Usually married daughter will visit their parent's home with her family. Businesses will pray to their God for blessing.
Day 3 to 4 - Nothing much happening. Usually day 4 people will go back to work and children back to school.
Day 5 - is to celebrate the God of wealth and many will eat pot sticker dumplings as a symbolism.
Day 6 - a normal day
Day 7 - is to celebrate a common birthday for everyone called 人日 (yan yak) in cantonese or (ren le) in mandarin. On this day many will eat a raw fish salad 魚生 (yu sung) or ceviche Chinese style.
Day 8 - normal day
Day 9 - some celebrate and pray to their God of Heaven
Day 10 to 14 - normal days
Day 15 - last day of New Year 元宵節 (yuan siu jet), traditional food is usually something round to symbolise the rounding up of the new year, glutinous rice balls (dumplings) sweet or savoury are very popular and a feast to finish as dinner. That night people especially children will carry a lanterns everywhere they go. In the old day, this was a very good day to look out for a date! Fire crackers and lion dance in some places to end the new year with a bit of noise and colour.
* Throughout the 15 days you can still go Bye Nian to any of your friends and relatives.
Lucky food:
Fish - usually whole with head and tail to symbolise 年年有餘 (nian nian you yee) i.e. you will have surplus of all the good things every year and also this symbolises everything you do will have a good start and finish
Anything that sounds fatt in Chinese (fatt sounds like 'getting rich' in Chinese) like fatt choi a black hair like fungus usually cooked with shitake mushroom, dried oyster or sea cucumber.
Many Cantonese like pig's trotters cooked different ways, some with fatt choi. 'hand' or trotter symbolises one or two cantonese phrases meaning whatever you do will be successful.
Cantonese like deep fried sweet dumplings with ground peanut and sugar filling to symbolise the old gold ingots 金元寶
Melon seeds or pumpkin seeds - with the shell some red and some black are eaten all new year season.
Sweet meat - candied fruits and nuts are very popular to symbolise the coming new year will be sweet and lucky.
Rice cake 年糕 - Cantonese like the sweet steamed glutinous rice cake like the one described above. In northern part of China I think (not to sure) rice cake is a lump of slightly salted plain rice cake, cut into pieces for stir fry or soup.
Raw fish salad 魚生 (yee sung) - only on the seventh day.
And not forgetting, mandarin, tangerine or any golden small citrus are a must during new year to symbolise prosperity. When family and relative doing their bye nian they have to bring some with them to greet the family with the golden fruits (prosperity) and some lai see (red is luck)
Hope you like reading the above.
Anyway tomorrow the 26th Jan is Chinese New Year, the year of the Ox.
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL CHINESE AND ANYONE WHO CELEBRATES.
GONG XI FA CAI (GONG HEE FATT CHOI) 恭喜發財!
XIN NIAN KUAI LE 新年快樂!
By the way 'Gong Hee Fatt Choi' does not mean happy new year it means 'wishing you prosperity and getting rich', a phrase every Chinese especially businessman will like to hear.
The actual phrase for happy new year is 'xin nian kuai le' (i.e. in mandarin) or 'sun nin fai lok' (Cantonese).
In northern part of China is 'chung jet kuai le'(mandarin) 春節快樂 meaning happy spring festival.
Here are some traditions and customs relating to food and superstitions if your don't already know.
Before the new year the house must be spring cleaned or redecorated to clear away clutters, dirt and anything unwanted or considered no good so to bring in the new leash of live and new hopes for the new year. The house is nicely decorated and lots of cakes and biscuits are prepared for visitors during the festive season. Banners of good luck charm or word of good wishes/good lucks posted everywhere, usually red.
Chinese New Year always fall on the 1st day of the 1st lunar month (正月)
Chinese New Year is celebrated for 15 days + New Year's Eve
NY Eve (除夕) - In many Far East countries this is the day/night to buy flowers or kumquat (or any small citrus tree) full of golden fruits to decorate the house (like an oriental Christmas tree), flower markets open till very late at night. Anyone who buys kumquat tree usually hangs 'lai see' or empty red packets all over the tree like Christmas tree ornaments. It is a big day when all family members will gather together to have a big feast and wait till midnight to welcome the new year. The Meal is as elaborate if more than a Christmas meal, with a table full of best food the family can afford. Usually there is fish, meat, vegetable etc.... If permissible, fire crackers will bang all night long to chase away any devils.
Day 1 - The New Year begins from midnight, from this hour to dawn many will pray to their ancestors or to their gods for blessings. Many family will eat some traditional food for breakfast or for the whole day:
- Noodles - kept as long as possible to symbolise long life
- Glutinous rice dumplings soup - a sticky chewy dumplings, sweet or savoury to symbolise all the family will stay together happy, no arguments and no separations.
- Glutinous rice cake - a sweet sticky steamed chewy cake, to symbolise life is sweet and family will be together happy.
- Many cantonese like to have savoury turnip cake (mooli cake) to replace the sweet glutinous rice cake
- in some part of China or many Chinese like to eat pot sticker dumplings as they look like the old chinese gold ingots, to symbolise prosperity.
In our family, we usually have a meat free day and eat only stir fry monk's vegetables 羅漢齋 and sweet glutinous rice cake slices fried with beaten eggs for breakfast. Then there is the morning rituals of the youngsters greeting the older members of the family in various traditional ways, and married couples will give children red packets 利是 (Lai See) filled with money. RED is big for new year, it is the colour of luck, it's seen and used everywhere. Then the rest of the day will be visiting member of the families usually the senior member and friends and relatives will come to visit your home. These visits are called 拜年 (Bye Nian). Children will get Lai See everywhere they go from married friends and relatives. Then there may be more fireworks and lion dance. The whole day goes on and on with people coming and going and lots of noise. Also another thing about day 1 in my family and others is no one is allowed to use the broom to sweep the floor it's is considered very bad luck (sweeping away any good luck and new blessings), we are only allowed to clean with a wipe or clothe.
Day 2 - Day 2 is quieter. Usually married daughter will visit their parent's home with her family. Businesses will pray to their God for blessing.
Day 3 to 4 - Nothing much happening. Usually day 4 people will go back to work and children back to school.
Day 5 - is to celebrate the God of wealth and many will eat pot sticker dumplings as a symbolism.
Day 6 - a normal day
Day 7 - is to celebrate a common birthday for everyone called 人日 (yan yak) in cantonese or (ren le) in mandarin. On this day many will eat a raw fish salad 魚生 (yu sung) or ceviche Chinese style.
Day 8 - normal day
Day 9 - some celebrate and pray to their God of Heaven
Day 10 to 14 - normal days
Day 15 - last day of New Year 元宵節 (yuan siu jet), traditional food is usually something round to symbolise the rounding up of the new year, glutinous rice balls (dumplings) sweet or savoury are very popular and a feast to finish as dinner. That night people especially children will carry a lanterns everywhere they go. In the old day, this was a very good day to look out for a date! Fire crackers and lion dance in some places to end the new year with a bit of noise and colour.
* Throughout the 15 days you can still go Bye Nian to any of your friends and relatives.
Lucky food:
Fish - usually whole with head and tail to symbolise 年年有餘 (nian nian you yee) i.e. you will have surplus of all the good things every year and also this symbolises everything you do will have a good start and finish
Anything that sounds fatt in Chinese (fatt sounds like 'getting rich' in Chinese) like fatt choi a black hair like fungus usually cooked with shitake mushroom, dried oyster or sea cucumber.
Many Cantonese like pig's trotters cooked different ways, some with fatt choi. 'hand' or trotter symbolises one or two cantonese phrases meaning whatever you do will be successful.
Cantonese like deep fried sweet dumplings with ground peanut and sugar filling to symbolise the old gold ingots 金元寶
Melon seeds or pumpkin seeds - with the shell some red and some black are eaten all new year season.
Sweet meat - candied fruits and nuts are very popular to symbolise the coming new year will be sweet and lucky.
Rice cake 年糕 - Cantonese like the sweet steamed glutinous rice cake like the one described above. In northern part of China I think (not to sure) rice cake is a lump of slightly salted plain rice cake, cut into pieces for stir fry or soup.
Raw fish salad 魚生 (yee sung) - only on the seventh day.
And not forgetting, mandarin, tangerine or any golden small citrus are a must during new year to symbolise prosperity. When family and relative doing their bye nian they have to bring some with them to greet the family with the golden fruits (prosperity) and some lai see (red is luck)
Hope you like reading the above.
Thanks for posting this - I'd forgotten many rituals from my childhood. Kung hei fat choi!
ReplyDeleteTanks for all that detail Sunflower. And a happy and prosperous New Year to you!
ReplyDeleteStokey Sue
It's really interesting to hear about the traditions and customs of other cultures-thanks Sunflower! Happy and prosperous New Year to you!
ReplyDeleteReally Damn Good & Nice Blog u had!Now i getting to knew well how is the CNY Celebration days stand for, as well culture & foods! I like all your Chinese foods recipe very much! Thks for sharing & you such a good person!
ReplyDelete