On February 12, 2002, the Chinese Year 4699 begins -- The Year of the Horse! Fireworks are an important part of the festival, but there's a whole lot more more going on! Chinese New Year or Spring Festival (Chun Jie), which begins at the second New Moon after the winter solstice, is the most important traditional festival and lasts fifteen days. Preparation begins several weeks ahead of time and involves a lot of cleaning, cooking, buying gifts and clothes, and other special preparations. Cleaning is important in order to sweep away any bad luck or evil spirits from the old year. One must NOT sweep during the New Year festival because one might sweep away the good luck for the new year. Many people don�t cook for the first five days so lots and lots of food must be prepared including JiaoZi (Chinese Dumplings). It�s an exciting, fun festival. The festive dinner on New Year�s Eve is usually a family reunion and often includes chicken (ji in Chinese, which sounds much like the word meaning "auspiciousness") and fish (yu in Chinese, which sounds much like the word that means "wealth" and "surplus"). People like to wear red clothing because red is a good luck color. Fireworks are an important part of the celebration since the noise chases away evil spirits � besides being lots of fun. Red is the color meaning "joy" and "luck" so red ribbons and flags are waved. (Sometimes people decorate their doors and window frames with red paper or paint.) Children often are given red packets with money which bring luck to the giver and to the receiver. Families like to stay up late playing board games, or cards, or watching television specials. Midnight brings fireworks! When visiting family or friends during the two-week long Chinese New Year celebration, be sure to bring them a bag of oranges and tangerines which are symbols for abundant happiness. The Lantern Festival (Yuen Siu ) is held on the night of the first full moon of the lunar year and serves as the ending of the New Year festivities. Beautiful lanterns made of many different materials and presenting many themes can be seen everywhere. Some are made to look like butterflies, others are shaped like rabbits, dragonflies, birds, fruit, or the animal sign of the year. Some cities in China have huge lantern fairs. Ice lanterns are special features in some places and may include delicately carved ice crystal houses, bridges, and gardens decorated with colorful lights that run for miles. It's a very old festival which many believe is of Taoist origins. Naturally, there are many stories to explain how it began. One of them involves the Jade Emperor. Once upon a time long, long ago, the Jade Emperor got very angry with the people living in a certain part of China because they killed his prized goose. He was furious and declared that he would set fire to the land and burn all the people, animals, and plants on the night of the fifteenth day of the lunar year. A wise old woman learned of this and told the people to light lots of lanterns on the night of the fifteenth -- at home, on the streets, and in the fields. When the appointed evening came, the Jade Emperor looked down from heaven and saw the whole region lit up. He mistook the brightness for a big fire and thought that the death of his prized goose had been avenged. To commemorate their good fortune, people have hung lanterns on the night of the first full moon every year since. One of the special foods for the Lantern Festival is Yuen Siu, a kind of Chinese dumpling made with glutinous rice flour. They are round and can be made with tasty fillings of different flavors, mostly sweet, and boiled or deep fried. Some are made plain and cooked in a soup with vegetables, meat, and shrimp. The round shape is a symbol of wholeness and unity. Fortune Cookie Recipe Fortune cookies really are an American invention, but they are a lot of fun. Make up your own fortunes to put inside. Ingredients � cup Flour 2 tbsp Brown Sugar 1 tbsp Cornstarch 2 tbsp Cooking Oil 1 Egg White, Beaten Stiff � tsp Vanilla 3 tbsp Water Procedure Combine flour, sugar, cornstarch, and oil. Fold in egg white. Add vanilla and water. In a small skillet (non-stick or lightly oiled), over medium heat, pour 1 tablespoon of batter, spreading it out into a 3" circle. Cook 4 minutes until lightly browned. Turn with spatula and cook 1 more minute. Remove from the pan (careful - it will be hot!), and place paper fortune strip in center of circle. Fold in half over the edge of a glass, and then bend to form Fortune-cookie shape. Hold until cool, or place in a small dish to hold the shape until the cookies firm up. What will the Year of the Horse bring? Consult Dwnn's purrdictions. Visit Tao of Meow Index Page Credits: Fireworks graphics courtesy Rose's Animated GIFs. Javascript by Ying J. Chen.
Preparation begins several weeks ahead of time and involves a lot of cleaning, cooking, buying gifts and clothes, and other special preparations. Cleaning is important in order to sweep away any bad luck or evil spirits from the old year. One must NOT sweep during the New Year festival because one might sweep away the good luck for the new year. Many people don�t cook for the first five days so lots and lots of food must be prepared including JiaoZi (Chinese Dumplings).
It�s an exciting, fun festival. The festive dinner on New Year�s Eve is usually a family reunion and often includes chicken (ji in Chinese, which sounds much like the word meaning "auspiciousness") and fish (yu in Chinese, which sounds much like the word that means "wealth" and "surplus"). People like to wear red clothing because red is a good luck color.
Fireworks are an important part of the celebration since the noise chases away evil spirits � besides being lots of fun. Red is the color meaning "joy" and "luck" so red ribbons and flags are waved. (Sometimes people decorate their doors and window frames with red paper or paint.) Children often are given red packets with money which bring luck to the giver and to the receiver.
Families like to stay up late playing board games, or cards, or watching television specials. Midnight brings fireworks!
When visiting family or friends during the two-week long Chinese New Year celebration, be sure to bring them a bag of oranges and tangerines which are symbols for abundant happiness.
The Lantern Festival (Yuen Siu ) is held on the night of the first full moon of the lunar year and serves as the ending of the New Year festivities. Beautiful lanterns made of many different materials and presenting many themes can be seen everywhere. Some are made to look like butterflies, others are shaped like rabbits, dragonflies, birds, fruit, or the animal sign of the year. Some cities in China have huge lantern fairs. Ice lanterns are special features in some places and may include delicately carved ice crystal houses, bridges, and gardens decorated with colorful lights that run for miles.
It's a very old festival which many believe is of Taoist origins. Naturally, there are many stories to explain how it began. One of them involves the Jade Emperor.
One of the special foods for the Lantern Festival is Yuen Siu, a kind of Chinese dumpling made with glutinous rice flour. They are round and can be made with tasty fillings of different flavors, mostly sweet, and boiled or deep fried. Some are made plain and cooked in a soup with vegetables, meat, and shrimp. The round shape is a symbol of wholeness and unity.
Turn with spatula and cook 1 more minute. Remove from the pan (careful - it will be hot!), and place paper fortune strip in center of circle. Fold in half over the edge of a glass, and then bend to form Fortune-cookie shape. Hold until cool, or place in a small dish to hold the shape until the cookies firm up.
Visit Tao of Meow Index Page
Fireworks graphics courtesy Rose's Animated GIFs. Javascript by Ying J. Chen.