新年快樂
HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR OF THE GOLDEN RABBIT
JOY, PEACE, HEALTH AND PROSPERITY
It is the first day of the Lunar New Year. Although it is commonly known as Chinese New Year, many other countries with significant Chinese populations such as Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia also partake in the festivities. According to custom, the new year starts on the first day of the month in the traditional Chinese lunar calendar and ends with the Lantern Festival on the 15th day.
Festivities starts on New Year’s eve where family members gather together for a reunion dinner, much like Thanksgiving festivities here. Instead of turkey, the Chinese New Year feast consists of different types of food to symbolize blessings and well wishes for the year. A whole fish (“yu”) for abundance, a vegetarian Buddha’s delight dish with a black hair like algae “fatt choy” to represent prosperity, long noodles for longevity, Chinese New Year dumplings (“jau got”) for gold ingots, mandarins for fortune.
Children (and unmarried people) are given lucky money slipped inside red envelopes called ‘hong bao’. In addition, our two Itty Bitty Foodies, Pikelet & Lollo received their own pair of Fred kids chopsticks today. They have a super cool red figure on top made of food grade silicone so it’s dishwasher safe and a pair of sturdy melamine chopsticks made for itty bitty fingers.
Here’s the horoscope for the Year of the Rabbit:
According to Chinese tradition, the Rabbit brings a year in which you can catch your breath and calm your nerves. It is a time for negotiation. Don’t try to force issues, because if you do you will ultimately fail. To gain the greatest benefits from this time, focus on home, family, security, diplomacy, and your relationships with women and children. Make it a goal to create a safe, peaceful lifestyle, so you will be able to calmly deal with any problem that may arise.
This month we’ll feature some of our favorite Chinese restaurants, Asian groceries, snacks and traditions. DMagazine’s SideDish has a few suggestions.
Till our next happy meal! Gong Xi Fa Cai!
