Gung Hay Faat Choy!

Happy Chinese New Year to all. People seem to ask me about Chinese New Year a lot because they are fascinated with all the customs and such. Being a 1.5 generation, it's hard enough to even remember when Chinese New Year is according to the Lunar Calendar, let alone to actually know the customs. But here's some do's and don'ts for Chinese New Year and keep in mind that how much you partake in these customs also depends on how "baak gwaa" (superstitious) you are. I would say the most important thing is to say good things and the proper greetings to those you meet and greet during the New Year. In America, things are taken a bit more lightly and my family seems to follow less of these rigid restrictions.

[The following is from a HK newspaper.]

Things to do

• Greet others with "Gung Hay Fat Choi" which means "Wishing You Prosperity and Wealth".
• Give two Lai Sees to each child as happiness comes in twos. This is your way of passing good luck to the next generation. Business owners also give Lai See to employees and associates.
• Wear new clothes - preferably in red for luck.

Things to avoid

• No housework or cooking is allowed for the first two days of the New Year.
• Sweeping and cutting are especially taboo, because they represent the sweeping away or severing of good luck.
• Don't wash your hair on the first and last day of the New Year.
• Don't greet people who are in mourning.
• Don't drop your chopsticks.
• Don't say words related to sickness and death.
• Don't borrow or lend money.
• Avoid arguing and using negative language.
• Don't slaughter poultry or livestock to avoid any association with death.
• Avoid breaking anything as it is indicative of bad luck ahead - if you do, you'll have to say "lok day hoi fa, fu gwei wing wah" which means when you drop something it breaks into pieces like a flower blossoming bringing wealth and prosperity or "peace for all time" to make sure the year is a lucky one.

[Here's some more info if you wish to read about Chinese New Year. Again, from the HK newspaper.]

General Stuff

Homes are cleaned from top to bottom to get rid of all that's bad and get ready for a fresh, new and lucky start. To add to the festive mood, homes are elaborately decorated with Spring Couplets, tangerines and flowers.

The New Year's Eve dinner is a time for family to come together, give thanks to their ancestors and the gods for blessing them over the past year, and feast on lots of specialties. All the lights are left on throughout the night and families stay up to usher in the New Year. Everyone stays up until the wee hours - for some in Hong Kong, playing mahjong - and just spending time together.

During the first few days of the New Year, people will pay visits to family and friends and offer New Year greetings and wishes for good luck and prosperity over the year. When you meet up with someone in those New Year days, be sure to say "Gung Hay Fat Choi" which means "wishing you prosperity and wealth". It's customary for married couples to give out Lai See to children and anyone not married when they see them over the New Year.

There are a few things not to do in the New Year like cleaning and sweeping. You've already taken care of that on the 28th of the 12th Lunar month. You don't want to sweep away any good luck and no garbage is taken out these days because you don't want to throw any riches out the window. It's also a bad idea to say anything negative, to have any arguments and to use any bad language because that means you'll be arguing all year long.

Lai See
Lai See are gifts of money in red envelopes decorated with lucky symbols or Chinese characters. They are given by married couples to children or unmarried people and by managers to their staff. Giving Lai See represents a wish for fortune and wealth in the coming year.

Fai Chun (Red Couplets)
Red Couplets are Chinese good luck sayings written on red paper, often with gold borders, which ask for luck. Some are intended to be put in special places such as the kitchen or doors, while others can be placed anywhere. They are usually taken down after the New Year celebrations, although some people keep them up all year in the hope of keeping good luck.

Lap Bat
Lap Bat means 'The Eighth of Moon Twelve' and refers to the traditional start of the celebrations for the Chinese New Year - the eighth day of the last Lunar month. It is traditionally the time when the weather becomes cold. On this day, a special hot rice soup is eaten, containing nuts, dried lotus seeds, red beans, and dried dates. This tradition has its roots in Buddhism and symbolises purification of the body for the New Year.

Kitchen God's Day
Once a year, on the 23rd or 24th day of the last Lunar month, the Kitchen God goes up to heaven to give his annual report to the Jade Emperor, the supreme leader, about the family's activities over the past year. The day is marked by acts of appeasement to the God. Traditionally, images of the God are burned as a symbolic act of departure, often with gold or silver money for travelling expenses. Sometimes, the lips of the God are brushed with honey or a sugar solution to increase the likelihood of sweet things being said. The Kitchen God returns to his cleaned shrine on New Year's Eve.

Flowers
Flowers have special significance at Chinese New Year. The Chinese believe that if flowers bloom well, they will bring good luck and success. Families often visit the flower market on New Year's Eve. Business people will spend a lot of money on a branch of flowering plum that looks like it will bloom well to ensure that they will have a prosperous year. The most auspicious flowers are peach blossom, plum blossom, peonies, kumquat plants and small orange trees. Narcissi, azaleas, dahlias, and chrysanthemums are also popular.

Peach Blossom
Peach blossom is the most auspicious of all symbolising long life, growth, prosperity and romance. Single people buy peach blossoms to bring them romance in the coming year. Should your peach blossom bloom during the New Year celebrations, it is a sure sign that the year ahead will be one of good fortune.

Kumquat
In Chinese, the kumquat is called Kam Gat Shu. The word Kam sounds like the Chinese word for gold, and the word Gat sounds like the Chinese word for luck. The tiny green leaves of this plant symbolise wealth as the word Luk (green) rhymes with the Chinese word for wealth. The shape of the small oranges is a symbol of unity and perfection.

Peony
The peony is called the "Flower of Riches and Honour" in Chinese, and is the emblem of love and affection, as well as being a symbol for feminine beauty. The bright red peony is particularly auspicious, bringing luck and good fortune.

Tsim (Fortune Sticks)
Many people flock to temples during the New Year to have their fortunes told. The oldest known method of fortune telling is known as Kau Tsim - a set of 78 numbered sticks held in a bamboo cup. One holds the container in both hands and shakes it until one of the sticks falls out. The number on the stick is cross referenced with ancient fortune texts, generally a short poem or rhyme indicative of the possibilities which lie ahead.

Lion Dance
Lion dances take place throughout the first few days of the New Year, bringing good luck to households or businesses they visit. The Lion Dance is performed by two 'dancers', one at the head and one at the tail of the lion. The dance is accompanied by loud music on drums, gongs and cymbals. Firecrackers, drums, gongs and cymbals are used to dispell evil and bring good luck.

Chak Hau (Red Mouth)
People generally avoid visiting relatives on the third day of the first Moon as it is widely believed that they would easily get into arguments on that day. It is also the birthday of the god Che Kung and many people flock to his temple in Tai Wai to spin the wheel at his altar to ask for good fortune.

Yan Yat (Everybody's Birthday)
Legend has it that the first eight days of the Chinese New Year are days of different living things, namely chickens, dogs, pigs, goats, cows, horses, human beings and crops. Fortune tellers would tell the future of different living things according to the weather on that day. Bright weather would indicate good fortune for the coming year. Now in Hong Kong, people celebrate the seventh day of the New Year as everyone's birthday.

Yuen Siu (Night of the First Moon)
Women in ancient China were strictly confined to their houses except on the fifteenth day of the Chinese New Year when they would dress up and go out to enjoy the lights and riddle games. If they were lucky, they could even catch a glimpse of their future husband. Today, people in Hong Kong consider this day, Valentine's Day. Traditional families eat sweet dumplings and light lanterns on this day. Enjoy the lights and riddle games. If they were lucky, they could even catch a glimpse of their future husband. Today, people in Hong Kong consider this day, Valentine's Day. Traditional families eat sweet dumplings and light lanterns on this day.

[if that's not enough info for you, i don't know what is.]

I'm out.