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Kung hei fat choy! Happy New Year!
CHINESE NEW YEAR is the most important of the Chinese holidays, and
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| is a time of feasting with family, great celebration, fireworks, and gift-giving. It is a 15-day holiday, beginning on the first day of a new moon and ending with the full moon on the day of the Lantern Festival |
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The Chinese New Year’s greeting in Cantonese is Kung Hei Fat Choy! (pronounced Con hey fa-choy) which means Congratulations and Be Prosperous.
Or, Gong Xi Fa Cai! ("Wishing you prosperity!”) in Mandarin.
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This year CHINESE NEW YEAR begins on Thursday 7 February with celebrations in all the main centers on Chinese New Years Eve – Wednesday 6 February (check your local newspaper for details). |
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CHINESE NEW YEAR TRADITIONS
The
holiday is celebrated with big family gatherings, gift giving, the
eating of symbolic foods and display of festive decorations -- all
focused on bringing good luck for the new year and celebrating the
coming of Spring.
The tremendous amount of food prepared at this time symbolizes abundance and wealth for the household.
It is a custom to bring a gift of oranges or tangerines, and always in even numbers (odd numbers are considered unlucky) when visiting family during Chinese New Year.
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| Mandarin Oranges Image by
Hobbes Yeo. |
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| Dumplings known as Yuan Bao resemble an ancient form of money (inset). |
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| Red envelopes. Image by Yenhoon. |
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Various foods also have auspicious names and are regarded as a symbol of prosperity, for example dumplings known as Yuan Bao which resemble an ancient form of money, uncut noodles represent longevity and long life, and eating fish, which is believed to bring long life and good fortune.
One very important tradition is the exchange of gifts - family and friends give small red envelopes filled with “lucky money” to children or younger un-married single people. Red is a particularly lucky color and brings good fortune. Lucky money envelopes are also known as Red Packets or Red Envelopes.
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Check to see if there are any Chinese New Year celebrations happening near you – join the festivities and welcome in the CHINESE NEW YEAR – 2008 the YEAR of the RAT.
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