Chinese New Year 2010 Year of the Tiger
Were you born during a Year of the Tiger?
You were if you were born in one of these years:
1902, 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, and 1998.
Here are some innovative ideas for your Chinese New Year celebrations (the New Year begins on February 14th in 2010. It is the Year of the Tiger):
• Have your house cleaned for a year - Before the New Year arrives, the Chinese consider it very important to give the house a thorough cleaning; sweeping away any bad luck that may have accumulated over the past year.
• Interior makeover – Doors and window panes are also often painted red, considered to be a lucky color. In addition, people like to hang papercuts on doors and windows. (Paper cutting is an ancient Chinese art form dating back to the Han dynasty).
• Chinese takeaway for a year Offer a Sacrifice to the Kitchen God - Many families have a poster of the Kitchen God in their kitchen. The custom is to offer a ceremonial sacrifice to the Kitchen God, to make sure that he gives a good report on the family’s behaviour when he returns to heaven. Sticky Cake (Nian Gao) is popular, or children may rub honey on him.
An important tradition on New Year’s Eve is for families to gather together and spend the evening preparing Chinese dumplings (Jiaozi). According to Chinese Culture Guide Jun Shan, it is common to hide a coin in one of the dumplings. Whoever gets the dumpling with the coin will supposedly have good luck in the coming year.
• Family Games packs - Give out money packets - On New Years day, children receive leisee - red packets decorated with gold symbols and filled with “lucky money”.
• Chinese dinner party in your own home - Serve festive foods - Throughout the New Years season, certain foods are served because they symbolize abundance and good fortune. Besides preparing special dishes, tangerines and oranges are often passed out to children and guests, as they symbolize wealth and good luck.
• Buddhist Retreat - Prepare a Tray of Togetherness - This is a circular or octagon-shaped tray with eight compartments, each containing symbolic foods such as lotus seeds and lychee nuts, that provides a sweet beginning to the New Year.