Chinese New Year is the most important of the traditional Chinese holiday and the festival that I like the most. It is a time when the family should come together in order to give thanks for the year that has past, and reinvigorate themselves for the coming year. The festive begins on the first day of the first month in the traditional Chinese calender and ends with Lantern Festival which is on the 15th day.
A reunion dinner is held on New Year's Eve where emebers of the family gather for the celebration. The venue will usually be in home of the most senior member of the family. The New Year's Eve is very sumptous and tranditionally includes chicken and fish. Well, some food is really can't missed out...lets have a look!
Bakkwa is the Chinese salty-sweet dried meat, akin to jerky, which is trimmed of the fat, sliced, marinated and then smoked for later consumption or as a gift.
Yusheng is the raw fish salad. Eating this salad is said to bring good luck. This dish is usually eaten on the 7th day of the New Year.
Buddha's Delight is an elaborate vegetarian dish served by Chinese families on the eve and first day of the New Year. A type of black hair-like algae, pronouched "fatt choy" in Cantonese, is featured in the dish for its name, which sounds like "properity".
Nian Gao is the most popular in easter China because its pronuciation is a homophone for "a more prosperous year". It is also known as Chinese New Year Pudding and is made up of glutinuos rice flour, wheat starch, salt, water and sugar.
Traditonally, Red Packets are what I always looking for during Chinese New Year which are passed out during Chinese New Year's celebration, from married couples or the elderly to unmarried juniors. It is the money used to suppress the evil spirit during this period. Per custom, the amount of money in the red packets should be of even numbers, as odd numbers are associated with cash given during funerals. The number 8 is considered lucky for its homophone for "wealth". The number 6 is also lucky as it sounds like "smooth", in the sense of having a smooth year.
Red packets with different types of design.
Lion dance is the kids like the most. It is believed that the loud beats of drum and the deafening sounds of the cymbals together with the face of the lion dancing aggressively can evict bad or evil spirits. It is also popular for opening of businesses in Hong Kong.
Lion Dance Video..Gong Xi Fa Cai!
0 comments:
Post a Comment