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The Yes and No on Chinese New Year
February 3rd, 2010
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Usually there are a lot of so-called rules and regulations to celebrate the Chinese New Year. There will be dos and don'ts that you need to be aware of on certain days during Chinese New Year. All those listed below should be taken note of. Sweeping and cleaning is usually prohibited during the Chinese New Year. It is said that when you clean, you'll tend to sweep away all your luck. Hence, people usually don't clean their house even if it's dirty during the Chinese New Year. Some only restrict that to the first day of Chinese New Year. Even if you really have to sweep the house, then you sweep them to a corner and leave it there. Though it sounds a little superstitious, it's still the tradition that everyone is practicing. Just relax and enjoy your celebration. Don't worry about the cleanliness. That is why people usually spring clean [see also: Chinese New Year Preparation (http://chinese-new-year.701panduan.com/cny-articles-details.php?id=37)] their home before Chinese New Year. In order to get rid of the unused stuffs and to have a cleaner house to be in and to welcome your guests, clean them before Chinese New Year and put all your cleaning tools in the cupboard when you're done. Similar to washing hair on the first day of Chinese New Year, it is known to most of the Chinese that when you wash your hair, you tend to wash away your luck as well. So, normally, they wash before the reunion dinner and keep it clean throughout the first day. You can also opt for the hair salon (http://www.701panduan.com/index.php?sid=1%E2%8C%A9=en&act=approximatch+search&item=1&dAction=go&what=Hairdressers&where=All) services. Get your hair done nicely before Chinese New Year. Next, keep in mind to always make sure you left your windows wide open to enable the breeze to circulate around the house as well as to bring in the luck together with the breeze. Usher in the New Year with a fresher air. There is also a belief that if you owe anyone money, it is best to repay everything before Chinese New Year. Not only money but also everything else. It is said that if you don't pay your debt, the debt will continue forever and it will be the same the next coming year. During Chinese New Year, everything we do must bring the meaning of auspicious. Be it the daily conversation or the words we use. Conversation about ghosts and death is said to be inauspicious and must be avoided at all cost because you are not in a campfire. It is best not to even mention the word 'four' in Chinese or Cantonese because it sounds similar to the word 'death'. If you ever notice, during Chinese New Year, the ornaments and decorations used is usually in red as Chinese believe that red brings them luck and wealth [see also: Origins of Chinese New Year (http://chinese-new-year.701panduan.com/cny-articles-details.php?id=36)]. Hence, the first two days especially, people tend to wear red or something that is bright in color in order to reflect the mood of the festive celebration as well as being auspicious. It is also said that to ensure you'll have a sweeter year ahead, eat more sweet food like candies, cookies and sweets. That is why every household you visited, there is sure to be something sweet on the table. These are those of the things you should take note on if you want to avoid from being scolded by your grandparents. You can also see the things you can do during Chinese New Year.
http://chinese-new-year.701panduan.com/cny-articles-details.php?id=83
Chinese New Year
February 3rd, 2010
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Chinese New Year is always celebrated with feasts thrown from day 1 to day 15. To be more accurate, the feast started the night before the first day of Lunar Calendar, which is the reunion dinner. But, what is the meaning of Chinese New Year and how does the term come about during the ancient time? Have you ever ponder on that before?
It is said that, Chinese New Year brings the meaning of turning into a new leaf where all living creatures are reborn each time on the first day of the Lunar Calendar. Hence, the Chinese New Year is to celebrate the gone of the old and the coming of the new.
Each year, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date, usually in January or February with the earliest on the 21st of January and the latest on the 19th of February. Reason being is because the date was set based on the lunar and solar movements. Hence, the Chinese New Year will be celebrated with a different date each year.
Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival as mention in one of the articles where Spring Festival is very much known to the Westerners. The term, Spring Festival derives from the beginning of spring. Each time the Chinese New Year is here, it marks the beginning of spring. Hence, the originality of Spring Festival.
There is another saying that says in the Far East, the begin of spring is the end of winter. Thus, the farmers will start planting to welcome in the spring and to celebrate the new harvest. Therefore, it is known as the Spring Festival.
Throughout the two weeks of celebration, it is important to make sure that everything you do, you have to be very careful because anything that occurred during Chinese New Year affects your year. Be careful with your actions, your words, and your food and always keep in mind to greet people.
To make sure you have a better year ahead, keep in mind the dos and don'ts of Chinese New Year.
http://chinese-new-year.701panduan.com/cny-articles-details.php?id=74
Things to Do in Chinese New Year
February 3rd, 2010
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It will be a normal routine every time Chinese New Year is just around the corner. Preparation starts a month before and spring cleaning is always the first thing in the list. Then come the celebration and each year, people have their reunion dinner with family and then throughout the whole of 2 weeks, they go from house to house to visit other family and friends and had a feast.
Preparations (http://chinese-new-year.701panduan.com/cny-articles-details.php?id=37) that need to be done are like cleaning the house, put up Chinese New Year decoration, buying new clothes and stocking up food that is enough for the whole of two weeks of celebration. The decorations used are mainly red and those of that bring the meaning of prosperous and symbolizing auspicious.
Get yourself a set of new clothes (http://www.701panduan.com/index.php?sid=1%E2%8C%A9=en&act=approximatch+search&item=1&dAction=go&what=apparel&where=all) and new shoes (http://www.701panduan.com/index.php?sid=1%E2%8C%A9=en&act=approximatch%20search&where=All&what=apparel&dAction=Search&sort=&refinement%5Bcategory%5D%5B1%5D=1020003) and hair cut done before the Chinese New Year. It's always important to look fresh to usher the beginning of spring. In order to look that way, most Chinese prefer to get themselves new from top to bottom.
During the preparation, red packets are prepared as well. Giving out red packets during Chinese New Year is a symbol of luck and wealth to the person who receives it. The red envelope was pack with money in it. It doesn't matter how much you put, it's the act that is important. People who are not married are those that get to receive red packets.
When you receive red packets, you normally don't only say thank you but also to greet the elders and wish them with auspicious greetings. Same goes to during the visit to your relatives and friends house. You greet them with good wishes throughout the celebration. And, during the visits you usually end up with a feast. That's the joy of Chinese New Year.
On the New Year's Eve, gathering all the family members to have the reunion dinner is important. Usually, you get to see a spread of food on the table. As the dinner is somehow an important event in Chinese New Year, the food prepared are usually sumptuous and of those that are meaningful and auspicious. Family members gather around the kitchen to prepare the feast together. Dishes like fish, meat, vegetables, and dumplings are of those that are not to be missed. After the dinner, they gather around the living room watching television together while chit chatting. Some might started playing the poker card.
When the time comes, firecrackers can be seen to mark the beginning of a brand new year, to usher in another year of well being. Firecrackers are played not only on that day but usually throughout the 2 weeks celebration, depending on what occasion they are having. But, in some countries, firecrackers are banned. The reason firecrackers were used is to bid the old goodbye and to welcome the new. Prayers were carried out and the Chinese usually stay up the whole night to celebrate the day.
Another tradition that is done not by the normal household but mostly by companies and organizations is the dragon dance and lion dance. The performance is meant to bring prosperity to the business as well as to greet the coming of a brand new year.
Besides all that are mentioned above, there's also the Yee Sang where you can get only during the Chinese New Year. Yee Sang is toss as high as possible before savoring it. Auspicious greetings were said as you toss. The act of tossing Yee Sang means to increase in abundance, a symbol prosperity.
*Note: See here (http://chinese-new-year.701panduan.com/cuisine-listing.php) for restaurants that are offering Yee Sang and Chinese New Year menu during Chinese New Year.
Usually, Chinese New Year celebrations is about eating, gathering the family members and having fun with each other as companion. People might gamble a little or mainly just playing the poker cards and mahjong and some just enjoy watching the Chinese New Year programs. What fascinate kids most is to play with firecrackers.
All in all, Chinese New Year is a celebration of family reunion and to celebrate the togetherness in the family.
/chinese-new-year.701panduan.com
Chinese New Year Preparation
February 3rd, 2010
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Chinese New Year is really just around the corner. The Chinese will definitely be busy running errands to make sure that the Chinese New Year celebration is well prepared. Some may choose to start as early as a month before the celebration which also means the last month in the Lunar Calendar. This way, they get to plan things they need to have for the celebration and slowly distributing the tasks among the family members and then carry them out.
Since Chinese New Year is the most important celebration among the Chinese, the celebration is always a grand one where family members gather around the house to eat, chat and play. Noises are definitely one thing that won't be missed during the celebration. If you are thinking Chinese New Year is only a day or two's celebration or only over the weekend, then you are very wrong.
The Chinese celebrate Chinese New Year for a full 15 days and 16 days if Chinese New Year Eve is counted. But it makes no different because the mood can be felt when shops started selling Chinese New Year goods, restaurant (http://chinese-new-year.701panduan.com/cuisine-listing.php) started promoting their Chinese New Year menu, the shopping malls (http://chinese-new-year.701panduan.com/shopping-activities-kl.php) started to have Chinese New Year performance and decorations are on sales. It's the festive season love by everyone.
Let's get rolling on with the preparation needed for Chinese New Year. First in the list is the spring cleaning. Since Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival, spring cleaning is normally used to indicate that the whole house must be thoroughly clean to usher in the brand new year. Every corner of the house will be clean and dust free. Old goods that are not of use anymore, will be thrown away or given out as second hand items. Take it as the yearly charity event for your family.
Then, you can take this opportunity to get brand new furniture or the electrical appliances that you think you need. Start shopping (http://chinese-new-year.701panduan.com/shopping-listing.php) for your home as well.
When cleaning is done, decorate the house with the Chinese New Year decoration, the auspicious home decoration in order to bring your family a prosperous and well being year. The decorations can include paper cut outs, cut outs from red packet, red lanterns, prosperous orange tree, Spring Festival couplets and many more. The orange tree known as 'kum quat' in Cantonese is a favorite among many home decorations. They are usually place in front of the house. 'Kam' sounds similar to gold thus the use of it. It sounds like you are bearing 'gold' when you grow this tree.
The decorations used are mainly symbolic with prosperous and luck where red colors are everywhere in the house. New curtains are usually used as well to refresh your home a little. The reason to have all these decorations is mainly to wish for a better year ahead for everyone in the family and to be blessed. When you are done with all the decorations, the mood for Chinese New Year gets thicker and slowly, you'll hear people playing the Chinese New Year songs from the house.
Not only has the home needed to be new. You yourself need a little change (see what we have for your beauty (http://chinese-new-year.701panduan.com/beauty-listing.php)) as well. The Chinese will normally shop for a few pairs of new clothes and shoes and bags and even accessories to go with it! Checked shopping and now you're on your way for a new hairdo. Everyone needs to look new and fresh to welcome in the New Year. Children will definitely love it as they get to shop for firecrackers as well.
Then comes the busy preparation for a feast. Some bake for the purpose of selling, some bake for the purpose of giving a gift to family and friends. Either way, they still bake. Cookies are always a popular snack in the Chinese New Year besides candies, nuts and crackers. Then, they stock in some important food ingredients to make sure they have a complete kitchen during the Chinese New Year. Stacks of mandarin oranges and beverages are the must have in every household. They need to be prepared to give gifts in return to their guests as well as to serve them.
*Note: See also other gifts (http://chinese-new-year.701panduan.com/cny-articles-details.php?id=39) that you can prepare for your family and friends.
Then, the Chinese will also be preparing the food list to have during the Chinese New Year's Eve's reunion dinner. It's the time where all the family members really gather together to dine. It does sound similar to the Western's Thanksgiving dinner. Dishes that symbolize prosperity will be prepared and it will all be fun if you manage to get everyone together to help.
Last but not least, prepare the red packets. It has been a tradition in Chinese New Year to give out red packets. The amount of money inserted is not important but the meaning of the act is very important. Red packet is known as 'lai see' in Cantonese and it means lucky money. Usually the adults will prepare the red packets and give it out to the children throughout the Chinese New Year as a blessing.
That's about all the preparation that needed to be done before ushering the first day of the Lunar Calendar. Though it sounds simple, there's actually a lot to be done.
chinese-new-year.701panduan.com
Origins of Chinese New Year
February 3rd, 2010
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Since Chinese New Year begins on the first day of spring in the Lunar Calendar, Chinese New Year is also widely known as Spring Festival as well, particularly to the Westerners. Though Chinese New year is magnificently celebrated by the Chinese and is now made popular among the non-Chinese as well, not many know the origins of Chinese New Year and what is the significant of celebrating it.
The myth once said that, 'Nian' (meaning year in Chinese) was actually the name of a beast that started to attack the villagers the night before the New Year begins. The beast hid in the village and started attacking them when night falls.
That particular beast was very well known because of its big mouth that is big enough to gulp a bunch of people in a bite. The beast started to attack the villagers and swallowing them. Therefore, the villagers were always afraid towards the end of each year, where the day comes and the beast started to attack them. The villagers had become the prey of the beast.
One fine day, the villagers were rescued by an old man that told the beast to eat the other beasts instead of the innocent villagers. Right after that, the old man was seen riding on the back of the beast and went out of sight. Since then, the old man never appears again.
The villagers then believe that the old man, the savior of their life was actually the God sent down to rescue them. From then onwards, the beast was gone, so do other beasts as well.
Peaceful life of the villagers returned and there's nothing else to be afraid of. With the advice given by the old man, the villagers started to paste red paper decorations on windows and doors to prevent the beast. Just in case the beast came back, the villagers listen to the advice and paste them every year. True to them, the beast never came back again because red is the color that the beast fear most.
Hence, the tradition was passed down from generation to generation and the term 'Guo Nian' is used. 'Guo Nian' literally means survive the year which explains the situation way back in the century perfectly. The villagers survived the year; hence, Chinese New Year is celebrated with red decorations and the playing of firecrackers.
Up to this day, the tradition of decorating the house with red is still in the practice, but many don't have a clue to why red and firecrackers are used during Chinese New Year. People in the modern days did what's in the tradition thinking that, red brings them prosperous.
As long as the tradition carries on, it doesn't matter at all if people know the origins or not. It's the happiness of gathering all the family members that matters the most.
The best way to enjoy the get-to-gather reunion dinner with all your family members is of course, sitting comfortably in a air-conditioned restaurant (http://chinese-new-year.701panduan.com/cuisine-listing.php) enjoying your meals together.
chinese-new-year.701panduan.com
:thanks:
tcha, thank you for the tons of information on Chinese New Year!
"Let's get rolling on with the preparation needed for Chinese New Year. First in the list is the spring cleaning. Since Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival, spring cleaning is normally used to indicate that the whole house must be thoroughly clean to usher in the brand new year. Every corner of the house will be clean and dust free. Old goods that are not of use anymore, will be thrown away or given out as second hand items. Take it as the yearly charity event for your family."
I better clean the house now...should have started 2 weeks ago (a month before the Chinese New Year)!
:ontherun:
LUCKY DISHES for Chinese New Year
by Harold Geronimo
I had a great time chatting with Singapore’s most popular food guru, KF Seetoh, during his Manila visit last week. He brought us to his home here, the Makansutra Asian Food Village, inside the Manila Ocean Park, where he prepared various dishes from Singapore which is known to be Asia’s Gourmet Capital. Being one of Singapore’s most popular chefs, KF Seetoh has been very busy traveling around the world, attending food festivals and events, and appearing on television to showcase his culinary expertise. He recently shared the famous recipe of Laksa (one of the most popular Peranakan dishes in Singapore) to millions of viewers in the United States and across the globe when he was a guest on Martha Stewart Show. Since the Chinese New Year is already near, he shares five most auspicious dishes that will surely bring us luck this Year of the Golden Tiger!
1. Yue Sang (Salad)
If you want all the luck to strike you this Chinese New Year, then the Yue Sang would be yours to eat. Unique to Singapore, this most auspicious New Year dish is served to most Singaporean families to attract luck, fortune, prosperity, longevity, happiness and balance of energy. It’s been a practice to mix the salad and toss it as high as you can. Once it is totally messed up, then it’s good to be served. This salad is made from shredded carrots, green and white radish, ginger soaked in colored honey (red for energy and green for longevity), pomelo, melon sugar or kundol, jelly fish, crispy bicho-bicho, jelly fish, orange peel and salmon.
2. Yue (Steamed Fish)
For Chinese folks, yue or fish symbolizes “smooth sailing luck.” They believe that good things come into place when you serve fish during the new year. Thus, the popular Chinese line whenever they receive visitors: “Have some fish, have some luck.” In Singapore, people would usually buy the most expensive fish to be served and eaten during the Chinese New Year to get the most luck. Being a very auspicious symbol of luck, the fish becomes a staple food among the Chinese all year round. No wonder all Chinese restaurants have a lot of steamed fish dishes in their menus. The more expensive it is, the more luck you’ll be able to get!
3. Tiger Prawns
If the fish is considered auspicious among the Chinese, tiger prawns are equally lucky during the Chinese New Year. They are commonly called Ha, which means joy and laughter. This dish symbolizes happiness all throughout the year and even beyond. The prawns are showered with different spices on top of noodles to symbolize “enjoying an exciting long life.” There are different ways of cooking tiger prawns. However, it really doesn’t matter how you prepare it. What’s more important is that you use this very auspicious ingredient on any dish you like and you’re up for the luck!
4. Tungku Paoyue
This may not be as colorful as the rest of the dishes in this list, but it is very popular for balance of energies. Tungku is the Chinese term for “mushroom” while paoyue is “abalone.” The black fungus mushroom symbolizes “pain” while the abalone means “guaranteed success.” Thus, this dish gives a sense of balance through the philosophy that life should be both joy and pain. As the popular saying goes, “No pain, No gain.” The mushroom and abalone are also mixed with vegetables or choy which symbolize luck and fortune. This brings together the required positive energies to combat the difficulties that may arise in our lives in the coming year.
5. Fish Maw Soup
Known as “her pio,”this soup recipe symbolizes success in all endeavors. Since soups are very popular among Chinese (there are hundreds of thousands of soup recipes in Chinese culinary culture), her pio is famous during New Year and other victorious celebrations. Some Chinese would use “sharks’ fins” as the main ingredients for the soup since it is known to be very auspicious. But since sharks fins are very expensive, they are often referred to as ingredients that project a person’s economic status. Even during the ancient times, serving sharks fin soups during Chinese New Year is only popular among the rich and famous.
These dishes are available at Makansutra Asian Food Village, 2nd level, Sunset Quay, Manila Ocean Park (behind Quirino Grandstand), Luneta, Manila (www.makansutra.com). Thank you to its General Manager, Kam Yong Kuat and his staff for the warm hospitality.
Manila Standard Today
There are many traditions and symbols associated with Chinese New Year. Here are a handful of the most popular practices.
For more Chinese New Year fun, be sure to visit our Chinese New Year crafts, Chinese New Year recipes, and learn about Chinese astrology too!
Clean house and new clothes
According to Celebrate Chinese New Year by Elaine A. Kule, prior to the first day of the New Year it is customary for families to thoroughly clean their homes from top to bottom. Doing this is said to clear out any back luck from the previous year and to ready the house to accept good luck for the coming year.
All cleaning must be finished before New Year's Day so there is no chance of accidentally throwing out the good fortune of the new year. "Before New Year's Day you want to buy new clothes or cut your hair" in order to have a fresh start, says Ng. Wearing black is not allowed due to its association with death, however, wearing red is encouraged as the color is associated with warding off bad spirits.
Decorate the house
Another popular custom is to hang up signs and posters on doors and windows with the Chinese word fu written on them, which translates to luck and happiness. Buying flowers for the home is also commonplace since they symbolize the coming of spring and a new beginning. In Chinese neighborhoods, special lunar New Year flower markets often sprout up during the days prior to the New Year. Check out our charming plum blossom craft and other Chinese New Year decorations you can make for your home.
Eat with your family
On the eve of the Chinese New Year it is customary to visit with relatives and partake in a large dinner where a number of specific foods are served.
"Typically families do eight or nine dishes because they are lucky numbers," says Grace Young, author of The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen. "The Chinese word for eight is baat [in Cantonese], which rhymes with faat, the word for prosperity." The word for nine means "long-lasting."
"A lot of the foods are very symbolic," explains Ng. Some popular foods include: dumplings ("because they look like golden nuggets" says Ng), oranges ("because they are perfectly round, symbolizing completeness and wholeness"), and long noodles ("served to symbolize long life").
Sticky rice cakes and sweets are also served and are tied to a story about the Kitchen God-- a Santa Claus-like figure who reports to the Jade Emperor in heaven on whether families have been good or bad through the course of the year. According to legend, when families serve the Kitchen God sticky, delicious foods, his mouth gets stuck together and therefore he cannot report any bad things about the family to the Jade Emperor.
/holidays.kaboose.com
Chinese New Year is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar. The Chinese year 4708 begins on Feb. 14, 2010.
Chinese months are reckoned by the lunar calendar, with each month beginning on the darkest day. New Year festivities traditionally start on the first day of the month and continue until the fifteenth, when the moon is brightest. In China, people may take weeks of holiday from work to prepare for and celebrate the New Year.
A Year to Roar
Legend has it that in ancient times, Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve came, and Buddha named a year after each one. He announced that the people born in each animal's year would have some of that animal's personality. Those born in tiger years are natural leaders and excel as actors, pilots, writers, and managers. They are authoritative, courageous, emotional, and intense. Demi Moore,Emily Bronte, Tom Cruise, and John Steinbeck were all born in the year of the tiger.
Fireworks and Family Feasts
At Chinese New Year celebrations people wear red clothes, decorate with poems on red paper, and give children "lucky money" in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire, which according to legend can drive away bad luck. The fireworks that shower the festivities are rooted in a similar ancient custom. Long ago, people in China lit bamboo stalks, believing that the crackling flames would frighten evil spirits.
The Lantern Festival
In China, the New Year is a time of family reunion. Family members gather at each other's homes for visits and shared meals, most significantly a feast on New Year's Eve. In the United States, however, many early Chinese immigrants arrived without their families, and found a sense of community through neighborhood associations instead. Today, many Chinese-American neighborhood associations host banquets and other New Year events.
The lantern festival is held on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Some of the lanterns may be works of art, painted with birds, animals, flowers, zodiac signs, and scenes from legend and history. People hang glowing lanterns in temples, and carry lanterns to an evening parade under the light of the full moon.
In many areas the highlight of the lantern festival is the dragon dance. The dragon—which might stretch a hundred feet long—is typically made of silk, paper, and bamboo. Traditionally the dragon is held aloft by young men who dance as they guide the colorful beast through the streets. In the United States, where the New Year is celebrated with a shortened schedule, the dragon dance always takes place on a weekend. In addition, many Chinese-American communities have added American parade elements such as marching bands and floats
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/chinesenewyear1.html
I am currecntly in Malaysia now, my first time to experience Chinese New Year the Malaysia way...I want to see the difference...
:thatsit:
tcha, maybe next week, you can share with us your experience of Chinese New Year in Malaysia. Have fun!
:approve:
:thatsit:
tcha, maybe next week, you can share with us your experience of Chinese New Year in Malaysia. Have fun!
:approve:
Yeah... I will!
Chinese New Year song's
Here Come The New Years
(to the tune of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm")
Here come the new years
Marching round, E-I-E-I-O
And one of the years
Is the year of the Rat, E-I-E-I-O
With a squeak, squeak here,
And a squeak, squeak there,
Here a squeak, there a squeak,
Everywhere a squeak, squeak.
Here come the new years
Marching round, E-I-E-I-O.
Other Verses:
Year of the...
Cow - moo, moo
Tiger - grr,grrr
Rabbit - sniff, sniff
Dragon - roar, roar
Snake - hiss, hiss
Horse - neigh, neigh
Sheep - baa, baa
Monkey - chee, chee
Rooster - cock-a-doodle
Dog - bow, wow
Pig - oink, oink
Lion Dance Song
(to the tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb")
See the lion dance and prance,
Dance and prance, dance and prance.
See the lion dance and prance
On Chinese New Year's Day.
Hear the firecrackers pop,
Pop,pop,pop; pop,pop,pop
Hear the firecrackers pop
On Chinese New Year's Day.
Chinese Hello Song
(to the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell")
Let's wave and say "Ni hao (nee how),"
Let's wave and say "Ni hao."
Let's say "hello" to all our friends,
Let's wave and say "ni hao."
Chinese Dragon
(to the tune of "Frere Jacques")
Chinese dragon, Chinese dragon,
Breathing fire, breathing fire,
Happy, happy new year,
Happy, happy new year,
Gung hay fat choy,
Gung hay fat choy.
about.com
Happy Chinese New Year, tcha!
Don't eat too much sweets!
Happy Chinese New Year, tcha!
Don't eat too much sweets!
^^^Gong Ci Fa Cai ( that's how say this in Malaysia!) I can't have sweets, I don't even chocolates, don't worry gAn... :thankyou:
:cheers2::merlin::merlin::merlin::cheers2:
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Yusheng
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Yusheng - adding of ingredients
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/6e/Singapore_Yusheng_2.jpg/200px-Singapore_Yusheng_2.jpg (http://english-coffee.com/wiki/File:Singapore_Yusheng_2.jpg) http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png (http://english-coffee.com/wiki/File:Singapore_Yusheng_2.jpg)
Yusheng - mixing of ingredients
Yusheng , yee sang or yuu sahng (simplified Chinese (http://english-coffee.com/wiki/Simplified_Chinese_characters): 鱼生; pinyin (http://english-coffee.com/wiki/Pinyin): yúshēng), also known as lo hei (Cantonese for 撈起 or 捞起) is a Teochew-style (http://english-coffee.com/wiki/Teochew_cuisine) raw (http://english-coffee.com/wiki/Raw_food) fish (http://english-coffee.com/wiki/Fish) salad (http://english-coffee.com/wiki/Salad). It usually consists of strips of raw fish (most commonly salmon (http://english-coffee.com/wiki/Salmon)), mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments, among other ingredients. Yusheng literally means "raw fish" but since "fish (鱼)" is commonly conflated with its homophone (http://english-coffee.com/wiki/Homophone) "abundance (余)", Yúshēng (鱼生) is interpreted as a homophone (http://english-coffee.com/wiki/Homophone) for Yúshēng (余升) meaning an increase in abundance. Therefore, yusheng is considered a symbol of abundance, prosperity and vigor.
While versions of it is thought to have existed in China, the contemporary version is created and popularised in Singapore (http://english-coffee.com/wiki/Singapore) in the 1960s amongst the ethnic Chinese (http://english-coffee.com/wiki/Overseas_Chinese) community and its consumption has been associated with Chinese New Year (http://english-coffee.com/wiki/Chinese_New_Year) festivities in Singapore as well as in neighbouring Malaysia (http://english-coffee.com/wiki/Malaysia). In Singapore, government, community and business leaders often take the lead in serving the dish as part of official functions during the festive period or in private celebrity dinners. Some have even suggested that it be named a national dish.
wikipedia.com
^^^I got lots of these YEE SANG in restaurants aroound here, it's a traditional dish here, you can only have this around Chinese New Year, after the holidays, no more YEE SANG, try your luck the next year!
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