THE YEAR OF THE OX - CHINESE NEW YEAR 2009

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First day of the new year



The first day is for the welcoming of the deities of the heavens and earth. Many people, especially Buddhists, abstain from meat consumption on the first day because it is believed that this will ensure longevity for them. Some consider lighting fires to be bad luck on New Year's Day, so all food to be consumed is cooked the day before.

Most importantly, the first day of Chinese New Year is a time when families visit the oldest and most senior members of their extended family, usually their parents, grandparents or great-grandparents.

Some families may invite a lion dance troupe as a symbolic ritual to usher in the Lunar New Year as well as to evict bad spirits from the premises. People also give red packets containing cash to junior members of the family, mostly children.

While fireworks and firecrackers are traditionally very popular, some regions have banned them due to concerns over fire hazards, which have resulted in increased number of fires around New Years and challenged municipal fire departments' work capacity. For this reason, various city governments (e.g., Hong Kong, and Beijing, for a number of years) issued bans over fireworks and firecrackers in certain premises of the city. As a substitute, large-scale fireworks have been launched by governments in cities like Hong Kong to offer citizens the experience.

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Second day of the new year
 


Incense is burned at the graves of ancestors as part of the offering and prayer ritual.

The second day of the Chinese New Year is for married daughters to visit their birth parents. Traditionally, daughters who have been married may not have the opportunity to visit their birth families frequently.

On the second day, the Chinese pray to their ancestors as well as to all the gods.

They are extra kind to dogs and feed them well as it is believed that the second day
is the birthday of all dogs.

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Third and fourth days of the new year



The third and fourth day of the Chinese New Year are generally accepted as inappropriate days to visit relatives due to the following schools of thought. People may subscribe to one or both thoughts.

1) It is known as "chì kǒu" (赤口), meaning that it is easy to get into arguments. It is suggested that the cause could be the fried food and visiting during the first two days of the New Year celebration.

2) Families who had an immediate kin deceased in the past 3 years will not go house-visiting as a form of respect to the dead. The third day of the New Year is allocated to grave-visiting instead. Some people conclude it is inauspicious to do any house visiting at all.

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Fifth day of the new year



In northern China, people eat Jiǎozi (simplified Chinese: 饺子; traditional Chinese: 餃子) (dumplings) on the morning of Po Wu (破五).

This is also the birthday of the Chinese god of wealth.

In Taiwan, businesses traditionally re-open on this day, accompanied by firecrackers.

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            YUSHENG









Seventh day of the new year



The seventh day, traditionally known as renri 人日, the common man's birthday, the day when everyone grows one year older.

It is the day when tossed raw fish salad, yusheng, is eaten. This is a custom primarily among the overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia and Singapore. People get together to toss the colourful salad and make wishes for continued wealth and prosperity.

For many Chinese Buddhists, this is another day to avoid meat.

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Chinese New Year's celebrations,
on the eighth day,
in the Vancouver suburb of
Richmond,
British Columbia,
Canada.

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Ninth day of the new year



The ninth day of the New Year is a day for Chinese to offer prayers to the Jade Emperor of Heaven (天公) in the Taoist Pantheon.

This day is especially important to Hokkiens (Min Nan speakers).

Come midnight of the eighth day of the new year, the Hokkiens will offer thanks giving prayers to the Emperor of Heaven.

Offerings will include sugarcane as it was the sugarcane that had protected the Hokkiens from certain extermination generations ago.

Tea is served as a customary protocol for paying respect to an honoured person.

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Fifteenth day of the new year



The fifteenth day of the new year is celebrated as Yuánxiāo jié (元宵节), otherwise known as Chap Goh Mei in Fujian dialect. Tangyuan (simplified Chinese: 汤圆; traditional Chinese: 湯圓; pinyin: tāngyuán), a sweet glutinous rice ball brewed in a soup, is eaten this day. Candles are lit outside houses as a way to guide wayward spirits home. This day is celebrated as the Lantern Festival, and families walk the street carrying lighted lanterns.



Yuan Xiao Jie or Lantern Festival, is celebrated 15 days after Chinese New Year.

It is the traditional end to the Spring Festival holiday, and is celebrated with its own special customs
and food.

At nighttime, parents and children walk through the night with paper lanterns lit by candles, fireworks
are exploded and sticky rice balls filled with sweet or spicy fillings (”yuan xiao”) are eaten.




This day often marks the end of the Chinese New Year festivities.

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LANTERN FESTIVAL

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In its  5th year, after successful performances at the Kennedy Center, Radio City Music Hall and Madison Square Garden, the New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV) Chinese New Year Spectacular is a perfect way to ring in the year 4705.
 
From the legends of Chinese history to the telling of fairytales; traditional Chinese music is blended with flowing dances, dragons and over 200 performers focusing on traditional dance and music from of the Land of the Divine.

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CELEBRATIONS IN THE U.K.

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                                                              NEW YEAR CUISINE
 




Reunion dinner



A reunion dinner is held on New Year's Eve where members of the family, near and far, get together for the celebration. The venue will usually be in or near the home of the most senior member of the family.

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The New Year's Eve dinner is very sumptuous and traditionally includes chicken and fish.



In some areas, fish (simplified Chinese: 鱼; traditional Chinese: 魚; pinyin: yú) is included, but not eaten completely (and the remainder is stored overnight), as the Chinese phrase "may there be surpluses every year" (traditional Chinese: 年年有餘; simplified Chinese: 年年有余; pinyin: nián nián yǒu yú) sounds the same as "may there be fish every year."

In mainland China, many families will banter whilst watching the CCTV New Year's Gala in the hours before midnight.

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Red packets for the immediate family are sometimes distributed during the reunion dinner.

These packets often contain money in certain numbers that reflect good luck and honorability.

Several foods are consumed to usher in wealth, happiness, and good fortune.

Several of the Chinese food names are homophones for words that also mean good things.

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                                                           SPECIAL FOODS






Buddha's delight



(traditional Chinese: 羅漢齋; simplified Chinese: 罗汉斋; pinyin: luóhàn zhāi) An elaborate vegetarian dish served by Chinese families on the eve and the first day of the New Year. A type of black hair-like moss, pronounced "fat choy" in Cantonese, is also featured in the dish for its name, which sounds like "prosperity". Hakkas usually serve kiu nyuk (Chinese: 扣肉; pinyin: kòuròu) and ngiong tiu fu.



                                                 



Fish Is usually eaten on the eve of Chinese New Year. The pronunciation of fish (魚yú) makes it a homophone for "surpluses"(餘yú).