Chinese New Year Traditions

The Reunion dinner on the eve of Chinese New Year is always the highlight of the celebration. It is a Chinese New Year tradition where family members gather together for dinner. Even those who are overseas will make an effort to be home for this Reunion dinner.

This Chinese New Year tradition is so important that shops and offices will close early to enable the workers to be home for this very special annual family dinner.

The reunion dinner is a feast with pork, chicken, duck, fish and seafood cooked in a variety of ways depending on which region the family came from originally. The Cantonese will feature a black hair-like algae called "fat choy" since its name sounds similar to "prosperity".

I am sure you can imagine the great amount of work to feed such a big family gathering. Daughters-in-law would arrive early to help with the cooking. Women who are married would return to their in-laws for this dinner.

Families continue to hold this Chinese New Year tradition except these days more and more families are opting to hold this dinner at the local restaurant or hotel. Major hotels in the city have special buffets or many courses feasts. Bookings are often made early to avoid disappointments.

Photo courtesy of visitourchina.com

"Yee Sang" or "Lo Hei" in Cantonese is a raw fish salad which is a special dish served only during Chinese New Year. The serving of this dish is a Chinese New Year tradition among the ethnic Chinese in Singapore and Malaysia. The dish consists of strips of raw fish, often salmon mixed with shredded vegetables like radish, carrots, red peppers, turnips, red pickled ginger with a variety of sauces.

The dish is usually served as the appetizer with everyone at the table joining in to toss and mix all the ingredients with their chopsticks. This is a symbol prosperity and good luck and is a Chinese New year tradition faithfully kept by those who are involved in business.

Courtesy of Wikipedia

1. It is a 15 day celebration.

2. The dates are calculated according to the lunar calendar using a 12 year cycle of the animal zodiac.

3. Chinese New Year in 2012 will be the year of the dragon.

4. The Reunion dinner with family on New year Eve kick starts the celebration.

5. "Yee Sang" or raw fish salad is an important dish on the menu during any dinner during these 15 days.

6. Giving of Hong Pao or red envelopes is an important Chinese New Year tradition.

7. Red and gold are auspicious colors from decorations to clothing.

8. Seventh day of the New Year is the common man's birthday when everyone grows one year older.

9. The ninth day is an important day for the Hokkiens when they offer prayers to the Emperor of Heaven and where sugar cane is an important element as it saved them from being exterminated many centuries ago.

10. Chinese New Year is a time to visit relatives and friends where gifts of food are exchanged.

11. The fifteenth day is the last day of the celebration and is an important celebration especially for those seeking a life partner. It is the Chinese Valentine. Hopeful single ladies will throw mandarin oranges into the river.

12. Most Chinese businesses will reopen for business on even days as this is considered auspicious. A popular day this year is the eighth day since it coincides with Monday after a week break.

As with any celebration, Chinese New Year have their own special delicacies. At the top of the list is of course Mandarin oranges. In case you haven't seen a Chinese New Year at close quarters, folks buy these oranges by the crates.

It is a common sight to see these mandarin oranges sold by the boxes not only in the supermarkets but also along the roadsides where motorists can stop to buy.

Photo courtesy of thestar.com

These mandarin oranges are easily peeled by hand and are in abundance during Chinese New Year as they symbolize abundance and good fortune. Most of the supply is imported from China. The mandarin oranges are given as gifts to friends and family. Business people also like to present a box of these oranges to their clients.

These mandarin oranges are thirst quenching on a hot day. The are sweet and succulent. Not only the Chinese buy these fruits but those not celebrating this new year have also started buying them by the box. In fact my family has started on our second box, lol.

During Christmas you have the Christmas tree. Well, for the lunar new year, many also like to decorate their homes with a mini Mandarin orange shrub in its full bloom.

Nurseries which grow these shrubs have timed the fruit bearing in time for the festivities. The fruits in full bloom are abundant, ripe and golden in color during Chinese New Year. They look like small golden limes and are more for decorating and not for eating. These golden mandarin orange shrubs are an auspicious symbol and give a glorious welcome to visiting guests.

Roasted red melon seeds are a popular snack during Chinese New Year. Looking at the size of the seed you must wonder how it is possible to crack open the seed and eat the kernel that is inside.

Well, this is a skill that can be acquired after many tries. It's all about your skill with your teeth! Eating this snack can be addictive especially when sitting in front of the TV.

Photo courtesy of Fotosearch.com

In Malaysia, another traditional food item is the sticky cake or "Nien Gao" . " Nien" means year and "Gao" means high and the sticky cake symbolizes increase of success and prosperity. It can be eaten steamed or fried in a batter sandwiched between yam slices.

Courtesy of thestar.com

Love letters is a Malaysian Chinese New Year favorite cookie. These are folded into a quarter round shape or rolled to resemble love letters. When I was growing up my mother would make her own love letters.

A batter was mixed and poured onto an iron mold with various designs. This mold is made of two metal round pieces which is then pressed together and placed on a hot charcoal fire. This will create a paper thin cookie which is then folded into quarters or rolled into a cigar like cookie.

It is hot work sitting in front of the charcoal fire. My mum would let us fold the cookies as it was very hot tending to the love letter molds. They had to be turned over so that both sides would be evenly cooked.

How to make love letters courtesy of Penangtuapui.com

During Chinese New Year you are surrounded by red colors everywhere. The color red represents prosperity, fortune and good luck. Many can be seen wearing red during this time and especially for the first few days of the New Year.

Some women are also going for red and also purple underwear this Chinese New Year.

Courtesy of the star.com

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