CHINESE NEW YEAR 2008 CELEBRATIONS

Celebration of Chinese New Year:

•  During the celebration, people greet each other with “kung hey fat choi” 恭喜發財 in Cantonese or “gong xi fa cai” in Mandarin. It means congratulations and be prosperous.

•   Red packets ‘lai see’ 利是 is red envelopes contained with money. They are passed out by married couples to children or unmarried adults. It symbolizes good luck.

•   Lion Dance is a traditional dance in which performers mimic the lion’s movement in lion costume. The dance is symbolic of the people's prosperity and peace.

•   Firecrackers ‘pao chuk’ is traditional fired for this special occasion. It is believed the noise is essential in scaring evil spirits.

Traditional New Year Food:

Traditionally, family members will get together for a big feast on New Year’s Eve. Large amount of food is prepared. It symbolizes abundance and wealth for the household. Food may have symbolic significance because of its appearance or the Chinese word of it sounds.

•   Jai – a vegetarian dish with root vegetables.

•   Whole Steamed fish – to represent togetherness and abundance

•   Whole Chicken – a symbol of prosperity

•   (Fish and chicken must be presented with head and tail to symbolize completeness.

•   Uncut noodle – a symbol of long life. It is bad luck to cut them.

•   Mandarin orange – a symbol of wealth and good fortune.

•   New Year Cake ‘Nian gao’ – is a steamed sweet glutinous rice pudding. It represents rich and sweet life in the coming year.