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Here’s a very short, funny Happy Chinese New Year’s song, uh jingle, from my Uncle William. Enjoy!
- New Year’s Eve is the most important family ritual of the year and a night of unity, reunion, harmony, and paying respects to ancestors. Kind of like Thanksgiving and Christmas rolled into one! Eating hot pot together is common.
- Kids get red envelopes with money and can stay up late playing games. Seniors do the “longevity vigil” as a positive sign of their vitality and life span. Popular dishes include anything whole (complete) or long (longevity): Whole chicken (more auspicious than “broken” chicken); Whole fish (don’t flip the fish, akin to old fisherman’s tale of flipping a boat); long noodles, long leafy greens, long string beans!
- New Year’s is celebrated over 15 days. During that time, most shops are closed, so you better do your shopping and get any business done before then!
- Lion dancing and setting off loud fire crackers are another tradition to chase away demons and bring good luck to businesses and communities. Traditionally all-male dancers, I was in the first Women’s Lion Dance Troupe in New England! It’s much harder than it looks–lunging, squatting, bringing the huge lion head to life, performing a story, working the mouth, twitching the ears, –all at the same time! It’s was a great learning experience not to mention work out!
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GONG XI FA CAI ! (Mandarin)
Gung Hoy Fat Choy! (Cantonese)
HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!
