Preparation begins several weeks ahead of time and involves a lot of cleaning, cooking, buying gifts and clothes, and other special preparations. Cleaning is important in order to sweep away any bad luck or evil spirits from the old year. One must NOT sweep during the New Year festival because one might sweep away the good luck for the new year. Many people don’t cook for the first five days so lots and lots of food must be prepared including JiaoZi (Chinese Dumplings).
It’s an exciting, fun festival. The festive dinner on New Year’s Eve is usually a family reunion and often includes chicken (ji in Chinese, which sounds much like the word meaning "auspiciousness") and fish (yu in Chinese, which sounds much like the word that means "wealth" and "surplus"). People like to wear red clothing because red is a good luck color.
Fireworks are an important part of the celebration since the noise chases away evil spirits – besides being lots of fun. Red is the color meaning "joy" and "luck" so red ribbons and flags are waved. (Sometimes people decorate their doors and window frames with red paper or paint.) Children often are given red packets with money which bring luck to the giver and to the receiver.
Families like to stay up late playing board games, or cards, or watching television specials. Midnight brings fireworks!
When visiting family or friends during the two-week long Chinese New Year celebration, be sure to bring them a bag of oranges and tangerines which are symbols for abundant happiness.
The Lantern Festival (Yuen Siu ) is held on the night of the first full moon of the lunar year and serves as the ending of the New Year festivities. Beautiful lanterns made of many different materials and presenting many themes can be seen everywhere. Some are made to look like butterflies, others are shaped like rabbits, dragonflies, birds, fruit, or the animal sign of the year. Some cities in China have huge lantern fairs. Ice lanterns are special features in some places and may include delicately carved ice crystal houses, bridges, and gardens decorated with colorful lights that run for miles.
It's a very old festival which many believe is of Taoist origins. Naturally, there are many stories to explain how it began. One of them involves the Jade Emperor.
One of the special foods for the Lantern Festival is Yuen Siu, a kind of Chinese dumpling made with glutinous rice flour. They are round and can be made with tasty fillings of different flavors, mostly sweet, and boiled or deep fried. Some are made plain and cooked in a soup with vegetables, meat, and shrimp. The round shape is a symbol of wholeness and unity.
Turn with spatula and cook 1 more minute. Remove from the pan (careful - it will be hot!), and place paper fortune strip in center of circle. Fold in half over the edge of a glass, and then bend to form Fortune-cookie shape. Hold until cool, or place in a small dish to hold the shape until the cookies firm up.
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Fireworks graphics courtesy Rose's Animated GIFs.