(pictrue from huaxia.)
During the New Year Festival season (from the 1st to 15th of the Lunar New Year) the following taboos apply:
1. The cry of a child is believed to bring bad luck to the family, so parents do their best to keep children from crying by whatever means possible.
2. Breaking tools or other equipment during this period is associated with a loss of wealth for the coming year; therefore tradesmen and business people in general take great precautions to prevent it.
3. A visit to the hospital during this period is believed to bring illness to the person in question for the duration of coming year; therefore visits to the hospital are avoided, except in cases of extreme emergency.
4. Theft: Do not let other people take objects, including money, from your pocket during the Spring Festival, and take care not to have your pocket picked, as this is believed to portend your whole wealth in the coming year being stolen.
5. Debt: Money should not be lent on New Year’s Day, and all debts have to be paid by New Year’s Eve, and, if someone who owes you money, do not go to his or her home to demand it. Anyone who does so it is said will be unlucky all the year.
6. The rice jar should not be allowed to become empty. This causes grave anxiety, as the cessation of cooking during the New Year period is an ill omen.
7. Damaged clothes: Do not wear new clothes that are damaged. If kids especially wear such clothes in the first lunar month, it is said to bring bad luck.
8. No killing. Killing in the Spring Festival should be avoided as blood is considered an ill omen, which will cause misfortunes such as a knife wound, or a bloody disaster.
9. Do not wear white or black clothes as these two colors are associated with mourning traditionally.
10. Welcoming the New Year: According to tradition, people must stay up late on New Year’s Eve to welcome the New Year, and then to let off fire crackers and fireworks to scare off inauspicious spirits and Nian, the New Year monster.
11. Hair must not be washed on the first day of the lunar year. In Chinese language, hair (发) has the same pronunciation (and indeed is the same character) as fa in facai (发财), which means ’to become wealthy’. Therefore, it is seen as not a good thing to “wash one’s fortune away” at the beginning of the New Year.
(via bigear)
Today is the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year.The panda pair given by the Chinese mainland to Taiwan have made their debut at the Taipei Zoo, to accommodate the crowds, the zoo will extend business hours during the Spring Festival holidays. The peoples named the two pandas "Tuan Tuan" and "Yuan Yuan",which linked together means reunion in Chinese.
Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou said:
It's an honor for Taiwan to breed the two pandas, as there are only about 1,600 pandas in the world.KMT Honorary Chairman Lien Chan said:
The panda pair is a precious gift from the mainland. Taiwan is an immigrant society, and we expect the two pandas to have many children and grandchildren so that in the future pandas will become a new group in Taiwan.
Lion Dance for 2009 Chinese New Year.
Happy Chinese New Year To You!!!
Previously:
Zhuo Yiting(卓依婷)-Timi Zhuo.This is from Timi's 1995 album 春风妙舞 (Exquisite Dance in the Spring Wind) when she was 14 years old. The original name to this song is 恭喜发财. It was also included in the VCD 彩繪新年卡拉OK (Colorful New Year Karaoke), listed as number 9 on that album. It is the first song on the 春风妙舞 VCD. This is one of her rare music videos.
Lyrics:
咚咙咚锵 咚咙咚锵
咚咙咚锵咚咚咙咚锵
咚咙咚锵 咚咙咚锵
咚咙咚锵咚咚咙咚锵
恭喜呀恭喜 发呀发大财
好运当头 坏运呀永离开
恭喜呀大家 黄金装满袋
眉开嘛眼笑得意嘛又开怀
咚咙咚锵 咚咙咚锵
咚咙咚锵咚咚咙咚锵
咚咙咚锵 咚咙咚锵
咚咙咚锵咚咚咙咚锵
发了财呀大家忙又忙
买了汽车又造洋房 家家都有风光
喝一杯酒来喝一杯酒 家家户户好风光
发了财呀大家忙又忙
买了家饰又做衣裳 家家都多风光
喝一杯酒来喝一杯酒 家家户户多风光
恭喜呀恭喜 发呀发大财
好运当头 坏运呀永离开
恭喜呀大家 万事都愉快
从今以后有福呀没悲哀
咚咙咚锵 咚咙咚锵
咚咙咚锵咚咚咙咚锵
咚咙咚锵 咚咙咚锵
咚咙咚锵咚咚咙咚锵
发了财呀大家忙又忙
买了汽车又造洋房 家家都有风光
喝一杯酒来喝一杯酒 家家户户好风光
发了财呀大家忙又忙
买了家饰又做衣裳 家家都多风光
喝一杯酒来喝一杯酒 家家户户多风光
齐唱恭喜发财 花开富贵一起来
CHINESE NEW YEAR PAINTINGS and CHINESE PAPER-CUTS
On the twenty-eight day of the December, chinese calendar. According to Chinese tradition,on this day,the people will cook chinese bread.
The photo shows I have cooked chinese bread this evening.
New Year 2009 Chinese Calligraphy Demo (Part 6 Ox Horse Spirits / Everything Goes Well) HD.
牛馬精神 (Ox Horse Spirits) in Kai Shu (i.e., Standard Style) / 萬事如意 (Everything Goes Well as Expected) in Semi-Cursive Style and then Clerical Style
Chinese calligraphy written during 2009 New Year party at Elite Multi-Arts Center (EMAC) in Dallas, Texas.
牛馬精神(按《中國成語大詞典》解釋：龍馬，是指傳說中的駿馬。龍馬精神，就是像龍馬 一樣精神，形容健旺非凡的精神。2009年為牛年.)
The oldest and most important festival in China is the Spring Festival, more commonly known in the West as Chinese New Year. Preparations for the New Year festival start during the last few days of the last moon. Doors are decorated with vertical scrolls of characters on red paper whose texts seek good luck and praise nature, this practice stemming from the hanging of peach-wood charms to keep away ghosts and evil spirits.
Previously:
Before New Year’s Eve
The celebration actually starts on New Year’s Eve with the family reunion dinner. By New Year’s Eve, you should have done the following:
Clean the entire home to get rid of all the things that are associated with the old year.
Pay all your debts.
Resolve differences with family members, friends, neighbors and business associates.
Buy the following:
Red money envelopes,
Oranges and/or tangerines,
Fill a “Cheun hup(a circular red tray separated in eight compartments) with melon seedslotuschocolate coinsnuts etc.
Flowers (especially plum blossoms, peach blossoms, water lilies),
A new set of clothes and shoes for children, preferably something red or orange.
Get new dollar bills from the bank. Insert the new dollar bills into the red envelopes. Now the red envelope is called a lai see or lucky money envelope.
On New Year’s Eve
Get together with close family members (not including married daughters and their families) for the “reunion” dinner.
Pay respect to ancestors and household gods. Acknowledge the presence of ancestors because they are responsible for the fortunes of future generations.
Open every door and window in your home at midnight to let go of the old year.
Spring Festival is just around the corner,a lot of women are out shopping,Hehe...But most important is the dinner on New Year's Eve.In Chinese New Year,"the dinner on New Year's Eve" is family reunion dinner.
Braise Chinese Weever-清蒸鲈鱼
Lions Head Meatballs(Stewed Pork Ball In Brown Sauce)-狮子头
Braised Pig Feet In Brown Sauce-红扒猪蹄
Edible Tree Fungus Salad-凉拌木耳
Quick-Boiled Lotus Root Poured Savory Sauce-香麻拌藕片
Pine Nut With Corn-松仁玉米
Kung Pao Shrimps-宫保虾仁
In the Chinese New Year, the fairs are held at various ancient temples, so they are called "temple fairs." Temple fairs, originated along with the development of Buddhist and Taoist activities, are a kind of mass gatherings that integrate religious worship, entertainment and commerce.
During the Spring Festival, temple fair is one of the most important activities, and a traditional cultural event that features all kinds of Chinese folk art. There are performances and booths demonstrating and selling traditional arts and crafts. The fairs have lots of games to play, food to eat, performances and lots of people. In the temple fair you can taste numerous kinds of local snacks, court food and other dishes.
Most temple fairs feature dragon and lion dances, waist drum dancing, lotus blossom fairy dances, ground and clam dancing as well as other folk performances, and some even stage traditional wedding ceremonies.
In rural areas, the temple fair is an excellent opportunity to capture some color in an otherwise fairly drab country.
For foreigners, temple fair is definitely a cultural experience, because it airs Chinese cultures from a very detailed perspective. While enjoying the samplings of Chinese delicacies, you can appreciate craftsmanship and artworks displayed by local artisans.
Previously:
In the Spring Festival - the Chinese New Year,all every family pasting up New Year pictures is a part of the festive celebrations.The New Year pictures are closely linked with the Spring Festival.The subjects of the paintings covered all aspects of social life: portraits of door gods, historical stories, fairy tales, folk customs, scenes of production and labor, lucky mascots of birds and flowers, humorous scenes, current affairs-almost everything. No wonder New Year pictures are called “encyclopedias on folklore.”
Many New Year pictures depict religious themes. Door Gods, one reoccurring theme, appeared during the Tang Dynasty(618-907). The Four Beauties, block printed pictures made in the Song Dynasty (618-907), were considered state treasures. During the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties the art of New Year pictures spread nationwide. According to statistics, there were more than 2,000 varieties of wood block New Year pictures in circulation. These also spread to Vietnam, Japan, Thailand and Russia.
There are several different versions of the origins of this custom. The most common practice was to worship Guan Yu, a famous general of the Three Kingdoms Period (220-265), a figure from the classic novel Romance of Three Kingdoms. He was canonized due to his loyalty, bravery, persistence and selflessness, and people offered sacrifices to him to pray for wealth. This custom continues to this day.
On New Year’s Eve, people pasted New Year pictures in their houses, and welcomed in the God of Wealth. The time to welcome in the God of Wealth varies from place to place. Some celebrate on the second day of the first lunar month, or on the fifth day of the first lunar month, but most celebrate at midnight on New Year’s Eve. Jiaozi, a dumpling with a meat and vegetable stuffing, symbolizes the wealth sent by the god of people also paste up portraits of these deities.
Previously:
DWG_BLOGGER - Original design by Blogging Secret | Free Blogger Templates | Ads Theme Blogger Template
