Pig Year
It's just a little over 3 weeks from the Lunar New Year.
" For the benefit of the non-chinese, Lunar New Year is the chinese New Year.. unlike the normal calender year where 31st Dec/1st Jan marks the new year.. for the chinese... we follow a so-called Lunar Calender, where each new year is on a different date.. based on the Moon's oscillation. Usually this happens in Jan-Mar of each year and each year is said to belong to a certain animal of the chinese Zodiac signs.
A little similiar to horoscopes where each month has a different symbol, the chinese zodiac is on a yearly basis and this year is the Year of the Pig.
So what do we do on this much celebrated and most important day of the chinese calender?
It all start about a month before the 1st day of the lunar new year, where families will do a huge spring cleaning to ensure their homes are spotlessly spick and span.
The night before the New Year, families would make it a point to return home for a reunion dinner, no matter where in the world each family member are.. and after the dinner, according to tradition, the children are supposed to stay up late into the night as a sign of longevity for their parents.
During the new year, families will don new clothes and shoes and be visiting relatives at their home and usually the younger family will visit the older ones and in turn, those younger than them will visit them at their homes" Each family will carry 2 mandarin oranges as a form of greeting and well-wishes to the visiting family, and in turn they will be given back another 2 when they leave.
The kids are the happiest though.. all unmarried members of the family are given 'Angpows' or Red Packet with cash inside. Most familes will prepare a gastronomical array of New Year goodies such as pineapple tarts, egg rolls, dried-prawn crackers, pastries, cookies and of course, 'bah kua' or bbq pork.
Firecrackers, mostly banned in many countries now.. used to be a common sight during the new year as according to legends, the loud sounds emitting from the firecrackers are used to frighten away an ancient monster called "Nian" which will terrorise the villages during the New Year.
All this visiting, feasting and catching up takes place over a period of 15days when the Lunar New Year ends and poeple begin to close their doors once again. "
" For the benefit of the non-chinese, Lunar New Year is the chinese New Year.. unlike the normal calender year where 31st Dec/1st Jan marks the new year.. for the chinese... we follow a so-called Lunar Calender, where each new year is on a different date.. based on the Moon's oscillation. Usually this happens in Jan-Mar of each year and each year is said to belong to a certain animal of the chinese Zodiac signs.
A little similiar to horoscopes where each month has a different symbol, the chinese zodiac is on a yearly basis and this year is the Year of the Pig.
So what do we do on this much celebrated and most important day of the chinese calender?
It all start about a month before the 1st day of the lunar new year, where families will do a huge spring cleaning to ensure their homes are spotlessly spick and span.
The night before the New Year, families would make it a point to return home for a reunion dinner, no matter where in the world each family member are.. and after the dinner, according to tradition, the children are supposed to stay up late into the night as a sign of longevity for their parents.
During the new year, families will don new clothes and shoes and be visiting relatives at their home and usually the younger family will visit the older ones and in turn, those younger than them will visit them at their homes" Each family will carry 2 mandarin oranges as a form of greeting and well-wishes to the visiting family, and in turn they will be given back another 2 when they leave.
The kids are the happiest though.. all unmarried members of the family are given 'Angpows' or Red Packet with cash inside. Most familes will prepare a gastronomical array of New Year goodies such as pineapple tarts, egg rolls, dried-prawn crackers, pastries, cookies and of course, 'bah kua' or bbq pork.
Firecrackers, mostly banned in many countries now.. used to be a common sight during the new year as according to legends, the loud sounds emitting from the firecrackers are used to frighten away an ancient monster called "Nian" which will terrorise the villages during the New Year.
All this visiting, feasting and catching up takes place over a period of 15days when the Lunar New Year ends and poeple begin to close their doors once again. "
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