Gung Hay Fat Choy--Happy Chinese New Year!

Good afternoon! Wishing everyone "Gung Hay Fat Choy"  or  Happy Chinese New Year! In China, this holiday is also known as the Spring Festival. Celebrations run from Chinese New Year's Eve (the last day of the last month on the Chinese calendar) to the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated on the 15th day of the first month. The festivities will be celebrated by one-third of the world's population!

Chinese New Year dates back thousands of years and was initially a festival to honor deities as well as ancestors. The Chinese Zodiac is based on the Lunar Calendar, which is associated with the Chinese Zodiac. There are 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. You can calculate your Chinese Zodiac sign based on your birth year. I was born during the Year of the Tiger. This year, we are celebrating the Year of the Goat (which some people confuse with sheep).

Because Chinese New Year is a major celebration, there are many customs and traditions associated with the holiday. Those who celebrate clean their houses and throw out the things they no longer need. This is called "sweeping the dust," which symbolizes the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. "Sweeping the Dust" is similar to the custom of cleaning out the "chametz" (or leavened products, such as bread, cookies, pasta, and crackers) for Passover. Both traditions are considered forms of spring cleaning. 

Typical Chinese New Year''s Banquet

People buy food, decorations, and new clothing in the days before the New Year. This year, goat images will appear on the windows, as well as door gods, which symbolize power. Celebrants also place spring couplets, which are verses written in Chinese that are believed to ward off evil. Some people write them, but most are store-bought. Other decorations include New Year's paintings and paper cutouts. Paper cutouts can depict farming, myths and legends, flowers, or birds. 

Now comes the best part, the food. On the eve of the New Year, Chinese families get together for a big feast. The website Chow provides a list of 10 "good luck" foods for the New Year, including oranges, whole fish, long noodles, and sweets. 

Another tradition of the New Year is the red envelope. Children are given red envelopes by their parents, grandparents, and other relatives as New Year's gifts. The red envelope is a symbol of energy, happiness, and good luck to the receivers. However, there are some gifts you should never give for the New Year. China Highlights kindly provides a list of the "wrong" gifts, including sharp objects, anything with the number "4" (which is similar to the word for "death"), and shoes (the Chinese word is similar to that of "evil"). The site also lists traditions that have disappeared during modern times.

Red envelopes

Flushing has the largest population of Asians here in New York City and a bustling Chinatown. In that neighborhood, activities for the Lunar New Year are in full swing and continue through March. This includes Saturday's big parade down Union Street and 37th Avenue. In Manhattan (home of the original Chinatown), check out Chinatown Online for a list of their events. The holiday is also very popular in London and Hong Kong, where it's a big day for horse racing. 

Once again, for those who are celebrating, enjoy the festivities!

Now it's time for today's lists:

Oscar Party Idea of the Day: What Oscar viewing party would be complete without a popcorn bar? After all, it's a night about the movies? You can provide plain popcorn, along with a selection of toppings, for your guests. Good choices are chocolate pieces, various seasonings such as cinnamon and Parmesan, and toppings such as caramel drizzle and sea salt, Another choice would be to provide various types of popcorn, from plain to caramel to cheddar-flavored. From Hello Productions, here is a great example of a classy popcorn bar.

Oscar Fun Fact of the Day: Last year's Oscar telecast had an average rating of 25.6%. The ceremony is most popular in households with more than $100,000 in income (rating of 36.1) as well as those in which the head of the household had 4+ years of college  (rating of 32.8). The audience of the last five telecasts had a median age of 50. (Source: Forbes).

Black History Month Fun Fact of the Day: On February 19th, 2002, bobsledder Vonetta Flowers became the first African-American athlete to win a Gold Medal in the Winter Olympics. A native of Alabama, she was inducted into that state's Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.

Today's Birthdays: Victoria Justice (22), Bellamy Young (45), Benicio Del Toro (48), Justine Bateman (49), Jon Fishman (50), Jessica Tuck (52), Seal (52), Dave Wakeling (59), Jeff Daniels (60), Tony Iommi (67), Lou Christie (72), Smokey Robinson (75), and Carlin Glynn (75).

Holidaze: I'm in heaven because it's National Chocolate Mint Day! I love this combo in everything from peppermint patties to mint chocolate chip ice cream to Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies! Chocolate mint is a member of the herb family with edible leaves that taste like chocolate and mint. FYI, the Girl Scouts sold their first boxes of Thin Mint cookies in 1953.

Our weekend edition of the blog will cover the final major award before the big night: Best Picture. 

Have a PRINTASTIC day!

Kathy