Starting Fresh With Chinese New Year

As decorations from Christmas come down, and the new year gets underway, I always find myself wanting to clean things out!  There seems to be this urge to get any clutter out of the way and start the year off on the right foot.  Adding fresh greenery and house plants into my home also tends to be something I am sub-consciously drawn to - that sense of freshness.  Well, if you are like me, let me tell you, THIS IS YOUR YEAR!!  First off, 2017 has begun.  Secondly, this year Pantone has made Greenery, (fresh plants!!), the color of the year.  If you missed our last blog post, Stacy went in depth on that, check it out. So...new start, plants are IN, and....  Third, it is almost Chinese New Year,  (January 28, this year)!!  What's that you say?  Chinese New Year?  Chinese New Year is one of the largest Chinese festivals of the year.  My daughter is Chinese, and while researching and learning about Chinese customs, I have fallen in love with Chinese New Year.

What is it?  Chinese New Year is the celebration of the end of winter and welcoming the promise of spring.  The premise is to literally and figuratively "sweep out" the old year and any bad/baggage from it, and start the new year fresh and with a clean slate.  While we make New Year resolutions and "say" we're going to start anew, the Chinese actually DO IT!  In preparation for the New Year, homes are thoroughly cleaned and swept out, (makes me feel good just thinking about it)!  Many people will buy presents, and new clothes.  Once the homes, streets, and businesses are cleaned, they are decorated with lanterns, and flowers (symbolizing prosperity), and as the welcome of spring.  Since Chinese New Year follows the lunar calendar, the festivities run 15 days from the New Moon, to the Full Moon, typically starting somewhere in late January or early February.  This is the start of Chinese Spring.

On Chinese New Year, customs include banging gongs and drums, and setting off fire crackers and fireworks to "scare away" the "dragon" of winter or the past year.  At midnight, some customs include throwing open the doors and windows to "usher in" the New Year.  Coins in red envelopes and flowers are given as gifts.  Many of the gifts and decorations are gold, (to bring wealth), and red (for luck, as this is considered an especially lucky color).  During the celebrations, family dinners are very important and many people will travel great distances to join family for the New Year.  As many of us in the US have various regional food customs for New Years, so do the Chinese.  Oranges, fruits and candies are eaten for a sweet future.  Long noodles are eaten for long life.  Dumplings are made crescent shape and resemble ancient gold nuggets.  And eating a whole fish will mean plenty to eat.  The Chinese New Year festivals culminate on the 15th day with the Full Moon and the Lantern Festivals.

Around our house, we have been making a push to get things cleaned out and fresh and ready for the New Year.  I have already added a new plant or two, as well as some greenery to my decor and the house is beginning to feel so nice and fresh.  This coming weekend, Jan 28, starts Chinese New Year.  We are planning to celebrate with some of the food customs, (mostly ordered from our favorite local Chinese restaurant), a gathering of friends, and decorations of red flowers, lanterns, and envelopes of chocolate coins!  For some fun crafts, I have made super simple tissue paper flowers, directions below, and found a fun tutorial for making paper fortune cookies (see below)!

If you haven't gotten everything cleaned out yet for the New Year, it's not too late!!  Make your resolution!  In the spirit of China, let's sweep it out, and start fresh!

Cheers!
Christine


Tissue Paper Flowers:

Red and Gold Tissue Paper
Thin Wire, or even twist ties off bread bags
Scissors

Use full sheets for large flowers or cut them in half, or trim some off, along the narrow side, making narrower long rectangles, for smaller flowers.  Layer red and gold tissue in whatever pattern you like, (I used two gold, 4 red sheets).  Pleat the paper back and forth like a fan, (keep the short side straight, pleating the longer length).  Then tie wire around the center.  Using scissors, trim the ends to either points or curve them like a scallop.  Then open the flowers up.  Gently "fluff" the layers apart (tissue does tear easily), and viola!  Flowers!



Paper Fortune Cookies Tutorial here: Link