Celebrated CNY in China
Chinese New year is the most important, traditional Festival. It is observed as a public holiday in a number of countries and territories where a sizeable Chinese population resides. Luckily, there’re 5 days of Public Holidays in Macau.
I and my family would celebrate it in Macao normally, but I went to my hometown with my parents in ZhongShan City of Canton Province in Mainland China in this year to visit my eldest sister’s family and met my uncles, aunts who came back from San Francisco and Hong Kong to spend CNY too.
There wasn’t much big difference of the Lunar New Year atmospheres between ZhongShan city and Macao, only lack of firecrackers (forbidden). At least, I thought I had a quiet slept at night from CNY's eve to the third day of CNY. ;-)
Traditionally, Chinese families would buy hundreds of décor things in the New Year markets to beauty their house, such as red banners with “Luck” written on them are hung around the house and on the fronts of doors, blooming plants (Peach blossom, Narcissus, Bamboo or Tangerine plants) to symbolize rebirth and new growth. Of course we would do so, but just made it simple, still had CNY feelings.
Now, here are some simple decors in our hometown house.
I and my family would celebrate it in Macao normally, but I went to my hometown with my parents in ZhongShan City of Canton Province in Mainland China in this year to visit my eldest sister’s family and met my uncles, aunts who came back from San Francisco and Hong Kong to spend CNY too.
There wasn’t much big difference of the Lunar New Year atmospheres between ZhongShan city and Macao, only lack of firecrackers (forbidden). At least, I thought I had a quiet slept at night from CNY's eve to the third day of CNY. ;-)
Traditionally, Chinese families would buy hundreds of décor things in the New Year markets to beauty their house, such as red banners with “Luck” written on them are hung around the house and on the fronts of doors, blooming plants (Peach blossom, Narcissus, Bamboo or Tangerine plants) to symbolize rebirth and new growth. Of course we would do so, but just made it simple, still had CNY feelings.
Now, here are some simple decors in our hometown house.
Front door: Red banner with the God of Wealth and Sitting room: Simple plants,tangerines and a gold Pig.
Candy Tray arranged in circle is called "The Tray of Togetherness" and The tini fish is a Chinese rice cake--represents good wealth and prosperous. 
Reunion lunch or dinner with family members and visit relatives are the MUST do program on the first, second day of the new year. More significantly, the second day of CNY is my Dad's birthday. We arranged a Birthday lunch/party for him in a Chinese restaurant and invited his siblings with their family members to attend, so that we could join together on that Day to express our greetings to each other as well.
Here are two special dishes that we ordered during the lunch: A grilled pig and Chinese Birthday peach bun. (We called it Sao Bao)壽包.
Except enjoyed food and chatted with relatives, I received lots of red packets/red envelopes (Lai See) from my senior relatives (included USD$, HK$ and RMB$). Wow $$$$$$$$$$$$ wow…:-P. Though it is, I only bought a pair of cuteness good luck poster from China, then nothing else.
I stuck them on my office desk screen on the first day (today) to work after CNY holidays and decorated my office computer as a wall-paper for wishing me good luck/happy/smoothly in work in the year of Boar.
Gong Xi Fa Cai !!!(in Mandarin) Kung Hei Fat Choi!!! (Cantonese)
恭喜發財!!!
6 Comments:
Gong Xi Fa Cai!
Sorry, no offense intended, but the poor little piggy is about the size of Momo dog - I want to cry. Namu amida butsu.
Peach bun is cute.
Happy birthday to your dad. Wow, 5 days off. Sounds like a good holiday to me.
PP, Kung Hei Fat Choi!!! And Happy Birthday to your dad. The SaoBao arrangement looks interesting.
It's great that you were able to enjoy an extra-special CNY this year! All the best!
(Hmm...celebrating the Year of the Pig by eating a pig... What would you do for the Year of the Dragon?)
Kung Hei Fat Choi!!
Happy Oink Oink Oink year!
And "Zhu ni sheng ri kuai le" to your father :)
How nice that you received a lot of hong bao! I even don't get one at all *sob sob sob*
Panda and Happy:
You are really an amusing and imaginary Panda. Namu amida butsu. Ooops.. No one would eat Momo, don’t worry. ;-p
Don’t you know that, most of Cantonese like eating Dog, they said the meat of dogs are benefit for Human Being’s health. Of course, it isn’t all kind of dogs could be eat.
Happy: I’ve tried/seen Sao Bao in some senior’s Birthday Parties in Macao and Hong Kong before, most of those peach buns were served on the dish (12 buns totally). This is the first time that I saw the special SaoBao was arranged like a tree and served in front of us in that restaurant in China. I would say more Catering Trades in China nowadays are more centre for making up on comestibles than before. May be that’s a good prosperity.
Do you know there’s a story behind of “Peach Bun”?
Peaches are well known Chinese symbols of longevity and there is a Taoist story about the Queen Mother of the West who has a magical peach tree which bears peaches granting immortality to those who eat them. The tree however only bears fruit every three thousand years. The peach shaped steamed buns are made to symbolize those magical, immortality granting peaches. Interesting!!!!
Moody Minstrel:
Thanks!
Hey, it wasn’t celebrated the year of the Pig by eating a Pig. Some of the important Chinese dinner/lunch, people would order grilled pig as the first dish which represents good luck.
Ha..ha…actually those 12 Chinese Zodiac animals could be eat too! I haven’t tried Monkey, Mouse, Dragon and Tiger meat yet. ^_^
I wonder why you mentioned What would you do for the Year of the Dragon? Are you birth year belongs to Dragon?
Selba:
Happy Oink Oink Oink year to you too!!
Wo dai biao wo ba ba shuo yi sheng “Xie Xie nin de zhu fu”.
*O*, I thought your mom would gave you one at least. You guys didn’t celebrate CNY festival there?
Contrary, I envy of you received three RED gifts from your Boss, relative and MM. ;-) as CNY gifts.
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