(Sponsored Video) The other day, my gorgeous little niece in Australia asked for some information to give her teacher about Chinese New Year. He wanted to talk to the class about it. Much to my surprise, my Hong Kong-born Small Person rattled off a list of things she has come to know and clearly love about CNY. The lettuce that hangs from every door-way seemed to be a prominent feature in her mind. Called Cai Qing or "plucking of the greens" - the lion feverishly dances his way to the front of every business, every shop front and every office, dangling the green leafy veg, tied with a red envelope of money and gobbles it up before spitting the lettuce back out (but not the money) -- all in the name of good fortune! It's no surprise this features as one of her more notable memories. Every year in China and particularly Hong Kong, you can hear the sound of the Lion coming. As he gets closer and closer....the cymbals clanging, the drums banging louder and louder with a sense of urgency and excitement! Of course it got me thinking about how having never lived out of Asia, to my now five year old, these age-old yearly traditions will be ingrained in her childhood memory bank. If you live in China it's hard to miss (chūnjié, 春节) otherwise known as Spring Festival or to the average Westerner, 'Chinese New Year' - which begins every February on the first day of the Lunar New Year (Nong Li). To my Small Person, eating 饺子 Jiǎozi over Chinese New Year is probably more natural than throwing a sausage on the barbie for Australia Day. Jiǎozi are of course, dumplings and while these tasty morsels are a year 'round staple in these parts - during Spring Festival they are particularly auspicious. Their crescent moon shape similar to China's gold ingots used in the Ming Dynasty, symbolising prosperity for the year ahead. And who can forget the fire crackers! The Small Person's eyes light up at the thought of these loud explosions livening up the streets! Come midnight, "Bian Pao" are launched in a cacophony of ear splitting eruptions, to scare off evil spirits (or just to make noise -- sleeping is optional) and in northern China, this continues for much of the two week holiday, in backyards on footpaths and in any un-used space, day and night! It's a fire cracker frenzy! It seems the monster Nián is to blame.... if you've been to school in China, you've no doubt heard about this legendary fella! My Small Person tells me he "flies through the sky when he hears firecrackers." She's not too far off the mark. As legend goes, every Spring, during New Years Eve, Nián would come out to eat villagers, destroy their homes and farms. One such story tells of the villagers and their plan to use drums, plates and empty bowls to make as much noise as possible, they wore red robes and threw firecrackers to intimidate the monster! According to myth, it worked and Nian never appeared in the village again. Of course in the lead up to the Spring Festival, it's all about "Out with the old, in with the new!" Houses are frantically cleaned before the big holiday (cleaning after is simply a big no no). New clothes are purchased - preferably red (undies and all!) and the decorations go up! The ubiquitous red lanterns dangle in the breeze, down every laneway, along every street, in every tree; the red paper cut-outs visible on windows and the customary well-wishing red banners are draped around the doorways! And of course for the little ones it wouldn't be Chinese New Year without the songs! Across China and much of Asia, for the last week, concerts rang out with small people dressed in Chinese traditional costumes, singing to their heart's content. The big people don't miss out either, including the hotelier who, this year, heaven forbid, was dressed as a beautiful(?) Chinese woman for his staff CNY concert! So, while (clearly) us foreigners (big and small) like to get into the spirit and enjoy the celebrations that come with this ancient Chinese festival, for the locals it's undeniably bigger than big! With the government advocating a seven day holiday, you may have seen my earlier post about 100 million locals taking to the streets...all in the name of travel, rushing to get home for the big family reunion. In China, family is the backbone of society. Trivial Fact: The character for family “家” is made up of two key elements: an upper part that represents a roof and a lower part which represents a pig - which if you look sideways you might just get. ;) Thousands of years ago pigs were domesticated and lived inside! Thus if there's a pig inside, it indicates people live in the house. With grandparents everywhere often tasked with the role of primary carer for the children, many parents our of town for work purposes Spring Festival is often the one time of the year the whole family can get together. There's even a popular Chinese saying: “falling leaves returning to the root of the tree that sired them.” On the family dinner table, a plethora of 'lucky' food is served, including Apples because the Chinese name for apple is 苹果; píngguǒ and Ping also means peace; fish which is known as 鱼 Yú which sounds like another word for abundance, to dumplings and spring rolls 春卷 Chūnjuǎn, which seemingly look like gold bars so symbolise wealth, not to mention 汤圆 Tāngyuán — Sweet Rice Balls -- the pronunciation and round shape of tangyuan associated with reunion and being together. After the dinner, the whole family usually sit down to watch China's national television. Almost every single channel shows the same Spring Festival party of entertainment. A bit like western New Year's Eve, everyone will stay up to see the New Year in. Probably one of the most exciting things for children across China, is receiving the lucky red envelopes! Of which they are the prime recipients! The Red envelopes for children are called Yāsuìqián which means "suppressing age money" or keeping them young and suppressing the ghosts and warding off evil spirits. The envelopes themselves hold more meaning than the actual money inside them (although perhaps not for the kids)! ;) They're called Lai See down south and Hongbao up north, but the concept is the same. Those who receive a red packet are wished a year of 'good health, safety and peace'. Dating back to the Qing Dynasty, the elderly would thread coins with a red string and put them under their children's pillows when they fell asleep on New Year's Eve -- today, while the tradition has been replaced with red envelopes, parents (including us) still put Hongbao under their children's pillows! It's also customary to give these lucky packets to any children close to you, that you come into contact with over the Spring Festival. And in the past, children had to give their red packets to their parents for safe keeping, today......it's a little bit like Christmas! Oh and it's also bad luck for the family if a child cries during Spring Festival, so cheeky kids will probably get off more lightly than usual! ;) Even more fun! %CODE02% And finally, on the fifteenth day -- the Lantern Festival signals the end of Chinese New Year. As the first night of the full moon, children go out at night to temples carrying red paper lanterns and solve riddles on the lanterns. The delicate paper lamps are lit and sent sailing skyward.... paving the way for a smooth year ahead. From me to you, in Mandarin it's a big Gong Xi Fa Cai or in Cantonese it's Kung Hei Fat Choi! Wishing you a joyful and prosperous year! Happy New Year of the Monkey! The above video has been provided by Lego, but all thoughts and fun facts are my own and in my humble opinion well worth telling you about! :lol: Pssst.... here's a list of other articles I've written on Chinese New Year..... Monkey Business: Swinging into the Chinese New Year with a Bang Chinese New Year in Xi’an: IN VIDEO Bask in the Glow: Chinese New Year in Pictures Lai See: Lucky Money or Tradition Gone Mad Out with the Old, in With the New … [Read more...]
Grab Your Hong Bao! You’re Invited to a Wedding in China!
The fact that I’d never met the bride or groom, apparently posed no issue for all those involved in the wedding extravaganza! So the teeny matter, that I failed to register it was actually the Groom saying ‘Nihao’ to me at the entrance to the wedding reception and the small fact I retaliated with a cheery “Hello, how are you today?” hopefully went under the radar!! (Too late to say congratulations now!) Surprisingly (or not) during my rather short stint in China thus far, I’ve somehow managed to find myself witnessing quite a few romantic nuptials! You may recall we inadvertently found ourselves smack bang in the middle of a wedding ceremony, in our first week in Xi’an? If you want to relive the hilarity of being a wedding crasher, click here. So, there’s usually not much notice given for a wedding in China, with invitations delivered just a few weeks, sometimes just days before the big event! With a couple of weeks notice for this week-day wedding, we were able to mark it in the calendar; somehow though, I missed the memo explaining that when you arrive at a wedding here in China, the first thing you do is give your gift (a small red envelope filled with crisp new notes - ideally to the tune of an auspicious number - nothing with four in it ok!) to the panel of people out the front. Ahhh so that’s why James is ignoring the bride and groom who are waiting for us -- watching as the money is earnestly counted out -- in front of us! (Awkward wait while I try to erase thoughts racing through my head about whether we’ve given enough money and in the right denominations)! It’s about now I realise the random guy that said “hi” is now standing next to the bride (you can’t miss her, she’s the one wearing the white bridal gown)! To be fair, she was actually yelling at her new husband, so I missed the ‘just married’ cues…(Hopefully it wasn’t, “is that all these loser foreigners are giving us!! I thought you said he was the big boss!!”) I attempt to feign a few, by now, feeble congratulations and use small person as a decoy with a “Wow! look at this beautiful bride,” while the hotelier appears to be writing an essay in the wedding book! (Anytime!!) We are then ushered (rushed) into the lavish reception area, which is typically oozing glamour - from the designer runway lined with candelabras to the elaborate backdrops; Cameras on giant booms swing by us (narrowly missing the hotelier’s head I might add)! As flash as the room looks, many of the guests though, look like they may have just got off the couch at home.. some are wearing tracksuits, many are in jeans….most are in casual clothes. Apparently this is perfectly normal for a Chinese wedding. After all it’s just a quick lunch really, a couple of hours at best, that usually starts around noon. (Despite now knowing about this dress code, I just can’t for the life of me, bring myself to attend a wedding in jeans, not yet anyway.) The ubiquitous bottle of Baijiu is placed on the table in it's box, she’s flanked by big bottles of Coca Cola and Sprite. We are served tea and then it’s supposedly on to the hard stuff….(Now’s a good time to mention there are also plates of loose free-flow cigarettes at a special table just outside the ballroom, should you wish to inhale). Families of the bride occupy two large tables at the front and their tables are often draped in red table cloths to signify their VIP status. As soon as we are all seated….the groom gives a quick speech….(of which I have no idea what is being said, given it’s obviously all in Chinese…but I get the gist…and try to nod in appropriate places). Pictures from the happy couple’s photo shoot flash up on big projector screens. Here in China, the wedding shoot is done weeks if not months before the big day. Couples will often go to another city or country to have these photos taken in several different outfits in many different, rather exotic locations. Not surprising given ten million couples tie the knot every single year in China, the photogpraphy game is big business! Whilst the ultimate goal of living ‘happily ever after’ is largely the same, the bride looks stunning in white and there’s a big celebration; the traditions and rituals that go with saying 'I do' are a little different. Until a couple of generations ago, most marriages in China were arranged. Yep, that means your parents generally chose your life partner and whether you thought he or she was cute, funny, smart, romantic or simply a whizz in the kitchen, really played no part in it. In fact, I’m told in many rural parts of China, they still have arranged marriages and there are still regular weekend “marriage markets” in places like Shanghai where parents go armed with a list of their child’s vital statistics on display, eager to find them a love match! (I’m pretty sure the child in question has no clue his or her assets are being advertised to the nation.) Sadly, there still seems to be a stigma tied to women today in China who aren’t married by the age of around 27! They call them “Sheng Nu” or “Leftover Women!” Say what?! (This explains why my local hairdresser and his team nearly had a pink fit when I announced I’d married on the ‘other’ side of 35! Looking me up and down, they eye-balled me suspiciously, like I may be hiding some sort of third arm or leg!) While in the Western world we can date without it necessarily leading to marriage, for Chinese, once dating became more acceptable (and dating shows took over television land)….it’s wasn’t a case of shopping around, trying on a few for size…..forget playing the field. For most, dating is serious business!… You date with the intention to marry! And once you’ve made it clear you’re boyfriend and girlfriend, it’s crucial that both parents wholeheartedly agree with your liaison. In China, a marriage is about two families joining together, more so than just two individuals. Especially, as the children are largely responsible for looking after their parents in their old age. This is taken extremely seriously and is prioritised above most other things in life. Grandparents are also often responsible for bringing up the couple's children. So it seems, once the union is agreed to by both families, the real fun begins! I’m told the traditions differ a little between North and South China, but in the North, the husband’s family will cement the unification with a gift of around RMB100-thousand (US$16,000) to the bride’s family, along with jewellery and other auspicious gifts. Not so long ago, the bride would go to live with the husband’s family. Today, they generally reside together in their own home. Oh and while you don’t see many Chinese women wearing diamond rings, I'm assured they do have them, most are just kept safely at home! Together the families will consult a fortune teller to ensure the pairing is suitable and once they have the green light, the two families meet to find a ‘favourable’ date that will ensure a long, healthy and happy union. Often the Chinese Almanac (calendar) is consulted which lists all of the most prosperous days. Once the date has been set, there is no turning back. Come the morning of the official event, there are lot of Chinese traditions going on at home — which I’m told even involves the bride hiding her shoes for the groom to find… (heaven help him if he can’t)!! Shoes found and it's time to party! The legalities are all done at the offices of the Civil Affairs Bureau, sometimes a week or more before the celebrations, so you won’t see an exchanging of vows at the celebrations. Once the groom has given his speech, you’ll usually see dad on the catwalk, daughter on arm, presenting her to her new husband. There is a lot of emotional chatter, the husband goes down on one knee and plenty of hugging. Usually the bride is in tears. (Hopefully tears of pure joy)! The couple then walk down the catwalk with the bridal party, (who can be known to bust a few dance moves). The bride and groom say a few romantic words to each other and in this case, the bouquet was thrown -- but only to the girls in the bridal party. Tip for all those single girls: time to work on getting a gig in the bridal party. There's no Best Man embarrassing the groom, this is strictly above board! This is where the hotelier comes in. Just between you and me, I’m pretty sure we are not invited to the wedding for sentimental reasons. Mostly, the happy couple want the boss (the white boss, no less) to stand up and say a few words, in English. Never mind, that the majority of the wedding won’t understand, it’s all about the ‘value’ this strangely brings to the affair in question! Here’s a little snippet of how this goes down. Lucky for the hotelier (or not) there is a translator on hand. Once the formalities are done with, it’s time to tuck into the feast before us which involves about six courses, at least!! (Pig’s elbow being one of them at this week’s event, which I might add was pretty tasty!). While we’re feeding our faces, the bride has a quick change (often into her ‘Qipao’ - traditional Chinese dress) or something else glamorous, usually in red - symbolising luck and wealth. Together the couple must roam from table to table, toasting everyone in the room (often with shot glasses of Baijiu)! Mid mouthful of noodles or not, it’s imperative everyone gets to their feet when the couple arrives at your table. Meantime, a few guests have spied the small person and come over with red envelopes for her! (Who’s wedding is this?) Apparently giving children Hongbao or lucky money is supposed to bring joy and good luck for the twosome. The bride and groom don’t actually seem to sit down…once the toasting has been done, it’s almost time to call it a day!….They wait outside for the guests, who then pose with them for photos and congratulate them in person. And....that's a wrap! Typically, the newly weds will go on to have some sort of small gathering with friends. Meantime, we smile, slip out the side door and head for a much needed coffee! And that is how you say 'I do' in China. #Disclaimer: You may have had different experiences with Chinese weddings, this is just my observation of weddings in Xi'an. … [Read more...]