Chinese tradition calls for families to visit each other on Lunar Year’s day and here in my neck-of-the-woods I could see the effects.

Whampoa Garden was very quiet this morning with only a few people picking up last-minute gifts, etc.

However, following up on a previous post, Miffy was still the centre of attraction:

The ship is actually the Jusco Department Store (Pics: Mike Jansen)

In the old days, there was a monster who lived near a village.

This monster was called ‘Year Monster‘. It didn’t like red and it didn’t like noise.

Villagers would stick red paper on their doors and red fire crackers were lit to make loud noises so as to scare the monster. When the villagers knew that the monster had gone, they would greet and bless each other.

That’s why Chinese people lit fire crackers and stick red blessing notes on their doors.

In the first week and up to the first month, people visit their own families, relatives and friends to greet each other. Everybody dress up in new clothes.

Lai See/Lucky packets

Edible things like biscuits, chocolate or fruits will be given to the host as presents and the host has to return a small red packet with money to return the luck. When people meet, they wish each other good luck and married couples have to give ‘lai see‘ (red packet with money) to children and not married adults (not too old though, maybe under mid 20). ‘Lai see‘ means luck so when one gives out ‘lai see‘, that means he has plenty of luck to share with others. Therefore, when a couple sees a child, they have to give out 2 ‘lai see‘.

Unlucky words and curses are completely forbidden during Chinese New Year.

A new tradition now is to send Chinese New Year greeting cards. In the past this was not done but now that families are so spread out around the world people send cards with the good wishes for the New Year. And now that we live in the internet world you can even send Chinese New Year Greeting Cards.

(From: HKfastfacts.com)

Flowers are a key part of the Lunar New Year celebrations

2010 (and up to now) has been the Year of the Tiger on the Chinese calendar.

However, ask anyone at Disney head-office and they will probably tell you it’s the “Year of the Tigger.”

I can’t tell you how many Chinese Tigger’s I’ve seen around Hong Kong this past year.  My kids still have their soft-toy Tiggers issued with a McDonald’s Happy Meal last Chinese New Year.

It was the same when we celebrated the Year of the Rat and Mickey and Minnie Mouse taking the honours here in Asia.

However, with the next Lunar Year being the Year of the Rabbit, so far it seems as if the character-of-choice for the next Chinese New Year will be non-Disney.

Here in my my neck of the woods statues of Miffy have been springing up all over Whampoa Garden.

It is interesting to note that, while Miffy is hugely popular here in Asia, it is actually a Dutch invention that is called “konijntje” meaning “little rabbit” in the land of tulips and girls-in-glass-fronted-windows.

This is what Whampoa Garden looks like:

My kids love this time of the year. Anything that gives them time off school is good, they reason. 

The schoolyear recently resumed after the two-week Christmas/New Year holidays, then after a four-week stint back at school, it’s off to the Lunar New Year/Chinese New Year break they go! 

The biggest festival on the Chinese calendar falls between 1 February – 12 February 2011. 

Chinese New Year starts on 3 February 2011.

This year it is the turn of the Year of Rabbit.

During the Chinese New Year period, Hong Kongers traditionally flock to temples to pray for a good year ahead.  However, the superstitious also take part in rituals that they believe foretell the future, or at least the year ahead.

It was no different on the second day into the Year of the Tiger.  Here in Hong Kong is has become customary for a a lawmaker (member of the territory’s legislature) to visit a popular temple to take part in a ritual that will predict the next year for Hong Kong.  The ritual takes place on the second day of Chinese New Year at a suburban temple, and is eagerly awaited by residents and media alike.

The outcome of the ritual, however, does not always bode well for “Asia’s World City” and regional financial hub.  SAPA reports that in 2003, home affairs minister Patrick Ho picked number 83, an unlucky number according to Chinese custom.

His selection was followed by 12 months of crisis in which the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus killed several hundred people and ruined the economy, while unprecedented political protests left the government in turmoil.

This year it was the turn of Hong Kong councillor Lau Wong Fat. 

Hong Kong lawmaker Lau Wong Fat shaking the tin of fortune sticks (Pic: news.yahoo.com/AFP)

And it was good news for all in Hong Kong.  In a closely watched ritual, lawmaker Lau Wong-fat shook a bundle of numbered bamboo fortune sticks until one fell to the ground, number 53, which was later interpreted by a stick-reader to be the harbinger of better times.

The draw was good news for Lau whose unlucky pick of 27 in 2009 – the Year of the Ox – predicted doom and gloom for the city of seven million as it was wracked by the global financial crisis.

All that we can add to that is: Sjoe!  That was close.

Chinese New Year, also called Lunar New Year is the most important Festival on the traditional Chinese calendar.  It is part of the Spring Festival that starts on the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar and ends of the 15th day that is called Lantern Festival.

This year Hong Kong celebrates the start of the Year of the Tiger that coincides with the (western) Valentine’s Day on February 14, 2010.

Here are some of the traditional decorations that can be seen around Hong Kong:

Lucky bamboo

Lucky bamboo is known as ‘Kai Yun Zhu’  in Chinese, which means ‘bamboo that invites good fortune’.

Lucky Bamboo represents the natural 5 elements of water, earth, wood, metal and fire to balance the flow of energy or ‘chi’ in the house.

A red ribbon is tied around the stalks to represent the fire element. The number of bamboo stalks and layers has its own symbolic meaning:

2 for Love & Marriage

3 for Happiness

5 for Perfection

6 for Luck

8 for Wealth and Abundance

9 for Everlasting Good Fortune and Happiness

Tangerines & oranges

Tangerines and oranges are commonly displayed in homes and shops. Tangerines symbolises ‘good tidings’ as it sounds like ‘good luck’ in Chinese. Oranges symbolises wealth as it sounds like ‘gold’ in Cantonese.

Peach blossoms

Peach blossoms symbolise ‘courage and hope’. The blossoms burst forth at the end of winter season on a seemingly lifeless branch.

Here are some more pictures I took around Hung Hom Bay:

When asked about what they like about living in China (we’ve also lived in Taiwan before) my kids sometimes respond: “We get to celebrate TWO New Years!” What they don’t say is that they get TWO New Year’s holidays off from school!

Living in Hong Kong, we foreigners indeed have the benefit of two New Year holidays.  The Western New Year is welcomed with great fanfare including an expensive fireworks display, while the Lunar New Year is celebrated along age-old Chinese traditions that also includes fireworks, New Year’s Parades and displays.  Taiwan does not celebrate the (Western) New Year, while Chinese New Year, also called Lunar New Year, sees the island enjoying a 7-day break.  The Mainland normally also have a holiday of about 7 days over the Lunar New Year.

This year, Lunar New Year falls on the same day as (the Western) Valentine’s Day… February 14, 2010.

Stay close to Howzit-HongKong.com for more features on the Chinese Lunar New Year.  In the meantime, if you’re not familiar with the New Year’s greeting in Cantonese, start learning the follow phrase:

San nin faai lok!

(Generally: Happy New Year! More specifically: Congratulations and be prosperous!)