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

Unlike before, where the annual Chinese New Year Night Parade extended all the way to East Tsim Sha Tsui, the Parade will this time around be limited to Tsim Sha Tsui.

The Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Night Parade is one of the best-loved events of the entire Chinese New Year celebrations and certainly a must-see on my family’s list.

The theme this years is World City, World Party and as always the parade features illuminated floats accompanied by spectacular international and local performing groups.  In previous years some South African troupes were flown in, although I don’t remember any Saffas taking part last year.

There is always a carnival atmosphere as festive crowds line the route around Tsim Sha Tsui to watch the colourful parade pass by, but if you don’t want to be in those throngs, you can always purchase a ticket that will guarantee you a great vantage point from a raised platform.

Tickets will go on sale from Saturday 22 January at HK$350/ $300/ $220/ $180 per person.  These are for spectator stands with seating at Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza, Canton Road, Nathan Road and Salisbury Road.

The Night Parade is truly an international event in that it doesn’t only include Chinese culture and performers.  My favourite international act is, of course, the cheerleaders from the good ol’ US of A!

Here is your invitation to this year’s Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Night Parade:

This is what happened at the Night Parade last year:

Despite all the international acts, the Chinese cultural acts are THE draw-card for the crowds!

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.

Howzit-HongKong.com has been around in this Blog-guise for just under 2 years having previously debuted as a regular web-page.

As we prepare to celebrate our second birthday as a Blog, we would like to wish all of our readers a:

Very Happy New Year!

May the best of 2010 be the worst of 2011 and may you and yours have a fantastic 2011!

Tonight we usher in the new year with yet another grand fire-works display over Victoria Harbour (outside my window).

We have posted so many pictures from previous displays so here is a video-clip we found on You-Tube of last year’s celebrations:

From me to you, 新年快乐, Let’s make 2011: The Perfect Year…

Hong Kong tonight ushered in the Year of the Tiger in true Chinese style: with a HK$3 million spectacular fireworks display.  While the lighting of fireworks remain illegal in Hong Kong, the annual New Year’s Day fireworks display is a major draw-card on the tourist calendar.  

The 20-minute extravaganza was lauched from 3 barges docked 200 meters apart in Victoria Harbour opposite the Avenue of the Stars.

Some of the features of this year’s display included images of tigers as well as gold ingots that signifies the Year of the Tiger and prosperity.

Howzit-HongKong had it’s trusty point-and-click handy and we shot the following clip:

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:

On Chinese New Year’s Day, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) put on their biggest ever New Year’s Night Parade.  The Parade was led by a float featuring staff from local carrier Cathay Pacific who was also the sponsors of the Parade for the 11th consecutive year. 

The motto of this year’s event was “The World’s Happiest Party” and was emphasised by improved lighting and sound throughout the parade route.  To bring more glitz and glamour to this year’s party, the parade showcased 39 performances  from 12 countries and regions, made up of 13 brightly illuminated floats, 13 international and 13 local performing groups.

One of the international Groups was a dance group from South Africa, represented by the Mmabana Arts, Culture and Sports Foundation.  It was the North West Province-based group’s first ever performance in Hong Kong. 

I was watching the Parade from a vantage point midway between the Kowloon Shangrila Hotel and the WooLooMooLoo Restaurant and I can proudly say that the South African contingent received one of the loudest applauses from the assembled crowd. 

Dancers from the Mmabana Foundation