How to Celebrate the Lunar New Year in Your Home

Lifestyle

Jan 24

Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year 2014 is right around the corner... in less than a week in fact. It's the Year of the Horse! New Year's Eve is actually on Thursday, January 30th this year. My immediate family and I are actually going to celebrate in advance this Sunday because trying to get everyone together on a Thursday night would prove nearly impossible. In the spirit of the upcoming holiday, I wanted to share a few tips to prepare your home for the New Year. Some are traditional, some are a little superstitious and since I wasn't quite prepared for the western new year - January 1st - because I was attacked by that nasty flu that was going around...I'm hoping for a second chance.Although I'm of Chinese descent and my siblings and I are considered first generation Chinese American, my family wasn't very "traditional", comparatively speaking. When my paternal grandmother was still alive, she would make all the traditional pastries which my siblings and I would help with...that's a lost art for sure. It's much easier to just purchase it from the Chinese bakery, but can I just say? A trip to the bakery is not cheap! About 2 years ago, my sister and I decided to host a party and a visit to the bakery set us back a few more bills than we expected!In any case, here are 3 Ways to Celebrate the Lunar New Year in Your Home:1. Clean, Clean, Clean! Traditionally, cleaning means removing the old and bringing in the new. The goal is to thoroughly clean your home by New Year's Eve...start with a clean slate if you will. You are NOT supposed to clean at all on New Year's day or you'll remove the good luck you've been given for the new year. Some die hard traditionalists don't clean at all during the entire new year celebration which lasts 2 weeks. Not sure how that works with dishes. If I didn't swiffer my floors and vacuum for 2 weeks, I may have major withdrawal symptoms. I think a one day observance is good enough. I probably swept away all my good luck for the western calendar because I spent most of January 1st disinfecting my house from top to bottom. I couldn't afford for Alexa or anyone else to get my germs.By the way...the cleaning applies to washing your hair on New Year's Day too. Traditionally, folks would get haircuts especially for the New Year. My grandmother used to always make a big deal about not washing our hair on New Year's Day...never liked that rule!2. Decorate! The traditional good luck color is red. Fresh flowers symbolize rebirth and new growth. Lotus and cherry blossoms are popular choices. Placing mandarin oranges out in even numbers (with the leaves attached) and setting out a tray of candies with eight different types of candies are popular practices. The traditional candies are those made from lotus seeds, longan, peanuts, coconut, red melon seed, candied melon, etc. These were never my favorite...in fact, I thought they were pretty gross.I hosted a Chinese New Year's party at my house 2 years ago and created my own contemporary decor. I did go to Chinatown to buy a few things, but again...I'm not that traditional.3. Have a traditional dinner on New Year's Eve. This is one of the most important parts of the holiday and the one that we do celebrate regularly (although our family will be celebrating a few days in advance this year). The food eaten at this time of year has traditional meanings related to the Chinese New Year. Some Chinese choose not to eat meat on the first day of Chinese New Year because each new year carries the name of an animal. We always have chicken so apparently we're not one of those Chinese. Traditional dishes include fish, jai, chicken, sticky rice cake, noodles and desserts. Dumplings are the most important dish in northern China. I have friends who eat a lot of dumplings during this time of year. And of course, there's rice which ensures harmony. The photo to the left is one of my favorite desserts - almond jello. It's almond flavored jello with fruit cocktail and lychee...so refreshing!On New Year's Day which is Friday, January 31st this year, it is said that you should wear new clothes, eat out or cook without having to use knives because cutting and chopping food represents cutting your luck and it's especially important to Have a Good Day! The Chinese believe it’s bad to start the New Year negatively, so avoid swearing, getting angry or yelling at kids or clients. It's an indicator of things to come. Be forewarned!I must say for many years, I didn't pay much attention to any of these rules, practices or superstitions but as I'm getting older, following a few traditions doesn't seem to hurt.Whatever you decide to do...enjoy it for what it is.