Chinese New Year is in two weeks, on February 12th this year. I enjoy having this second opportunity to celebrate a new year, and I think of this one as the "Happy and Lucky" celebration.
Agenda this week:
1. Housework
2. Nian-hua and good-luck calligraphy
3. Forced Blossoms
4. Make Jiao-zi dumplings
1. Housework:
The first and most important preparation for the Chinese New Year is (surprise!) housecleaning. Families give the house a thorough cleaning before Little New Year, one week before New Year's Day (February 4th this year). In Chinese culture, it’s bad luck for old dust to be left in the New Year, and this month families put everything in order: Scrub floors and cupboards, repaint doors, and trim yards.
I've been cleaning mold and mildew all month, and today I'm going to finish up in the bedrooms.
2. Nian-hua and good-luck calligraphy:
When the house is clean, I can begin to fill it with the traditional New Year’s decorations. The traditional colors are red and gold: Gold is the color of wealth and success, and red is the color of good luck and happiness.
Chinese families love to hang colorful Nian-hua (New Year pictures) all through the house. These are also called "happy and lucky pictures", because they show symbols of the things folks long for in the new year: Good-luck, wealth, long life, and happiness.
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| My students and I make our own nian-hua showing what we want the new year to bring us (goldfish are symbolic of wealth). |
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Practicing the fu character, for luck. |
Before the New Year, the family removes all the old pictures from the walls and buys new pictures to replace them. Some are hand-painted, but most are simple, inexpensive wood block prints.
Beautiful Chinese calligraphy is another traditional decoration at the New Year, especially the fu character, which means luck.
We are beginner’s, but it’s not too bad!
3. Forced Blossoms:
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| Newly cut branches of forsythia and quince. |
It’s easy to encourage branches of flowering trees to bloom early. If you plan it carefully, the first blossoms may open on Chinese New Year’s Day, which foretells a year of prosperity for you!
1. Go outside today to look for branches of peach, plum, forsythia, quince, apple, or lilac. Look for branches with many round, fat flower buds (these look different than the longer, thinner leaf buds).
2. Cut the branches and bring them inside. Pound the ends of the branches a bit with a hammer, and put them into a vase filled with lukewarm water.
1. Go outside today to look for branches of peach, plum, forsythia, quince, apple, or lilac. Look for branches with many round, fat flower buds (these look different than the longer, thinner leaf buds).
2. Cut the branches and bring them inside. Pound the ends of the branches a bit with a hammer, and put them into a vase filled with lukewarm water.
3. The next day, change the water for cooler water. Put the branches in a cool room, and wait for the buds to open. It will take one to three weeks.
4. Make Jiao-zi dumplings:
These delicious dumplings are prepared ahead of time and frozen, to be to served to guests on New Year’s Day. They symbolize "endless treasure" because they are crescent-shaped like a kind of ancient Chinese money. When you boil them, try not to break them, or you will see your treasure floating away!
Ingredients:
- half a head of Chinese cabbage
- 6 brown mushrooms
- 1 green onion
- 1 tsp. fresh ginger root
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1-Tbsp. sesame oil
- 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
- round dumpling wrappers
- soy sauce and rice vinegar for dipping sauce
1. Mince the Chinese cabbage, mushrooms, green onion, ginger root, and garlic.
2. Combine the vegetables with the sesame oil, soy sauce, and cornstarch. Stir fry to cook until soft.
3. Place a bit of filling in the center of a round dumpling wrapper and fold over into a half-moon. Pinch and pleat the edges together with wet fingers. (Freeze now or cook.)
4. Add oil to a heavy frying pan and heat on medium high. When the pan is hot, stand some of the dumplings upright in the pan, not touching, and add a cup of water. Cover and cook for several minutes.
5. Scoop the dumplings out of the pan and cook the next batch. Serve hot with dipping sauce made of equal parts soy sauce and rice vinegar.
3. Place a bit of filling in the center of a round dumpling wrapper and fold over into a half-moon. Pinch and pleat the edges together with wet fingers. (Freeze now or cook.)
4. Add oil to a heavy frying pan and heat on medium high. When the pan is hot, stand some of the dumplings upright in the pan, not touching, and add a cup of water. Cover and cook for several minutes.
5. Scoop the dumplings out of the pan and cook the next batch. Serve hot with dipping sauce made of equal parts soy sauce and rice vinegar.
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