Chinese New Year of the Rabbit

Today is the Chinese New Year, which starts when the new moon appears in China (one day off from the new moon here, which rose yesterday). 

This is the month of the Holiday Moon and the year of the Rabbit! In Chinese culture, the Rabbit is a symbol of longevity, peace and prosperity. 2023 is predicted to be a year of hope. People born in the Year of the Rabbit are believed to be vigilant, witty, quick-minded and ingenious. 

The first day of the Chinese New Year is called Yüan-tan, the "Day of Origin". This one day determines the luck for the entire year, so Chinese people are careful to use their best manners and to remain honest and peaceful.

Agenda for today: 

1. Read "It's a Meaningful Life"

2. Eat jai for breakfast
3. Give gifts

4. Make and give hóngbāo (money packets)

1. Read "It's a Meaningful Life:

I've been re-reading "It's a Meaningful Life; It Just Takes Practice," by Bo Lozoff (2000). Chapter two is Spirituality is Not Optional, and the suggested practice is classic breath-centered meditation.

As I said last week, except for Quaker worship, I'm not a fan of sitting meditation; my favorite ways of stilling the mind are more active - walking, art, and gardening. But in the spirit of openness, I'm going to give it another try.

Bo says, "The best way to give meditation a fair chance is to take a vow to complete at least a month of regular practice at the same time each day. ... Decide everything in advance: exactly how long your daily sittings will be, where and at what time, what you will sit on, how you will time your practice". He goes on to give all kinds of tips to help you to make a vow that you will stick to, without adjusting or "improving" .

So here goes:

I vow to sit for 10 minutes every morning at 6 a.m., beginning today, using an app to keep the time, sitting upright in a chair, and giving the practice my formal respect for the next 30 days (until the next new moon). I will use my breath as a focus, and end each practice by extending loving-kindness to the universe.

 

2. Eat Jai for brekfast:

In Buddhist tradition, no meat is eaten on this first day of the year. It’s traditional to eat a breakfast of jai, a hot vegetarian dish that is part of a Buddhist rite to give thanks for the fruits of the earth. There are many recipes for jai; you can adapt mine to suit your taste.

Ingredients:

The black fungus is in the center, soaking.

• 1/4-c. black fungus (fat choy)
• 1 tsp. + 3 Tbsp. oil
• 2 eggs
• salt
• 4 large Chinese cabbage leaves
• 3 slices fresh ginger
• 1/2 onion
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 lb. firm tofu
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 2-oz. of cellophane noodles (mung bean threads) 

Yield: Serves 4-

1. Soak the black fungus in cold water plus 1 tsp. oil for 15 minutes or until soft.

2. Beat 2 eggs in a bowl. Season with salt, and fry in a pre-heated oiled pan. 

Cool, then cut the egg into strips. Set aside.

3. Rinse 4 large leaves of Chinese cabbage, dry, and slice into 1/4-inch shreds. Also mince the fresh ginger, chop all the other vegetables, and cube the tofu. Drain the black fungus and cut into strips with scissors.

4. Combine vegetable broth and soy sauce.

5. Preheat a wok and add 2 Tbsp. of oil. Stir-fry the ginger and cabbage for a few minutes. Remove and set aside with the egg.

6. Add 1 more Tbsp. of oil to the wok, and stir-fry the remaining vegetables, black fungus, and tofu. Add the broth mixture, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer 20 minutes, adding water as needed.

7. Meanwhile, cover the noodles with warm water and soak for about 15 minutes. When they are soft, drain them and cut into 2-inch pieces with scissors.

8. Add the noodles, cabbage, ginger, and egg strips to the wok. Bring back to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and cook until the noodles are translucent- about 5 minutes. Serve with tea.

3. Give gifts:

One year, my daughter brought apricots and truffles, and my son brought rum!

Chinese people spend the first days of the new year making visits to friends and relatives: Parents and grandparents receive the first visits, and so on, until by the fourth day very casual friends may drop in. The fifth day is reserved for visits to people who live further away.

Visitors greet each other with kind words to help encourage a year of prosperity. The most common greeting is:

Gung hay fat choy 

(Pronounced "Goong Heyy Faat Choy")

Congratulations, may you be prosperous!

Visitors at the New Year always bring a gift. Chinese New Year presents are similar in spirit to Christmas presents, but tend more often to be food items. Visitors bring gifts such as-

• candied fruits or cakes
• Chinese tea
• flowers
• a bag of oranges or tangerines
• hóngbāo money (see below)

4. Make and give hóngbāo (money packets):

Hóngbāo envelopes made by my art class students.

One tradition we try to maintain is gifts of hóngbāo for our kids. Most Asian stores carry these small red envelopes in an assortment of designs, or you can always make your own with red origami paper.

Remember to fill the envelopes with paper money only, and in even numbered amounts. The color red is good-luck, so money wrapped in red will surely multiply.

Supplies: Red origami paper or other thin red paper, pencil, scissors, glue stick, black pen, gold and silver metallic pens.

1. Click on the pattern to the right, and download it. Print on card stock and cut it out.

2. Trace onto red paper and cut it out again.

3. Fold on the dotted lines, and glue the flaps closed (except the top flap).

I teach my students the traditional Chinese way to show respect to their elders, with a bow, which should lead in return to receiving hóngbāo. 

If it doesn’t, they can say, “Hong Bao Na Lai," which is "May I have the red envelope, please!"