Chinese New Year and Imbalc (melded)

Today is Imbalc (pronounced Im-molc), the Celtic Sabbat that falls between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It's celebrated sometime around the first of February, as the "beginning of the end" of winter. Imbalc means surrounding belly- the Earth Mother’s womb; soon the seeds in the womb of the earth will begin to swell and creative forces will begin to come alive in the world.

And it's also 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 Tiger! 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. Eat jai for breakfast
2. Give gifts
3. Make and give hóngbāo (money packets)

4. Creativity Altar
5. Write my seeds of inspiration

6. Seed blessing ceremony

7. Make a Brigid's Cross
8. Have a fire

1. Eat jai for breakfast:

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.

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

2. Give gifts:
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)

3. 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!"

4. Creativity Altar:

Imbalc is sacred to Brigid, the European and Celtic goddess of healing, crops, poetry, and creativity. As a sun goddess her powers are light, fire, inspiration, and vital energy: Wow! She’s one of my favorite images of the Spirit.

Brigid is the maiden aspect of the Great Goddess and so her color is white; her symbols are a sun-wheel, Brigid's cross, snake, and cock (herald of the new day). 

Today I made a special creativity altar for Brigid with:

• a white candle - for light and purity
• a Brigid's cross - for the sun and the seasons
• a beaded snake - for healing and regeneration
• a small bowl - for openness and inspiration 
• and some of my garden seeds

5. Write my seeds of inspiration:

At Imbalc, I write about my seeds of inspiration- those thoughts, dreams and ideas that are inside me waiting to grow into wise actions, sweet words, or beautiful things made by my hands.

What is waiting to bloom in me this year? 

I write each germ of inspiration on a tiny slip of paper, and roll it into a seed, then put these in the bowl on my altar.

6. Seed blessing ceremony: 

Light the candle on the altar, and ask the Goddess to bless my garden seeds, and also my seeds of inspiration. 

May they all grow well when the time is right.

7. Make a Brigid's Cross:

My cross has 40 pieces of straw. 

The Bridget’s cross is an ancient symbol of the sun and the seasons. It's hung by the door or in the rafters to protect the house from fire, which is always a threat in Irish houses with thatch roofs. 

Making a Brigid’s cross is one of the traditional rituals in Ireland to celebrate Imbalc and the beginning of early spring. At Imbalc or Imbalc Eve a new Brigid’s Cross is hung above the door, and the old one is burned in the hearth.

The crosses are usually made of rushes, which are abundant in Ireland. The one above was made of straw, and instructions are in this post.

A few years ago I re-invented the crosses using pipe cleaners, and it was easy enough even for the six-year-olds in the group! Instructions for these are in this post.

Hang your Brigid's cross in the kitchen or over a door to protect from fire and evil.

8. Have a fire:

Bits of winter collected to burn.

On Imbalc evening we seek out "bits of winter" and burn them in a fire. When our kids were young we hid things around the house -- old Christmas wrapping paper, some leftover wreath greens, last year's calendar... and had a fun search.

Imbalc 2017

This year we invited friends and family over for a rainy fire on Sunday evening. We reminded our guests to bring something to burn.

After we burned winter, we toasted the spring with champagne!