Chinese New Year of the Dragon

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 dragon, an auspicious and extraordinary creature. The dragon symbolizes power, nobility, honor, luck, and success. If you're seeking a shift in your current lives, this year might offer a favorable chance. 

People born in the Year of the Dragon are gifted with innate courage, tenacity, and intelligence; they are not afraid of challenges, and willing to take risks.

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 the Creativity Book

2. Mirror Work

3. Eat jai for breakfast
4. Give gifts

5. Make and give hóngbāo (money packets)

1. Read the Creativity Book:

A few years ago I started but didn't finish this book by Eric Maisel (one of my favorite writers). The subtitle is "A Year's Worth of Inspiration and Guidance." Who doesn't want that? 

I'm on Week 10: Use Your Brain. It's about how we are not taught to be critical thinkers, because no one in our life likes to be argued with or criticized, and besides, we don't really enjoy it. "The culture says, 'Quick, what's your opinion?' Our brain says, 'Look, it's too troubling and confusing to think about matters deeply. Let's just make a choice, arrive at a conclusion, and get on with things.'"

The part I read today is called Understand a Frog Thoroughly, and it's about self-knowledge or lack of it. "When warning bells go off ... we hear those bells in a muffled way; worse, we aren't interested in what they signify. ... instead we don't paint and we refuse to consider why ... we blame our reluctance on a broken air-conditioner. The better plan ... is to find the courage to look in the mirror and understand ourselves thoroughly."  

2. Mirror work:

One way to understand myself better is to examine my self-accusations, and hunt for the hidden strengths. Last month I set some goals around healthy self-protection, and today I want to look at procrastination.

 

All my life I have struggled with hitting a wall, when I just can't make myself do anything except play solitaire or watch TV. The hidden strength in procrastination is that I allow myself needed time to rest and renew, but the flip-side is mindlessness and avoidance of important work - especially my art work. How do I find the best balance?

Sometimes the balance is between productivity and renewal, but sometimes it's between productivity and creativity: While procrastination negatively affects productivity, it can in fact promote creativity, probably because procrastination gives us time for divergent thinking. 

First, I need to identify why I am procrastinating: Am I avoiding a particular task because of anxiety, or confusion, or distraction, or because I think it's unimportant, or do I truly need some time to rest and let my mind wander in creative ways? 

Scientists say that healthy procrastination is controlled: I set a time limit on it, and it is not causing me stress. It could better be called "planned delay".

In the case of my artwork, my avoidance is caused by a certain ambiguity about the whole subject. It's complicated. I love to make art; when it is going well it is heavenly - but starting is hard. Right now, my procrastination is not in control, not healthy, and it is causing me stress.

I want to find self-control, and the passion to carry me to the studio regularly and consistently. Today I set this intention: "I will hold my current art projects in my heart all day; I'll define what preparation I need (clear space to work, turn on heat, gather supplies), visualize myself starting the work, and build energy any way I can. I will set a timer for when the work will start, and then I'll go and work."

3. 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:

• 1/4-c. black fungus (fat choy)
• 1 tsp. + 3 Tbsp. oil

  

  The black fungus is in the center, soaking.

• 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.

4. 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)

5. 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!"