Chinese New Year | Peaches Prattlings

{February 10, 2024} Happy New Year!

Today is Chinese New Year! The Year of the Dragon!

What is the Lunar New Year, you may be asking yourself, as I might ask of you, if you were writing this, but I will ask it of myself, since I’m the one writing and pondering this very question!

Originating in multiple countries in east Asia, the holiday is filled with rich culture and tradition that centers around the hope for good fortune and prosperity [I took that directly from the website, I couldn’t have said it better myself!]. I think that sounds loverly!

Depending on where you are, there are celebrations, festivals, parties, good food, good drink, good friends, good family, all in hopes of celebration some good prosperity, not only financially, but spiritually, emotionally, and with your health. Sign me up!

Each Chinese astrological sign corresponds with a year, and an animal. This year, 2024, it’s the year of the dragon and according to the site, people born during the year of the Dragon are said to be naturally charismatic and gifted, often inspiring those around them. I would say so, I’m spending the day with JCT and she is the year of the dragon and yeah, that about says it all!

I am 1971, the year of the pig, we are known to be generous, diligent and compassionate. They are energetic, enthusiastic, and love to have fun. They have a great sense of responsibility and handle conflict calmly. Is that me? Who can we ask?

Check out this page to see what animal you are based on your birth year. I think some of them are a little off, and some are spot on, which makes me smile!

Today, instead of just sending a text, I got to wish one of my closest friends, JCT, who happens to be Chinese, a very happy new year! And to her daugther as well! Her mom, I wished happy new year last night when it was New Year’s Eve. Her mom cooked a feast! There was salmon and tofu, chicken, dumplings, Chinese sausage, and tofu wrapped egg. Everything was great! I know, you’re saying to yourself, but JJ, you’re vegan! I know friends, but mom cooked the food, the very least thing I could do was try it and she is a great cook and did not disappoint! I enjoyed tasting everything, with a few extra pieces of the egg wrapped tofu on my plate, y u m!

Today was low key, JCT took me to Sweet Hut Bakery & Cafe, which she introduced me to years ago when we first started hanging out when I still lived in GA, and every time I visit, there are a few places she takes me and Sweet Hut is oen of them! One time when PSM was here with me, I got to introduce him to it, with JCT, of course! They have wonderful treats, I forgot to take a picture, sorry! and the best time to go is in the morning, things are out fresh, they were still putting up the signs for what things were.

I picked up one of almost everything, well, everything that I could eat! They had savory and sweet, I stayed away from the savory because most of the time, that meant meat. The sweet, I bought a bunch, and I am taking it all home to share with PSM! I bought one of everything, except for the red bean moon cake, because I la la la love red bean and I got one for me and one for him! I ain’t sharing!

We also went to Great Wall Supermarket, well, we did that the other day, a wonderful Asian market/grocery store. I picked up some treats, spices, staples, that I am out of at home, and since we don’t have any Asian markets near us, I go when I can! Today, it was Assi, another great market, sometimes I have an idea of what I want and sometimes JCT recommends things to/for me. One of the things we were looking for were Korean sweet potatoes, mom had made some and they were delicious!

We spent the morning going up and down the aisles, talking, browsing, purchasing, it’s one of the things I love about visiting with JCT, we go to new and interesting places where I can find some wonderful items, I think that’s a wonderful way to star the new year!

In different parts of the world there are different celebrations happening to ring in the Chinese New Year. There are festivals, lion dances, it is a dance usually invited by traditional Chinese families to perform as a symbolic ritual to usher in the Spring Festival and to ward off bad luck and evil spirits, here’s one underwater in Malaysia! Here’s one from our former home state of Hawai’i. I’ve been lucky enough to see them in many different cities and I’m always fascinated and charmed by the splendor.

I have wonderful memories from childhood celebrating with a family that lived down the street from us. They would invite us to their Chinese New Year celebration, the food, the sights, the sounds, the red envelopes, all bringing a smile to my face.

I was looking for was looking for some Chinese New Year greetings or wishes to leave you with and I found this great site that had 8. I couldn’t decide which one I felt I wanted to share the most with you, so I’ll start with this one, after the photo, the rest.

I say to you, my dear friends, who are my family, I wish you prosperity, health, and happiness, in this, 2024, the Year of the Dragon.

新年快乐 – HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR
MANDARIN: XĪN NIÁN KUÀI LÈ

恭喜发财 – WISH YOU PROSPERITY AND GOOD FORTUNE
MANDARIN: GŌNGXǏ FĀCÁI

大吉大利 – GOOD LUCK AND BIG PROFIT
MANDARIN: DÀ JÍ DÀ LÌ

身体健康 – GOOD HEALTH
MANDARIN: SHĒN TǏ JIÀN KĀNG

吉祥如意 – GOOD LUCK AND FORTUNE BE ACCORDING TO YOUR WISHES
MANDARIN: JÍ XIÁNG RÚ YÌ.

万事如意 — MAY ALL GO WELL WITH YOU
MANDARIN: WÀN SHÌ RÚ YÌ

学业有成 – ACADEMIC SUCCESS OR ACADEMIC PROGRESS
MANDARIN: XUÉYÈ YǑUCHÉNG

{February 12, 2021} Xin nian hao! [Happy Chinese New Year!]

Today is Chinese New Year! It’s the year of the Ox.

I don’t know if you fall into the category of believing in Chinese Zodiac signs, but I do. I enjoy learning about characteristics and traits and see if they match with the person I might know with that sign. I do it with astrological signs. That being said, if you are the year of the ox, and this is your year, let’s see if your personality and characteristics fit:

Oxen are honest and earnest. They are low key and never look for praise or to be the center of attention. This often hides their talent, but they’ll gain recognition through their hard work. They believe that everyone should do what’s asked for them and stay within their bounds. Though they are kind, it’s difficult for them to understand persuasion using pathos. Rarely losing your temper, they think logically and make great leaders.

Is that you?

I remember as a kid, celebrating with with a Pilipino family that lived down the street from us, our families were great friends. Their oldest son and I were the same age and their youngest and my sister were the same age, the middle kid, well, he was in the middle, ha ha, and we all played together. We would play after school, at holidays and over the summer, the family would come and stay at our summer house. AL, the oldest used to drive my mom crazy, he would make that dripping water noise with his mouth and cheek, it drove her insane, mostly because he would do it in the middle of the night. Ha ha.

Back to celebrating…They observed a lot of Chinese traditions, the boys went a Chinese school every Saturday, much to their chagrin, in Chinatown in NYC, how many of you wanted to go to school on Saturday to learn a new language, on top of going to school during the week. The most fun was celebrating Chinese New Year with them. Foods, traditions, stories, the red envelopes. Oh yeah, the red envelopes.

It is tradition to give the gift of a bright, beautiful red envelope (known as 紅包, hóngbāo) to friends and family. It’s not just any old envelope…The red color symbolizes good luck and prosperity in Chinese (and other East Asian) cultures. Here are 8 Things You Should Know about the Lucky Red Envelope.

I was a kid, so of course, I looked forward to getting those red envelopes and they always had money in them, but it was usually $2 bills! I know you won’t be surprised, I probably still have a few of those envelopes, might even have the money in them. But even then, as much as I enjoyed getting money filled envelopes, I knew they were special, not just because of the money, there was history behind them, I knew there was something.

As I mentioned, with the envelopes, there was laughter and joy, their house was always full for the celebration, so many people sharing moments, food, and stories. What more could you want?

I’ve been in different places for Chinese New Year to see the celebrations, including the fireworks, dragons, dancing, parades and so much more. There is nothing like it! I hope to travel the world to see more celebrations! We saw some celebrations in Hawai’i, I remember a celebration inside a mall! I’ve seen them in New York City, and Philadelphia, PA, it’s not something you ever forget and I hope sometime in your life, you get to experience the wonder and splendor and come back and tell me all about it!

I will leave you with a traditional Chinese New Year greeting: I wish you a year of abundance and prosperity. Xin nian hao.

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