 Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is here! This larger than life holiday is the biggest annual migration of humans IN THE WORLD! Chunyun, or Spring Festival travel season, brings families from around the world together to celebrate culture, history, and yummy eats! Little Passports wants to share with you the fun, the story, the family, and the magic that are all part of Chinese New Year!
Year of the Rabbit 2011 is hopping right along and on February 3rd the tiger takes a 12 year rest while the rabbit hops on to center stage. For some, this is simply entertaining. For others, it determines a lot more than just house decoration. Each year a reputable Asian investment firm publishes the feng shui report on the stock market. According to the report, this lunar year will be best for investing in things associated with water and metal while avoiding investments associated with wood and earth.
Red Envelope
Children across the Asian world are being given pocket money nestled in red envelopes (Hóng Bāo in Mandarin). It's a Lunar New Year tradition for adults to give red pocket money to children. Numbers in Chinese culture are very important and can represent meaning far beyond the number itself. The number four sounds like the word "death", while the number eight sounds like the word "prosperity".
Open-Air Markets
Lunar New Year is not simply a 24-hour event. Weeks prior to the big day, Open-Air Markets fill with food, themed decorations, and symbolic plants. Pictured below, a Chinese girl laughs as she explains the significance of her peach blossom and Solanum mammosum (5 generation plant) that she purchased at the Open-Air Market in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong.
"The peach blossom symbolizes romance and love. Girls usually buy it to keep their hopes high for the chance of love in the coming year.The other plant represents that 5 generations of the family can be united together. There are usually 5 buds for one single fruit." - Marron Wong, Hong Kong
Reunion
With all the hype, colors, and noise (fireworks galore) an outsider may forget the most important part of Lunar New  Year: family! At the New Year's Eve reunion dinner a whole fish is served and NOT finished. The leftover fish is a symbol of abundance for the coming year. The Chunyun travel season isn't just about getting a taste of Grandma's yu-wan (fish balls)--though we're sure it motivates many! The greatest meaning of the New Year is being surrounded by those you love!
Activities
1) Red Pocket Money
If you don't have a red envelope, how will you get red pocket money? Follow these simple steps to create a homemade envelope. Tell your family what it represents and give them a few hints about what goes inside!
Supplies: - Piece of Square Paper
- Double Sided Tape
- Ruler (or something to flatten the folded paper to make a crisp fold)
- Red Paint (or red paper for less mess)
- Gold Paint or Thick Gold Marker
Instructions: - Mark the center of the square paper with a small dot.
- Fold in two opposite corners of the paper so that corner points meet the center dot. Use the ruler to make your folds crisp.
- Choose which side of the paper will be the "bottom" of your envelope. Now fold this side up so that the corner is about 1/2 an inch above the dot. Use the ruler to make your new fold crisp.
- Use double sided tape to attach this new fold to the first folds. Now you should have a secure pouch (this is where the money goes!)
- Fold down the free portion of the paper, but don't seal it yet (there's still no money in it)
- Use the red and gold paint to decorate your envelope. Paint the envelope red and use the gold to draw a Chinese symbol. Here are a few characters in simplified Chinese that you might like.
Lucky: 幸运 Love: 爱 Friend: 朋友
2) What is your animal?
According to popular Chinese belief, a person born under a certain animal year will have characteristics of that animal. Find out what animal you are according to the date of your birth! Here are some of the highlights.
Rat: Charming, innovative, intelligent Ox: Dependable, calm, methodical Tiger: A rebellious, colorful and unpredictable character Rabbit: Very fortunate, good manners, artistic and possess good judgment Dragon: Full of vitality and strength, positive person, powerful Snake: Endowed with a personal wisdom, skeptical, graceful Horse: Cheerful, popular, and quick-witted Sheep: Righteous, sincere, generous, pessimist Monkey: Inventor, improviser, motivator, clever Rooster: Meticulous, organized, decisive, talkative Dog: Honest, intelligent, straightforward Pig: Simplicity, courageous, thoughtful
3) Remember the story
There are 12 animals that rotate in the Chinese zodiac calendar. Sometimes it can be hard to remember them all, and in what order! Invent a cute story to help you remember the animal cycle. Check out the "Notes" section of our facebook to read the story Sam and Sofia made up.
Map Activity
Chinese New Year is celebrated far and wide by people across the world. We know our little travelers are smart, so we are going to challenge them with this newsletter map activity. Prove us right by finding these countries! - Mozambique
- Paraguay
- Kazakhstan
- New Zealand
Bonus Questions
1) Many countries celebrate the Lunar New Year along with China. What country's holiday is called "Tet"?
2) What is something you should not do on New Year's Day?
3) Chinese New Year is called by many names. Do you know them?
4) What does the color red represent for Chinese New Year?
Bonus Answers
1) Vietnam calls the Lunar New Year "Tet." Tell your friends, "Chuc Mung Nam Moi" (Happy New Year).
2) Don't sweep the house! According to the Chinese, sweeping the house can sweep away your good fortune for the year. When you do sweep (after the big day) you must sweep inward to the middle of the house and carry the dust and rubbish out the back door.
3) Chinese New Year is also commonly called Spring Festival and Lunar New Year.
4) Red is a very important color for Chinese New Year. The color red is said to ward off evil spirits. An ancient legend tells of an evil spirit or monster that was tormenting villagers. They discovered that red scared off this evil spirit, so today everything is covered in red for the New Year to keep evil away.
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