"Celebrating Chinese New Year"
Sun.Star Davao, Feb. 2, 2008

“Out with the old and in with the new”!

A Chinese proverb states that “all creations are reborn on New Year’s day”. This 2008, the Chinese New Year will fall on February 7.

You might be wondering why last year, Chinese New Year was celebrated on February 18 while in 2009, it will be on January 26. It is because the much-anticipated festivity is based on solar and lunar movements that represent time based on different days in different years on the Chinese calendar. Usually, the Chinese New Year is commemorated either in January or February.

And, did you know that the commonly-used greeting, “Kung Hei Fat Choi!”, is not synonymous to “Happy New Year!”? Instead, its meaning loosely translates to “Congratulations and be prosperous!”.

Chinese New Year traditions

According to internet sources, “the Chinese New Year’s Eve is filled with preparations that pertain to finding good fortune”.

Preparations would include cleaning the house before the New Year so as to welcome new and positive energy, keeping of the brooms and brushes when the cleaning is finished as well as paying off all household debts so as not to incur more debts in the New Year.

Old and worn-out money should be replaced with new and crisp bills, secured in red envelopes or “ang pao” to indicate that it is lucky money. Differences between friends and family members should be resolved.

The New Year’s Day house decorations include red banners or couplets with New Year wishes and symbols of good fortune in gold. The new clothes worn should be in orange and red which signify happiness and prosperity.

Every traditional Chinese household should also have live blooming plants to symbolize rebirth and new growth. Flowers are believed to be symbolic of wealth and high positions in one's career.

Symbolical dining

This Chinese New Year, why don’t you organize your very own Chinese dinner at home? After all, you don’t have to be Chinese to welcome the Year of the Rat!

Gather your close family members for a “reunion”/thanksgiving dinner to celebrate Chinese New Year’s Eve. At midnight, open every door and window in the house as a physical “airing out” of the old year and welcoming in the New Year.

Prepare oranges and a circular candy tray filled with a dazzling array of candies. And, don’t forget Davao’ very own juicy pomelos to signify abundance. In fact, the Chinese word for pomelo sounds like the word for "to have." The candies and fruits represent togetherness, sweetness, longevity, children, and prosperity.

Cook chicken or fish (symbolizing prosperity) and serve intact to represent completeness. Golden prosperous cakes (which look like golden nuggets) and uncut noodles (connoting longevity) should also comprise the New Year’s Day meal.

Tikoy otherwise known as Chinese New Year pudding must be part of dessert. Its sweetness symbolizes a rich, sweet life; stickiness, close family ties; and the round shape signifies family reunion.

For a complete Chinese dining experience, hand out Chinese fortune cookies to cap the meal. Ready-made fortune cookies such as the ‘Gold Coin’ brand are available in our grocery stores.

If preparing the Chinese banquet at home is not your cup of tea, then head off to Marco Polo’s Lotus Court from January 12 to February 11, 2008 to avail of their Peking Duck Promotion among its assortment of Chinese dishes.

Enjoy their special set menus for a minimum of four persons and savor Peking Duck prepared in a myriad of ways such as Roast Peking Duck, Deep-Fried Duck with Salt and Pepper, Golden Duck with Vermicelli and Bean Curd, Minced Duck Meat with Lettuce, and more!

The Chinese New Year buffet both for Lotus Court and Cafe Marco is at P888++ , kids age 6-12 is at P498++ . Every P4,000 minimum purchase gives customers a chance to win gift certificates for room accommodation or food and beverage.

Davao’s own celebration

I recently went to our local malls and was fascinated with the throngs of people buying good luck charms in preparation for the Year of the Rat.

Feng shui says that “2008 is not good for those born with the zodiac signs of the rat, rabbit, horse and ram”. At Victoria Department Store, they even have a chart displaying recommended lucky feng shui charms to avoid misfortune for these zodiac signs.

Those under zodiac signs of rat should have lucky charms of ox and monkey; for rabbit: dog and pig; for ram: pig; for ox: snake and rooster; for tiger: pig and dog; for snake: monkey and ox; for monkey: snake and dragon; for rooster: dragon and snake; for dog: tiger; and for pig: tiger.

I was quite impressed with Victoria’s wide assortment of Feng Shui books, home decor, bracelets, fortune plants, lanterns, among others to usher in the coming New Year. What I like about Victoria’s accommodating staff is their vast knowledge of the department store’s Chinese ‘good luck’ products.

On the other hand, Gaisano Mall has an ongoing ‘China Fest’ at their atrium where they sell colorful and elegant cheongsams, scrumptious Chinese delicacies, traditional decorations and trinkets, to name a few.

On February 7 at 3-5 p.m., bring the kids to GMall to watch an entertaining Chinese cultural presentation, with an upbeat lion dance as one of the highlights. The traditional Chinese dance mimics the lion's movements in a lion costume, accompanied by gongs and drums; representing the descent of good luck.

Together, let us welcome the Year of the Rat, which promises a year of opportunity and good prospects.

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

(E-mail the author at mom.about.town.dvo@gmail.com. Visit www.mom-about-town.blogspot.com)