Begitu juga dengan adat pemberian angpau dan majlis makan

beramai-ramai yang lebih dikenali sebagai yee sang.

Yee sang bermaksud majlis makan beramai-ramai untuk

keuntungan di kalangan masyarakat Cina yang menjadi tarikan

utama sempena sambutan Tahun Baru Cina.

Walaupun kehidupan kini yang serba moden, adat resam ini masih

dikekalkan dan tetap diamalkan sehingga kini.

Malah, kebanyakan remaja Cina masih mempercayai dan

mengamalkan adat berkenaan supaya ia dapat dipertahankan

sepanjang zaman.

Antara yang masih dipertahankan ialah pantang larang ketika

sambutan perayaan terbabit iaitu tidak boleh menyapu rumah pada

hari pertama sambutan kerana menganggap ia boleh membuang

segala keuntungan yang ada.

Loi Bee Theng, 23, berkata, sama seperti masyarakat lain, kaum

Cina juga menyambut kedatangan tahun baru dengan meriah yang

diyakini dapat memberikan lebih kemakmuran dan kekayaan

kepada mereka.

Katanya, mereka akan pastikan tidak akan melakukan perkara yang

boleh merosakkan pembawaan keuntungan dalam kehidupan untuk

satu tahun mendatang.

Masyarakat Cina turut percaya bahawa mereka akan ditimpa

malang jika pinggan mangkuk yang digunakan pada hari sambutan

pecah.

Oleh itu, mereka akan pastikan untuk sentiasa berhati-hati ketika

melakukan kerja rumah supaya tiada petanda buruk boleh berlaku

kepada keluarga mereka.

Malah, menurut gadis ini, acara makan beramai-ramai paling

dinantikan ketika sambutan berkenaan kerana ia dapat

memperlihatkan perpaduan dan keakraban sesebuah keluarga yang

dapat bersama-sama berkumpul bagi merayakannya.

Menurutnya, walau sesibuk manapun individu terbabit dengan

pelajaran, kerjaya, perniagaan ataupun urusan seharian mereka,

sambutan acara ini tidak boleh dilepaskan.

"Kita perlu pulang ke kampung berjumpa sanak-saudara

memandangkan sesetengah orang mungkin hanya dapat berjumpa

keluarga mereka setahun sekali.

"Ia adalah perkara wajib yang perlu dilakukan bagi menunjukkan

tanda terima kasih kepada keluarga seluruhnya," katanya ketika

ditemui di Taman Maluri, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, baru-baru ini.

Sementara itu, Ong Huey Shyan, 23, berkata sungguhpun kini

kebanyakan remaja tidak lagi mengenakan pakaian tradisional

seperti dulu, ini tidak bermakna segala tradisi turut dilupakan.

"Kami masih mengenakan pakaian berwarna merah dan

mengelakkan pemakaian baju warna hitam kerana beranggapan

ketika menyambut sesuatu perayaan, kita perlu kelihatan ceria,"

katanya.

Selain itu, pemberian angpau masih tetap diamalkan iaitu bagi

pasangan berkahwin mereka perlu memberikan angpau kepada

kanak-kanak dan mereka yang belum berkahwin.

"Ia sememangnya dinanti-nantikan kerana pada ketika ini saya

dapat mengumpulkan banyak angpau daripada sanak-saudara.

"Malah, sekiranya individu berkenaan sudah lanjut usia, tetapi

masih belum berkahwin, dia tetap akan mendapat pemberian

angpau. Sama ada dia menerimanya ataupun tidak, bergantung

kepada individu berkenaan," katanya.

Cindy Lee Ker Sin, 23, pula menjelaskan kewujudan pantang-larang

adalah untuk membimbing perlakuan supaya tidak termasuk dalam

kategori masyarakat tidak beradab.

Mungkin ramai tidak mempercayainya kerana menganggap ia

sesuatu yang tidak boleh diterima pakai tetapi bagi mereka yang

mengamalkannya, ia membantu dalam menjadikan kehidupan lebih

bermakna.

Baginya sendiri, perayaan, adat resam dan pantang-larang yang

diperturunkan tidak boleh dipandang ringan kerana ia menjadikan

siapa diri seseorang itu hari ini.

"Kita perlu memeliharanya supaya tidak terus tenggelam dalam

arus kemodenan dunia tanpa sempadan kini.

"Selain kita sebagai generasi muda, siapa lagi yang boleh

membantu mengekalkannya untuk tatapan dan pengetahuan

generasi akan datang," katanya.

Bagaimanapun, berlainan pula dengan Kenneth Kang, 24, yang

tidak lagi mengamalkan adat tradisi ini selepas kematian neneknya.

Menurutnya, dia sekeluarga tidak begitu mengamalkan adat tradisi

itu kerana kurang mempercayainya namun ada sebahagian yang

masih diamalkan.

"Kami masih mengamalkan acara makan beramai-ramai sebelum

Tahun Baru Cina kerana pada ketika itu, ia memberikan banyak

kegembiraan dengan berkumpul semula bersama keluarga.

"Lebih-lebih lagi semua sanak-saudara berada jauh di perantauan

dan ketika itulah kami dapat bersemuka dan bergembira bersama,"

katanya

Sumber: Pantang-larang Tahun Baru Cina

Sila baca lagi di http://zonfiniti.blogspot.com

KENALI PERAYAAN KAUM CINA- SAMBUTAN TAHUN BARU CINA Tahun Baru Cina merupakan perayaan terpenting orang

Cina bagi menyambut tahun baru dalam kalendar qamari

Cina. Kalendar qamari Cina terbahagi kepada kitaran 12

tahun dan dinamakan sempena nama haiwan.

Tarikh hari tahun Baru Cina dari 1996 hingga 2019 (dalam

kalendar Gregory) adalah disenaraikan seperti berikut,

besertakan lambang haiwan dalam zodiak Cina dan

lambang dahan buminya. Nama-nama dahan bumi tersebut

bukan perkataan bahasa Cina bagi haiwan-haiwan tersebut.

Haiwan Dahan bumi Tarikh

Tikus 子 zǐ 19 Februari 1996 7 Februar 2008

Lembu 丑 chǒu 7 Februari 1997 26 Januari 2009

Harimau

寅 yín 28 Januari 1998 14 Februari 2010

Arnab 卯 mǎo 16 Februari 1999 3 Februari 2011

Naga 辰 chén 5 Februari 2000 23 Januari 2012

Ular 巳 sì 24 Januari 2001 10 Februari 2013

Kuda 午 wǔ 12 Februari 2002 31 Januari 2014

Kambing 未 wèi 1 Februari 2003 19 Februari 2015

Monyet 申 shēn 22 Januari 2004 8 Februari 2016

Ayam 酉 yǒu 9 Februari 2005 28 Januari 2017

Anjing 戌 xū 29 Januari 2006 16 Februari 2018

Khinzir 亥 hài 18 Februari 2007 5 Februari 2019

Tahun Baru Cina melambangkan permulaan, titik permulaan

dalam nasib dan kehidupan. Sebelum hari tahun baru

bermula, sanak saudara yang jauh akan kembali berkumpul.

Rumah akan dicuci dan segala hutang-piutang dikutip atau

dibayar agar mereka tidak sentiasa dikelilingi hutang

sepanjang tahun yang baru. Mercun dibakar pada tengah

malam bagi menandakan bermulanya tahun baru dan bagi

menghalau puaka dan nasib malang. Rumah-rumah dihiasi

dengan buah limau sebagai simbol murah rezeki, bunga

dan pokok limau.

Tahun Baru Cina diraikan dengan jamuan yee sang dan

kuih bakul. Kaum keluarga akan makan besar dengan

masakan tradisi seperti daging itik, daging salai, sosej, kuih

pulut, dan limau mandarin. Golongan muda pula akan

melawat golongan tua dan menerima wang ang pau dalam

sampul merah bagi melambangkan nasib baik, yang

diberikan oleh orang yang berkeluarga kepada mereka yang

masih belum kahwin. Perarakan tarian naga atau singa

akan diadakan, dengan kereta berhias yang diiringi bunyi

gendang. Lima belas hari selepas perayaan Tahun Baru

Cina, perayaan Tahun Baru Cina ditamatkan dengan

perayaan Chap Goh Mei.

Tahun Baru Cina bukan sahaja diraikan oleh kaum Cina di

merata dunia, malah turut dirayakan oleh bangsa Korea,

Vietnam, Mongol dan Miao (Hmong China) yang

dipengaruhi oleh China dari segi kebudayaan dan

keagamaan, maka turut memakai kalendar qamari Cina.

MITOS DISEBALIK SAMBUTAN PERAYAAN TAHUN

BARU CINA

Menurut legenda, pada zaman dahulu, Nián (年) ialah

seekor raksasa pemakan manusia dari pergunungan (dalam

versi-versi lain, dari bawah laut), yang muncul setiap 12

tahun, sekitar musim sejuk, untuk memburu manusia. Orang

ramai kemudiannya percaya bahawa raksasa Nian sukar

menahan bunyi bising dan warna merah, maka mereka

mengusirnya dengan letupan, bunga api dan penggunaan

warna merah secara meluas. Adat-adat inilah yang

membawa kepada perayaan Tahun Baru yang sulung. Guò

nián (Cina Tradisional: 過年, Cina Ringkas: 过年), yang

bermaksud "menyambut tahun baru", membawa erti harfiah

"meredah raksasa Nian".[1][2]

SAMBUTAN PERAYAAN

Sambutan Tahun Baru Cina ditandakan oleh penziarahan

ahli keluarga saudara-mara dan sahabat, serta penggunaan

warna merah yang berlebihan. Ang pau diberi kepada orang

muda dan kanak-kanak oleh orang tua dan yang telah

kahwin

2011 Year of the Rabbit

(3 Feb 2011- 22 Jan 2012)

2011 is the the Metal Rabbit. The Rabbit is the

fourth animal in the Chinese

zodiac cycle consisting of 12

animals. (Note:

The 12 Zodiac animal signs

(生肖 shengxiao) are, in

order, the rat, ox, tiger,

rabbit, dragon, snake,

horse, sheep (ram or

goat), monkey, rooster,

dog, and pig.)

About the Year

The year of the rabbit starts on first day of the Chinese

Lunar Calendar, which is on

3rd February 201, and

ends on

22

January

2012. The Year

of the

Rabbit,

2011, in

the

Chinese calendar, is

symbolized by two elements – with metal sitting on top

of wood.

According to some

astrologist, 2011 will be

more peaceful than 2010 on

the surface but there is

disharmony, tension and

surprise attacks and

elements associated with

assassinations and secret

plots.

Personality of the Rabbit

A person born in the Year of the Rabbit is believed to be neat

and tidy

Like the rabbit they are usually prefer to stay out of conflict

and pretty quick to get themselves out of trouble.

They also do not like taking risks. The person born under this

Zodiac sign feels attached to their families and also likes the

company of others - not happy being alone.

The rabbit person tends to keep their emotions inside and is

seen as being “cool, calm and collected” or being in control of

the situation. He or She is often intelligent and shows interest

in worldly things.

Rabbits and the 5 elements

Metal Rabbits – Years 1951 and 2011: Metal gives Rabbits more strength,

resilience and determination. Metal Rabbits are more intense in their actions,

whether they‟re work-related or romantic.

Water Rabbits – Years 1903 and 1963

Wood Rabbits – Years 1915 and 1975

Fire Rabbits – Years 1927 and 1987

Earth Rabbits – Years 1939 and 1999

Compatibility

Those born in the year of the Rabbit is most compatible with those of the year of

the Pig and Dog. The rabbit is incompatible with the Rooster and Rat.

Sources/ Reference:

1) Ramond Lo Feng Shui website

2) About sichuan china

3) World of Feng Shui

4) Chinese Zodiac

Chinese New Year (Jan/Feb) is Asia's

most widely celebrated festival. Its a celebration for Chinese not only in

Malaysia and Singapore but all over the

world. Chinese New Year is the first day

of the year according to the Chinese

lunar calendar. Before the old year ends, it is a

custom for Chinese to spring clean or

even paint their houses. Actual

celebrations starts on the day before

the new year, where family members

gather for a reunion dinner. Many

Chinese Malaysians will travel back to

their hometown or family homes for this

day. The reunion dinner is the a major

celebration and gathering for the family

- a once a year affair for many who

have children working out of town.

Many Taoists and Buddhist Chinese will

go to the temple to pray for blessings

for a good year.

Temples are also crowed in the

morning of the New Year where many

offer prayers to ancestors and gods and

ask for blessing for a good year. On

Chinese New Year day relatives and

friends visit each other to offer their

good wishes and it is customary to give

mandarin oranges during a visit, as a

token of good luck and prosperity. New

year gifts of food (s.a. cookies, dates,

oranges, liquor, groundnuts, etc.) are

also exchange between relatives,

friends and business associates. Married

couples are obliged to give red packets

filled with money (called Angpow in

Malaysian Hokkien or Hong bao in

Mandarin) to children of relatives or

friends. The New Year celebrations

Chinese New Year

Giving of 'ang pow' or

red packets

Mandarin Orange is a

must for Chinese New

Year

traditionally extend to 15 days, where

the 15th day is the Chap Goh Meh

festival. The most important festival

during the 15 days of the new year, for

the Hokkiens in Malaysia and

Singapore, is the Festival of the Jade

Emperor, celebrated on the 9th day of

the new year. What Malaysians and

Singaporeans normally do:

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Before Chinese

New

Year

Clean the house - spring cleaning.

Prepare Chinese New Year Cakes, cookies or

biscuits (e.g. kueh kapit or love letters, kueh

bulu, kueh bunga, Nian Gao, etc)

Chinese New Year Recipes

Shop for new clothes, curtains, Chinese New

Year decoration, food, new year gifts, etc....

Stock up food for the long holidays.

Balik Kampong or go back to their family home or hometown. The family reunion

dinner is held on Chinese New Year Eve. Its

usually at home or at a restaurant.

Visit the temple to offer prayers.

Chinese

New

Year

Dress up, family gather to pay respect and

good wishes

Visit the temple to offer prayers

Enjoy family gathering

Visit relatives and Chinese friends, with mandarin oranges to offer new year wishes.

Have open houses, invite friends and relatives

usually to eat New Year cookies and celebrate

the new year.

Eating and feasting on cakes and other New

Year dishes

While adults give out ang pow (red packets),

children receive them.

Go for holidays, see a show, dinning or

shopping

New year is also a time where many gambles - usually a friendly game of cards among friends

and relatives!

Beliefs Cleaning the house - A traditional belief of sweeping out the ill fortune of the old year.

Sweeping out is not recommended on New

Year's Day for fear of sweeping away the good

fortune that the new year brings.

Debts - Settling or paying off old debts and

collect what is owed to you before the new

year, so your fortunes are not lost and you will

prosper.

Other Chinese Festivals

Chap Goh Meh (in the Hokkien dialect) is the last day of the Chinese Spring festival

or New Year celebrations or 15th day of the Chinese lunar calendar. Chinese normally

celebrate by having a grand dinner and Buddhists and Taoist Chinese mark the day

with offerings and prayers. In the old, single girls will throw tangerines into the sea -

a belief that that will bring them a good spouse......

Festival of the Heavenly God or Jade Emperor

(9th day of the Chinese lunar calendar) This

festival starts on the early morning of the 9th day

of the Chinese lunar calendar (after midnight of the

8th day). It is the most important spring festival

for the Hokkiens (mainly descendents from Fujian

province, China), a celebration which is celebrated

widely by the Buddhist and Taoists Chinese in

Malaysia. The celebration marks the birthday of the

Jade Emperor or Guardian or Heavenly God, who

lives in the centre of the universe. The most

important offering for the Hokkien clan/ community is 'kam chia' or suger cane.

(Read story below)

In Penang, this festival is celebrated with in a grand scale, and can be observed at the Clan Jetties, near the ferry terminal (see map of George Town). The height of

celebration starts near midnight on the 8th day of the Chinese lunar calendar.

Prayers and offering are made to the god in front of the homes of many Chinese in

the country (Photo: typical offerings to in homes). Houses are usually brightly lit on

this night. There is usually fireworks on a feast after the prayers.

Story of the Hokkien clan and prominance of the sugar can plant:

During the Song Dynasty (Mongol dynasty) most of the clans in Southern China

(Fujian, Henan, Zhejiang) were heavily repressed and lived under great fear of the

Mongols. The Hokkien clan were constantly at the mercy of the Mongols who

attacked and hunted them, because the Hokkiens are seen a threat to the empire.

The Hokkiens then fled to the Henan province where sugarcane plantations were

in abundance. Though many wre killed by the pursuing Mongols, a group of Hokkiens

managed to hide themselves among the sugarcane plants. The pursuing Mongols

searched the area for days but never located the remaining Hokkiens.

The Mongols eventually gave up and returned to their base. On the ninth day of

the Chinese Calendar, the Hokkiens happily emerged from their hideout praising the

celestial deities for saving them and believed that the Heavenly God had protected

them. Thus, from then on, in all Hokkien celebrations, the sugarcane plant is given

special prominence.

That is why the Ninth day is regarded as the day of salvation by the Hokkien

community. As offering to the Heavenly God, a pair of sugarcane plants is

usually placed, one on each side of the offering table. The pair symbolises unity,

cooperation and strength.

Festival of the Nine Emperor Gods

(according to lunar calendar -

Sept/Oct) This festival falls on the ninth day

of the ninth moon in the Chinese lunar calendar.

The Nine Emperor Gods are spiritual mediums

believed to dwell in the stars in heaven. On the

eve of the ninth moon, temples of the Deities hold

a ceremony to welcome the gods. The rituals

during the festival acts as a channel between

celestial beings and humans for the salvation and

protection of mankind. The Gods are believed to

travel through the waterways so processions are held from temples to the seashore

or river. The celebration lasts for 9 days. Many devotees throng to the temples to

offer prayers and follow a vegetarian diet during this period. On the 9th day ends

usually with a fire-walking ritual. In Penang temples are crowded and streets are

lined with stalls selling praying items of vegetarian food.

Dragon Boat Festival / Chang Festival (according to lunar calendar -

June/July) This festival marks the

death of a Chinese poet and scholar Qu Yuan who drowned in 296 BC in

Hunan province in China . When

people heard of his disappearance,

they scoured the river in boats to rescue him, beating

their drums to scare off the fishes from nibbling at his

body. Unable to find his body, they made glutinous rice

dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves and threw them

into the river in the hope that the fishes would eat these

dumplings instead of his remains. To commemorate the

occasion, boats were decorated with dragon heads on

their bows.

This day falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar.The tradition of making

dumplings (called 'chang')is celebrated by the Chinese

community in Malaysia with the offering of the

dumplings to the gods and their ancestors. The festival

is celebrated in Penang annually with an international

dragon boat competition which is immensely popular and

attracts participants from all over the world.

Cheng Beng (April) This event falls on the third month of the lunar calendar and usually coincides with

April. It is the Chinese equivalent of All Souls‟ Day.

During this month, the Chinese will visit the cemeteries

to clean the ancestral graves and make offerings to the

spirits of their departed loved ones.

details and

more photos

of these celebrations in My Penang

travel guide

sold online only at myMalaysia-

store

Mid-autumn festival or Moon Cake

festival (15th day

of the 8th month of the lunar calendar)

- celebrated by the

Chinese to

commemorate the

overthrow of the

Mongol dynasty in

Ancient China.

Shops sell a variety

of mooncakes

which are offered to the moon fairy. The

cakes are exchanged as gifts among

relatives and friends during this month. Children would light colourful lanterns in

the shape of animals or other objects

during the night. In many parts of

Malaysia a lantern procession or display

is held to mark this day.

How to make moon cake at our Chinese

Cookies page

Year of the Ox - 2009

Chinese New Year - 26 January 2009

2009 is the year of the Ox which is also known by its formal name of Yi Chou. 己丑

. In the Hsia calendar, is symbolized by

two elements – with earth sitting on top of

earth. The Chinese calendar year goes on 60-year

cycle. 2009 is the 10-th year in the current 60-year

Cycle. 2009 is Year 4706 in the Chinese calendar. The

Ox belongs to the earth element and is the second of

the 12 animal signs.

Astrologists believe that it is a year for healing and relaxation from the turbulent times. It is a time

for rebuilding and reconstructions from the damage of

war, natural disasters and the financial tsunami of

2008.

2009 is represented by the “Yin Earth”. Those born in a day of “Yin Earth” are often moderate and

harmonious. Some examples of famous earth people

born on a “Yin Earth” day are Barak Obama, Celine

Dion, Leonardo Da Vinci, Tchaikovsky, Larry King,

Donald Trump, and Charles Darwin.

The animal sign that is most unfavourable in the year of the Ox is the Goat. Those born in the year of

the Goat will anticipate more travelling, or

movements. It is advisable for them to carry the

pendant of a Rat as protection to attract the Ox away.

Those born in year of the Ox are offending the Grand

Duke (also not auspicious) should also carry the Rat

pendant to minimize the negative effect. Those born in

the animal year - the Rat, the Snake, and the Rooster are in harmony with the Ox. However, clashes and

negative affects can also impact any one who born of

any animals a sign, depending on the birth dates –

whether it is the month, or day or hour.

The earth element of the Ox year favours the wood

and fire industries, as wood conquers earth – it is a

symbol of money favouring the wood industry, such as forestry, furniture, fashion, textile, paper, media,

newspaper, etc. The unfavourable industrial sectors in

2009 are industries of Water and Metal.

Year 2008 is year of the Rat

In Chinese Astrology, the Chinese calendar has a twelve year cycle and each year is named after an

animal – forming the 12 animal signs. All information

about time – year, month, day and hour are presented

in terms of the five basic elements – metal, water,

wood, fire and earth, which represents the basic

components of everything in the Universe. The year 2008, in

the Hsia calendar, is symbolized by two elements – with earth sitting on top of

water.

2008 is Year of the brown Rat?

The Rat belongs to the strongest water element and it is the first of the 12 animal

signs. It also represents the beginning of a new 12 years cycle. The Year 2008 is a the Brown Earth Rat Year - As Earth is equivalent to the

colour brown in the Five-Element system, 2008 is also called the Brown Rat year.

Dragon dance (simplified Chinese: 舞龙; traditional Chinese: 舞龍; pinyin: wǔ lóng) is a form

of traditional dance and performance in Chinese culture. Like the lion dance it is most often seen

in festive celebrations. Many Chinese people often use the term "Descendants of the Dragon"

(龍的傳人 or 龙的传人, lóng de chuán rén) as a sign of ethnic identity, as part of a trend started

in the 1970s. Another derivation is from (農的傳人) i.e. the descendants of Shennong, the

legendary first king of the Chinese people who taught them agriculture, law and medicine, the

foundations of civilization.

In the dance, a team of people carry the dragon — which is an image of the Chinese dragon —

on poles. A dragon can be composed of up to 50 people.[1]

The dance team does mimic the

supposed movements of this river spirit in a sinuous, undulating manner. The movements in a

performance traditionally symbolise historical roles of dragons demonstrating power and dignity.

The dragon dance is a highlight of Chinese New Year celebrations held worldwide in

Chinatowns around the world.

Dragons are believed to bring good luck to people, which is reflected in their qualities that

include great power, dignity, fertility (sex), wisdom and auspiciousness. The appearance of a

dragon is both frightening[citation needed]

and bold but it has a benevolent disposition, and so

eventually became an emblem to represent imperial authority.

Contents [hide]

1 History 2 Performance 3 In literature 4 Notes 5 External links

[edit] History

The head of dragon dance costume

A dragon dance is performed alongside a lion dance during the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay in

San Francisco in April

Lion dances originated in India and Vietnam along with Buddhist lore and ritual. The popular

form of lion dancing todays Chinese culture evolved in China, though several countries

throughout the Asian region, including Japan, have developed their own styles of lion dance

through the centuries.

The Dragon Dance itself originated during the Han Dynasty and was started by the Chinese who

had shown great belief and respect towards the dragon. It is believed to have begun as part of the

farming and harvest culture, also with origins as a method of healing and preventing sickness. It

was already a popular event during the Song Dynasty where it had become a folk activity and

like the lion dance, was most often seen in festive celebrations.[2]

As the dragon gives people a feeling of great respect, it is often called the Sacred Dragon. The

emperors of ancient China considered themselves as the dragon. The Dragon is also the emblem

of Imperial Authority. It symbolizes supernatural power, goodness, fertility, vigilance and

dignity.

In the Qing Dynasty, the Dragon Dance team of the province of Foochow had been invited to

perform in Peking and had been greatly praised and admired by the Qing Emperor, which earned

great fame for the team.

[edit] Performance

Members of the Chinese Youth Society of Melbourne performing at Chinese New Year demonstrate a

basic "corkscrew" trick

The dragon dance is performed by a skilled team whose job is to bring the motionless body to

life. The dragon itself is a long serpent shaped body on poles, assembled by joining the series of

hoops on each section and attaching the ornamental head and tail pieces at the ends.

Traditionally, dragons were constructed of wood, with bamboo hoops on the inside and covered

with a rich fabric, however in the modern era lighter materials such as aluminium and plastics

have replaced the wood and heavy material.[2]

Dragons can range in length from around 25 to 35 meters for the more acrobatic models, and up

to 50 to 70 meters for the largest, parade and ceremonial styles, since part of the myth of the

dragon is that the longer the creature, the more luck it will bring. The size and length of a dragon

depend on the human power available, financial power, materials, skills and size of the field. Its

length typically ranges from 9 sections to 15 sections long, though some dragons are as long as

46 sections.

A small organization cannot afford to run a very long dragon because it consumes great human

power, great expenses and special skills which are difficult to manage. The normal length and

size of the body recommended for the dragon is 112 feet (34 meters) and is divided into 9 major

sections. The distance of each minor (rib-like) section is 14 inches apart; therefore, the body has

81 rings. History tells us that the dragon dance is performed in various ways, types and colors.

Green is sometimes selected as a main color of the dragon, which symbolizes a great harvest.

Other colors include: yellow symbolizing the solemn empire, golden or silver colors symbolizing

prosperity, red color representing excitement while its scales and tail are mostly beautiful silver

colors and glittering at all times which provides a feeling of joyous atmosphere. As the Dragon

dance is not performed every day, the cloth of the dragon is to be removed and to have a new

touch of ultra-paint before the next performance.

The correct combination and proper timing of the different parts of the dragon are very important

to make a successful dance. Any mistakes made by even some of the performers would spoil the

whole performance. To be very successful in the dance, the head of the Dragon must be able to

co-operate with the body in combination with the timing of the drum. For larger ceremonial and

parade style dragons, the head can weigh as much as 12 katis (14.4 kg, almost 32 lb). The dragon

tail also has an important role to play as it will have to keep in time with head movements. The

fifth section is considered to be the middle portion and the performers must be very alert as the

body movements change from time to time.

In competition performances however, there are strict rules governing the specifications of the

dragon body and the routine performed, and so dragons made for these events and what are

mostly seen in the impressive stage shows are made for speed and agility, to be used by the

performing team for maximum trick difficulty. In these dragons, the head is smaller and light

enough to be whipped around, and must be a minimum of 3 kg, the body pieces are a light

aluminium with cane and the majority of the hoops will be very thin PVC tubing. Performances

are typically made into 8-10 minute routines with an accompanying percussion set.[2]

A double dragon dance at Chongqing, China in September 2002 during a week-long celebration of

China's National Day

A double dragon dance, rarely seen in Western exhibitions, involves two troupes of dancers

intertwining the dragons. Even rarer are dances with the full array of nine dragons, since nine is a

"perfect" number. Such dances involve large number of participants from various organizations,

and are often only possible under the auspices of the greater community.

The patterns of the dragon dance are choreographed according to the skills and experiences

acquired by the performers. Some of the patterns of the dragon dance are "Cloud Cave",

"Whirlpool", Tai-Chi pattern, "threading the money", "looking for pearl", and "dragon encircling

the pillar". The movement "dragon chasing the pearl" shows that the dragon is continually in the

pursuit of wisdom.

The dragon moves in a wave-like pattern achieved by the co-ordinated swinging of each section

in succession. Whilst this swinging constitutes the basic movement of the dragon, executing

more complex formations is only limited by a team’s creativity. The patterns and tricks that are

performed generally involve running into spiralled formations to make the dragon body turn and

twist on itself. This causes performers to jump over or through the dragon’s body sections,

adding to the visual display. Other advanced manoeuvres include various corkscrew-like rotating

tricks and more acrobatic moves where the performers stand on each others legs and shoulders to

increase the height of the dragon’s movements.[2]

Performing in a dragon dance team incorporates several elements and skills; it is something of a

cross-over activity, combining the training and mentality of a sports team with the stagecraft and

flair of a performing arts troupe. The basic skills are simple to learn, however to become a

competent performer takes dedicated training until movements become second nature and

complex formations can be achieved – which rely not only on the skill of the individual member,

but on concentration by the team as a whole to move in co-operation.[2

Chinese New Year Foods

Dishes to Bring Good Fortune to Your Home & Family

also see -> Chinese Horoscopes | Mid-Autumn Harvest Moon Festival

"Chi fan le mei you?" "Have you eaten yet?" Is a common greeting to guests as they enter your home to celebrate the Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year throughout the west. Many of the traditions of Chinese New Year center around food either being cooked or eaten.

To all people who trace their roots back to China, the most important date in the Lunar calendar is Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival, a traditional time for feasting with family and friends that dates back thousands of years.

As at all traditional Chinese gatherings, food plays an important role in the Chinese New Year Festival. Dinners tend to be very elaborate involving tables laden with auspicious foods.

On New Year's Eve, families have a reunion feast which includes nian gao, a sticky rice pudding cake which is said to make people "advance toward higher positions and prosperity step by step." A New Year's Eve tradition from Northern China, dumplings (jiao zi), look like the golden ingots yuan bao used during the Ming Dynasty for money and the name sound like the word for the earliest paper money, so serving them brings the promise of wealth and prosperity!

Many families eat these at midnight so they have money at the changing of the years. Some cooks will hide a clean coin in one for the most lucky to find. Long noodles are used to guarantee that all at the table will have a long life.

Whether fish or fowl, dishes are prepared whole. The use of knives or cleavers

are considerd unlucky as this could sever the entire family's good fortune.

Almost every dish has a symbolic meaning or name that sounds like a Chinese characters for fortune, happiness, longevity and prosperity. Hoe see fat choy, hair seaweed (fat choy) with dried oysters (ho see) sounds like "wealth and good business," lotus roots (lin ngau) mean abundance year after year, while lettuce translates into "growing wealth" and pig's

tongue forecasts "profit." When Cantonese families visit each other to exchange New Year greetings it is customary to take gifts such as tangerines and oranges, as their Chinese names sound like "gold" and "wealth". In many homes, a platter with either five meat or five vegetable dishes might be served. Whether meat or vegetable dishes are included, this dish is called "the five blessings of the new year," referring to longevity, riches, peace, wisdom and virtue.

On New Year's Eve, when everyone gathers around the table for the "Family Reunion Dinner" carp is a typical main course, because it symbolises a profitable year ahead. The fish is never fully eaten to ensure that the family will have an excess of good fortune through the year. Vegetables embody the freshness of "evergreen" and store good fortune in their roots. Fish balls (yu-wan) and meat balls (jou-wan) are symbolic of "reunion." The round shape of the meat and fish balls portrays "togetherness." Great care is taken to serve an even number of dishes to bestow "double happiness" on the family.

To ensure completeness and to avoid misfortune, most New Year dishes are prepared with uncut or whole ingredients. You are probably familiar with a duck or chicken being served with the head and feet. When cooking, people generally avoid chopping up fish, leafy greens and other items such as noodles. In fact, using knives, cleavers or sharp objects during the holiday season is considered unlucky as this could sever the entire family's good fortune. If chopped ingredients are used for the recipes, they are prepared before the Spring Festival to avoid the possibility of bad omens. This also makes the work of preparing the feasts a bit easier during the festival!

During the weeklong New Year celebrations, every household keeps their tables topped up with sweet and savoury specialties so they can welcome family and friends with a choice of festive treats. Another prerequisite of Lunar New Year is the "tray of togetherness", a tray or special box filled with an assortment of auspicious treats. Among the more popular treats are sweetened lotus roots (symbolising abundance), sweetened lotus seeds (suggesting fertility), dried melon seeds (symbolising profuse earnings), and all kinds of candies, which are a source of long-term sweetness.

Customs dictates that most families begin the first day of Chinese New Year with a vegetarian meal to counteract the effects of the excessive feasting on New Year's Eve. The choice of vegetables may include exotic types of mushrooms, bamboo shoots and bean sprouts. The meat-free meal is also considered fortuitous for garnering good karma by refraining from eating anything that has been killed.

The second day of the New Year is the important "Day of Commencement" when businesses and household begin a new year of work with a commencement lunch. Cooks prepare a lavish line-up of dishes comprising chicken, shrimp, oysters and abalone. For enterprises such as retail shops these popular New Year mainstays are turned into hearty fares that include chicken, preserved duck, braised

Tangerines and oranges are given as gifts, as their

Chinese names sound like "gold" and "wealth".

seaweed with dried oysters, and carp. The lavish meal inspires good team spirit and raises hope for a profitable year.

The third day of New Year is a day to avoid social interaction, since it's known as the "Day of Squabbles". Staying home is considered the wise thing to do, and what better to spend the day than a continuing to indulge in eating mouth-watering New Year treats? Again, auspicious-sounding ingredients such as lettuce and seaweed top the list of ingredients used in preparing sumptuous meals for all the family. The dawn of the fourth day marks the return of the Kitchen God after a brief trip back to Heaven where it had delivered an account of the families' behaviour over the previous 12 months.

The seventh day of the New Year is known as "Everybody's Birthday" — a day for all to celebrate new birth with yet another round of delightful feasts. Many years ago those who aspired to receive specific blessings — such as scoring the highest marks in an Imperial Exam — would dine on symbolic dishes that would include the "Scholar's Congee" (a dish made from boiled rice, pork and a pig's internal organs).

The 15th day of the New Year marks China's very own Valentine's Day, which is also known as the Lantern Festival. Decorative lanterns are hung both indoors and outdoors and lantern parties become the major attraction for everyone to enjoy. A typical Lantern Festival treat called "Yuan Siu" — round glutinous rice balls stuffed with sweet fillings are eaten to symbolise togetherness and completeness.

A family activity during the festive spring season might include visiting walled villages to sample their fire pot "big bowl feast" ("Poon Tsoi" in Cantonese), which is regarded as a hearty treat when the weather is chilly. A traditional fire pot is a fondue style meal served in a wooden dish filled with layers of vegetables, meat and seafood. The base is usual lined with Chinese lettuce, sang choi, which sounds very much like the word meaning "to bring about wealth and riches." Cooked turnip, which has been chopped and cooked with stir-fried pork skin, strips of bean curd, bean curd balls or fish balls make the next layer. On top comes a layer of dried squid, roast pork, dried oysters, braised lotus roots and chicken. The tastes and flavours of this mouth-watering dish are enough to whet the appetite of the fussiest eater.

During the New Year month, auspicious ingredients such as oysters, seaweed, abalone, and sea cucumber are added to the feast as symbols of good fortune. Fish (yu) represent "having enough to spare," while the word for garlic chives sounds like chiu-tsai and has the meaning of "everlasting," wishing your family and guest a long life. Turnips (tsai tou) mean "good omens." Hao, oysters, sounds like the word for "an auspicious occasion or event."

Source...

The Hong Kong Tourist Board was the primary source for this information, although this

was supplemented by many other friends and resources.

also see in Travel -> China | Hong Kong Tourist Attractions

Spring Festival Celebration

Chinese New Year Celebration is the most important celebration of the year. Chinese people may

celebrate the Chinese New Year in slightly different ways but their wishes are almost the same; they

want their family members and friends to be healthy and lucky during next year.

Chinese New Year Celebration usually lasts for 15 days. Celebratory activities include Chinese New

Feast, firecrackers, giving lucky money to children, the New Year bell ringing and Chinese New Year

Greetings. Most of Chinese people will stop the celebrating in their home on the 7th day of New Year

because the national holiday usually ends around that day, however celebrations in public areas can

last until the 15th day of New Year.

House Cleaning

To clean houses on the New Year Even is a very old custom dating back to thousands of years ago.

The dust is traditionally associated with “old” so cleaning their houses and sweeping the dust mean to

bid farewell to the “old” and usher in the “new”. Days before the New Year, Chinese families clean

their houses, sweeping the floor, washing daily things, cleaning the spider webs and dredging the

ditches. People do all these things happily in the hope of a good coming year.

House decoration

One of the house decorations is to post couplets on doors. On the Spring Festival couplets, good

wishes are expressed. New Year couplets are usually posted in pairs as even numbers are associated

with good luck and auspiciousness in Chinese culture.

People in north China are used to posting paper-cut on their windows. When sticking the window

decoration paper-cuts, people paste on the door large red Chinese character A red means good

luck and fortune, so it is customary to post on doors or walls on auspicious occasions such as

wedding, festivals.

Waiting for the First Bell Ringing of Chinese New Year

The first bell ringing is the symbol of Chinese New Year. Chinese people like to go to a large squares

where there are huge bells are set up on New Year‟s Eve. As the New Year approaches they count

down and celebrate together. The people believe that the ringing of huge bell can drive all the bad

luck away and bring the fortune to them. In recent years, some people have begun going to mountain

temples to wait for the first ringing. Hanshan Temple in Suzhou, is very famous temple for its first

ringing of the bell to herald Chinese New Year. Many foreigners now go to Hanshan Temple to

celebrate Chinese New Year.

Staying up late ("Shousui")

Shousui means to stay up late or all night on New Year's Eve. After the great dinner, families sit

together and chat happily to wait for the New Year‟s arrival.

New Year Feast

Spring Festival is a time for family reunion. The New Year's Feast is "a must" banquet with all the

family members getting together. The food eaten on the New Year Even banquet varies according to

regions. In south China, It is customary to eat "niangao" (New Year cake made of glutinous rice flour)

because as a homophone, niangao means "higher and higher every year". In the north, a traditional

dish for the feast is "Jiaozi" or dumplings shaped like a crescent moon.

Setting Firecrackers

Lighting Firecrackers used to be one of the most important customs in the Spring Festival celebration.

However, concerning the danger and the negative noises that lighting firecrackers may bring, the

government has banned this practice in many major cities. But people in small towns and rural areas

still hold to this traditional celebration. Right as the clock strike 12 o'clock midnight of New Year's Eve,

cities and towns are lit up with the glitter from fireworks, and the sound can be deafening. Families

stay up for this joyful moment and kids with firecrackers in one hand and a lighter in another

cheerfully light their happiness in this especial occasion, even though they plug their ears.

New Year Greetings(Bai Nian)

On the first day of the New Year or shortly thereafter, everybody wears new clothes and greets

relatives and friends with bows and Gongxi (congratulations), wishing each other good luck, happiness

during the new year. In Chinese villages, some villagers may have hundreds of relatives so they have

to spend more than two weeks visiting their relatives.

On the first day of the new year, it‟s customary for the younger generations to visit the elders, wishing

them healthy and longevity.

Because visiting relatives and friends takes a lot of time, now, some busy people will send New Year

cards to express their good wishes rather than pay a visit personally.

Lucky Money

It is the money given to kids from their parents and grandparents as New Year gift. The money is

believed to bring good luck, ward off monsters; hence the name "lucky money". Parents and

grandparents first put money in small, especially-made red envelopes and give the red envelopes to

their kids after the New Year's Feast or when they come to visit them on the New Year. They choose

to put the money in red envelopes because Chinese people think red is a lucky color. They want to

give their children both lucky money and lucky color.

TOPSpring Festival Taboos

There are traditionally many taboos associated with the New Year Festival, but in recent years some of

them have been discarded, especially among urban populations in larger cities. Examples of typical

New Year taboos are the following: on the first day of the new year, a woman may not leave her

house, otherwise she will be plagued with bad luck for the entirety of the coming year; a married

daughter is not allowed to pay a visit to the house of her parents as a visit from a married daughter

on this day is believed to bring bad luck to the parents, causing economic hardship for the family; the

act of sweeping on this day is associated with sweeping wealth away, therefore Chinese people do not

sweep their house on this day.

During the New Year Festival season (from the 1st to 15th of the Lunar New Year) the following

taboos apply: the cry of a child is believed to bring bad luck to the family, so parents do their best to

keep children from crying by whatever means possible; the act of breaking tools or other equipment

during this period is associated with a loss of wealth for the coming year, therefore tradesmen and

business people in general take great precaution to avoid damaging their tools and equipment; a visit

to the hospital during this period is believed to bring illness to the person in question for the duration

of coming year, therefore visits to the hospital are avoided except in cases of extreme emergency.

TOPSpring Festival Food

Chinese New Year Foods are very important to Chinese people. All family members come together to

eat at this time. Chinese New Year foods are not only delicious but it is traditional to eat certain foods

over this festival. Chinese Dumplings, Fish, Spring Rolls, Nian Gao are usually seen as delicious and

eaten at this time.

Chinese Dumplings: Chinese Dumplings look like silver ingots. Legend has it that the more

dumplings you eat during New Year celebration, more money you can make in the New Year. Almost

all Chinese people can make dumplings, first mix the dough, second make the dough into wrappers by

a rolling pin, third fill the wrappers with pork, beef, vegetable, fish or anything else can be used as

stuffing.

Fish: In Chinese, Fish sounds like "save more". Chinese People always like save more money at the

end of year because they think if they save more, they can make more in the next year.

Spring Roll: People like Spring Roll because they are nutritious and delicious. Spring Rolls contain

pork and vegetable. They can be easily taken on picnics. They get their name because they are

traditionally eaten during Chinese New Year Celebration.

Nian Gao: In Chinese, Nian Gao sounds like "getting higher year by year". In Chinese people's mind,

the higher you are, the more prosperous your business is. Main ingredients of Nian Gao are sticky rice,

sugar, Chestnuts, Chinese date and lotus leaves.

TOPSpring Festival Greetings

TOPSpring Festival Travel Tips

Traveling China during the Spring Festival time has both advantages and disadvantages. It is wise to

weight up if the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

The main advantages are:

1. Most of the Chinese will be at home with their families and there will be less people at tourist

attractions.

2. It is a great opportunity to observe the local customs locals.

3. You will be able to see authentic celebrations such as fireworks Dragon Dancing, Lion Dancing,

NiuYangge (traditional dance in northern China) and other interesting celebrations.

Disadvantages:

1. Public transportation is very crowded

2. Northern China is extremly cold and most of China is cold.

Some tips on traveling China during Spring Festival

1. Trains will be crowded during the period of Spring Festival, so try to avoid travelling by rail if at all

possible.

2.Arrange your itinerary beforehand, and make reservations forFlightsandHotelsin advance.

3.Collect as much information on Chinese New Year celebrations in the city you are going to stay, such

as firework shows, temple fairs and other celebrative activities for the locals.

4. Learn enough about cultures of Chinese New Year, and get familiar about what Chinese locals will

do during the festival.

5.Chinese New Year usually comes on the coldest days of the year in China, so tourists are advised to

bring enough warm clothes.

6.Chinese people prepare a lot of luxurious and delicious food during Spring Festival, what they eat is

rich in calorie, and people may get sick by having too much Chinese New Year food. It‟d better to

prepare some medicines in advance, and try to have a good control of the temptation of the

delicacies.

Who are hungry ghost?

It is important to understand the reason why there is a

festival for the hungry ghost. It is believed that when the

Gates of Hell are opened, all ghosts or spirit are given the

opportunity for a one month vacation to return to Earth.

In this hungry ghost festival, it is solely for the wandering

spirits or "hoe heah ti" or good brothers.

The spirit that has no home to return. Of course without a

doubt, the ancestors spirit knows their way around. They will return to their descendants homes and hereby the food feast

will be laid for their

consumption.

Hungry Ghost Festival in

Well, according to my late

father, (my father has lots of

tales to tell me), looking after ones parent or ancestor is our

duty.

So I dutifully return home to Sungai Bakap to help my aunts

and uncles in their preparation to pray during the hungry

ghost festival.

According to my aunt Ah Nur Kor Kor, feast for ancestors

during the hungry ghost month is usually a "quiet do".

But it is a very different story for the hungry or wandering

spirit or most called ghost.

In the case of ghost where no one offers food, they turn

hungry. The hungry ghost feast and festival is usually or

collectively prepared by the community business man. It will be held in the market place or association hall.

See how much food were prepared for the Hungry Ghost

Feast by Sungai Bakap Kee Kongsi (Clan House) in August

this year.

If you are want to see this Chinese Halloween during the

seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar, best place is in

most Chinatown wet markets in Malaysian and Singapore

towns.

Big huge effigy of Phor Thor Kong or King of Hell sitting

majestically at the main table. From morning till late night,

food offering were placed for the BIG KING. For the hungry

ghost, they get their share after the King of Hell is fed. Same time, he ensured the hungry ghost won't misbehaved during

the time they are on earth.

Pulau Tikus Market, Penang

Long ago Strange tales

I remembered when we were young, we were warned not

to place anything other then

food on the King of Hell's

table. I was told he ate a

baby who was accidentally

placed by the mother on the

table. When the mother

returned to fetch the baby, he

had turned black or blue.

It was so scary that we would

not dared to go near the

table. The mum pleaded and

cried for the child to be return

and apologized for being

rude, that is placing the child

on the table as her hands

were full. The spirit medium

translated as the King of Hell thought that it was a food

offering for him.

Beside Food offerings, one could enjoy the Chinese Opera

and food stalls for us humans. On the last day of the month,

modern day live concert with pretty young girls wearing

trendy attire are the highlights for the humans. Karaoke too

can be heard and funny Mandarin or Hokkien pantomime is

played to the delights of the older generations.

Chinese operas for the King of Hades and live concert to

appease the two worlds, the wandering ghosts and earthy

beings. The festivals usually conclude with the burning of Hell

Hungry Ghost Feast on the

15th day of Chinese Lunar

seventh month in Sungai

Bakap Kee Kongsi, not far

from Penang

paper money, hell paper clothes for their use in the

underworld.

Local beliefs of Hungry Ghost Feast

Two main reason why Chinese

performs this rituals. The fear that the revengeful spirit may

come back to take revenge.

Some even think that the

ghosts would seek revenge on

those who had wronged them

in their lives.

They also felt that, the

unseen is a reality and that business prosper because

ancestors spirit does their part in helping the descendant to

own a successful business.

So what the locals do is that, they would first offer food to

their ancestors as they hoped ancestors being the first to be

offered food won't be hungry ghost.

As ancestor spirit are being taken care by their descendants,

they are not called hungry ghost. Most Chinese descendants

does take care of their ancestors by inaugurating name

tablets in their homes or associations.

Nephew Isaac Kee burning

the Hell banknotes and

clothes during Hungry Ghost

Festivals

See how we did care for our

Kee ancestors. They also feel

that offering food to the

ancestors spirit appeases

them and wards off bad luck.

And because descendants are filial and respectful, blessings

will be bestowed upon them.

Just as Halloween is for

Americans, the „Hungry Ghost

festival„ is for the Chinese. For those who have never heard

of this festival, here are the essential „spooky„ facts on this

festival.

Some local Penang Hungry Ghost Superstitions

No late night are tolerated during the seventh month. Most

mums or grandmother nag for all to be home before midnight. We were even discouraged to go for picnic or

swimming. And during the seventh month, if any death is

reported it will be pointed out that, it is due to disobedience.

Usually in the hungry ghost month, no one will get married.

Origin of Hungry Ghost Festival

I remembered my father telling us the stories about "Bok Lean Kwee Boo" or Mu Lian saves his mother. This tale has

been told over and over again when I was young. The moral

as always is be filial and respectful of one's parents. In this

story Bok Lean or Mu Lian goes all out to save his mother.

I smiled as I write this, as I recall how youngster are easily

taken in by their elders in those days. Simple things pleases

us, life was then simple in the fifties for my parents

Chinese Opera during Hungry

Ghost Festival in Penang

Qingming Festival

Qingming Festival Photo

Date: April 5, 2011

Qingming, meaning clear and bright, is one of the 24 solar terms in

China. The 24 solar terms represent the climate changes in a year.

Peasants arrange their farming activities accordingly. Qingming

usually occurs in early April of each year.

Qingming Festival (Tomb Sweeping Day) is an annual tradition when

people go to their ancestral gravesites to honor their departed loved

ones. Celebrated by Han and other nationalities, it is called Saomu

(to sweep the grave).

According to custom, people bring wine, food, fruits and zhiqian

(paper made to resemble money and burned as an offering to the

dead) to the sites. The food, fruits and wine are placed before the

graves and then zhiqian is burned. The gravesites are cleaned and

new soil and plants are added. The food is then eaten at the

conclusion of this event.

Qingming Festival is also a good time to celebrate the arrival of

spring when everything is green and new. It brings people outdoors

to enjoy sports and the nice weather.

Dragon Boat Festival

Qufu Confucius Culture Festival Photo

Date: June 6, 2011

Dragon Boat Festival, with a history of over 2000 years, takes place

annually on May 5th. Since China is a vast country with many

nationalities and customs, the tradition may differ from region to

region. In general though, the main activities held on Dragon Boat

Festival are as follows: daughters return to their homes, the whole

family then participate in many activities such as: hanging the

portrait of Zhongkui (a man who is good at catching ghosts),

welcoming the “ghost boat”, hanging up calamus (also known as

Sweet Flag) and Chinese mugworts, dragon boat racing, watching or

competing in martial arts, drinking calamus wine, eating wudu pies,

salted eggs, zongzi (pyramid-shaped mass of glutinous rice wrapped

in leaves) and fresh vegetables. Some of the activities have been

exported and adopted by other countries. For example, dragon boat

racing has achieved international following.

Customs of Dragon Boat Festival

Dragon Boat Racing

Dragon boat racing is the main activity of the Festival. One legend

has it that in ancient times, a famous minister named Qu Yuan

committed suicide by jumping into the Miluo River. People jumped

in their boats and rowed towards him. They tried to reach and

rescue him, but when they arrived at Dongting Lake, they could not

find his body. This is said to be the origin of Dragon Boat racing.

The tradition of Dragon Boat racing continues to the present day. It is very popular in areas near rivers, lakes or seas.

Eating zongzi

Zongzi is a pyramid-shaped mass of glutinous rice wrapped in

leaves. The center of each Zongzi can be filled with jujube, ham,

sweet bean paste, pork and salted egg yolk. Eating zongzi on

Dragon Boat Festival is a tradition in China. Jiaxing of Zhejiang

Province is famous for their zongzi.

Nowadays, every Chinese family makes zongzi for the annual

Dragon boat Festival. Zongzi is not only popular in China, but also in

Korea, Japan and other Southeast Asian countries.

Hanging calamus and Chinese mugwort

Hanging calamus and Chinese mugwort is an important activity on

Dragon Boat Festival. Even today, Chinese families do this to

celebrate Dragon Boat Festival.

Customes of Middle-Autumn Festival

General Customs

Gazing at the Moon

Appreciating the moon has been a

custom since the Tang Dynasty (618–907). Not only the rich

merchants and officials, but also the common citizens, liked

appreciating the moon together at that time. The rich merchants

and officials held big parties in their big courts. They drank and

appreciated the bright moon. Music and dances were also

indispensable. The common citizens just prayed to the moon for a

good harvest.

Nowadays, people still like appreciating the moon on Mid-Autumn

Festival in China. Chinese family members have dinner together in

the evening of Mid-Autumn Festival. After the dinner, they may talk

about their work, the children, and their future plans. Sometimes,

people go to a park to see the decorations made for the festival.

Eating Moon Cakes

At the end of Yuan Dynasty (1271–

1368, a dynasty ruled by the Mongols), the Han people‟s army

wanted to overthrow the rule of the Mongols, so they planed an

uprising, but they had no way to inform every Han who wanted to

join them of the time of the uprising without being discovered by

the Mongols. One day, the military counselor of the Han people‟s

army, Liu Bowen, thought out a stratagem related to mooncakes.

Liu Bowen asked his soldiers to spread the rumor that there would

be a serious disease in winter and eating mooncakes was the only

way to cure the disease, then he asked soldiers to write "uprising,

at the night of Mid-Autumn Festival" on papers and put them into

mooncakes then sell them to common Han people. When the night

of the Mid-Autumn Festival came a huge uprising broke out. From

then on, people eat mooncakes every Mid-Autumn Festival to

commemorate the uprising.

Nowadays, people also like appreciating the moon on Autumn Moon

Festival. Family members have dinner together on the evening of

the festival.

Making Chinese Mid-Autumn Lanterns

Mid-Autumn lanterns are not as

colorful as those of the Lantern Festival. There is no big lantern

party during Mid-Autumn Festival, but children like making colorful

lanterns very much. They make lanterns of different shapes and let

them float on the rivers. They don‟t leave the riverside until the

light of the lanterns disappears. Sometimes, they make Kongming

(Hung Ming) lanterns, which can fly because the burning candles

heat the air in the lantern. The lantern rises with the heated air.

Regional Customs

Customs of Middle-Autumn Festival in Old Beijing

Most of these customs have been forsaken with the modernization

of the city. Today, they are still remembered by those who strive to

keep their centuries-old tradition.

Worshiping the Moon

In old days, a platform for moon worshipping was set up in each

house when the Mid-Autumn Festival approached. The offerings on

the platform were mainly mooncakes and sometimes fruits were

added. Fruits were meticulously arranged according to tradition.

Peaches and pomegranates were traditionally put together, which

symbolized big families; chestnuts and persimmons were arranged

together, symbolizing prosperity; and longans were sprinkled,

meaning family unity. For families with members far away from

home, a bowl of lotus roots was laid, which expressed that the

people away were missed.

Watching the Moon

Watching the moon was very popular in Beijing. There are two

methods of moon-gazing: watching the moon directly and watching

the reflection of the moon in water. Other entertainments

accompanying watching the moon included writing prose, painting

the moon and guessing riddles written on lanterns.

Watching Flowers

A "flower mountain" made up of pots of various flowers was set up

on the window sill of each house when the Mid-Autumn Festival was

near. On the night of the festival, the family would gather and

watch the flowers.

Playing with Rabbit Figurines

A rabbit figurine is a popular Mid-Autumn Festival toy in old Beijing.

The figurine is an artistic image of a personified or even deified

rabbit based on the legendary jade rabbit on the moon. The

figurines are made of clay and come in various shapes, but all are

white-faced, wearing golden helmets and armors, with flags or

canopies on the back. They ride such animals as lions, tigers, deer

and elephants.

Rabbit figurines began to appear in markets from early in the eighth

Chinese month (somewhere in the period late August to late

September).They were the most popular items in the month of the

Mid-Autumn Festival.

Nowadays, rabbit figurines have been gradually forgotten. The only

places where they are likely to be seen are folk culture museums

and art shops.

Customs of Mid-Autumn Festival in Guangzhou

Hanging lanterns

Hanging lanterns

Each family makes lanterns with bamboo strips as the Mid-Autumn

Festival approaches. The lanterns are made into various shapes,

with representations of animals, fruit and insects. Candles are lit

inside the lanterns at night and smaller lanterns are stringed to the

main lantern. The strings of lanterns are then tied to a bamboo

pole, which is fixed in front of the door or hung in trees. This

practice is believed to bring good luck to the family. The height of

the lanterns is said to determine the level of luck the family will

enjoy: the higher the lanterns, the luckier the family will be.

Eating river snails

River snails are traditionally an indispensable food of a Mid-Autumn

Festival dinner for people in Guangzhou. River snails are usually

cooked with medicinal herbs to dispel the unpleasant smell of the

snails. Eating river snails during the Mid-Autumn Festival is believed

to help brighten the eyes.

Worshipping the moon

In the areas of Chaozhou and Shantou in Guangdong Province,

women and children worship the moon on Mid-Autumn Festival

nights. As the night falls, they burn joss sticks in front of a table

with offerings of fresh fruits on . Good wishes are whispered to the

moon when worshipping in hope that the moon would bring them

good luck.

Bathing in the moonlight

In old days, women in Dongguan believed that the moon was a

matchmaker. Families with young men or women who had not

found their beloved would burn incense under the moon and beg

the moon to bring them their love. Tradition has it that women

might become pregnant if they quietly bathed in the moonlight on

the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival. In some areas, on the moonlit

night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, some women, who were married

for a long time but were infertile, went out of their houses and

bathed in the moonlight all the while wishing to have lovely babies.

People called this "moon bathing"