happy chinese new year! :)
happy chinese new year! :)
well, happy lunar new year! :)
these incredible images come from china daily's coverage of global lunar new year celebrations.
the san francisco chronicle also has some amazing images in their story on international lunar new year celebrations.
in mainland china, millions of people head home by bus, train, or plane to be with their families for the new year.
what do families do for new year?
familyculture.com has a list of do's and don'ts:
- Do give two lee see’s (money envelopes) to each child. Because happiness comes in two’s, do not just give one. This passes on good luck to the next generation. Business owners should also give lee see’s to employees and associates.
- Do wear brand new clothes -- preferably in red. Children should wear new clothes and new shoes.
- Don’t wash your hair.
- Don’t sweep the floor.
- Don’t greet people who are in mourning.
- Don’t say the number ‘four’ (Chinese homonym for death) or mention death.
- Don’t borrow or lend money.
- Don’t drop your chopsticks.
the china law blog says you should not say "Gung Hay Fat Choy!" here's why:
"Gung Hey Fat Choy" is Hong Kong Chinese, not Mandarin. So, for the vast majority of Chinese who understand the message, this message could be seen as a brutal and nasty insult, not a positive message. It is a reminder of a former imperialist world where China was ruled from Hong Kong. In fact, to tell you the truth, most modern Chinese would not even know what "Gong Hey Fat Choy" means. They would just treat it as a series of meaningless symbols, insulting in its own way. "Gung Hey Fat Choy" is Cantonese for "gong xi fa cai." NO ONE in modern China says "Gung Hey Fat Choy." The phrase is purely from the old era, which was destroyed by the new regime."
we'll have to ask ms. tseng about the accuracy of that statement...
in the meantime, if you want to wish someone a happy chinese new year in mandarin, say it the way ms. tseng taught me how to last year:
"XIN NIAN KUAI LE!" :)
want to read more about chinese new year? check out chinaculture.org or chinapage.com.
want to read more about china? check out china daily (china's main english-language newspaper) or baidu (china's main search engine).
happy chinese new year! xin nian kuai le! :)
