Chinese New Year Traditions and Activities: A Comprehensive Overview

Chinese New Year Traditions and Activities

New Year's Eve (Feb. 09, 2024)

- Decorations: Homes adorned with vibrant red lanterns, spring couplets, paper cuttings, and New Year paintings to ward off evil spirits and invite blessings.

- Ancestral Worship: A solemn practice of offering sacrifices to ancestors, symbolizing reverence and seeking blessings for the family's prosperity and well-being.

- Reunion Dinner: A cherished gathering where families come together to enjoy a lavish feast featuring symbolic dishes such as fish for abundance, dumplings for wealth, and Nian Gao for growth.

- New Year Gala: Many families tune in to watch the televised New Year Gala, though some find it outdated.

- Red Envelopes: Parents give red envelopes filled with "lucky money" to children as a gesture of good fortune and blessings.

- Staying Up Late: A tradition of staying awake until midnight, known as "shousui," to usher in the New Year while warding off evil spirits.

New Year's Day (Feb. 10, 2024):

- Firecrackers and Fireworks: Setting off loud firecrackers and fireworks to scare away the mythical Nian monster and ensure a prosperous year ahead.

- New Clothes and Greetings: People dress in new clothes, often in red, and exchange greetings like "gongxi" to signify good wishes for the New Year.

- Lion and Dragon Dances: Colorful performances symbolizing luck, prosperity, and the warding off of evil spirits.

- Public Celebrations: Parks and temple fairs host lively festivities, including cultural performances, games, and food stalls.

Days 2-7 (Feb. 11-16, 2024):

- Visiting Relatives: A time for families to visit relatives and friends, exchange gifts, and extend New Year greetings.

- Avoid Cleaning: Traditional belief discourages cleaning during the first days to avoid sweeping away good luck.

Day 8 (Feb. 17, 2024):

- **Return to Work:** Businesses reopen on the auspicious eighth day, symbolizing the start of productivity and prosperity.

Day 15 (Feb. 24, 2024) - Lantern Festival:

- Lantern Displays: Marking the end of the New Year celebrations with dazzling lantern displays and releasing lanterns into the sky or water.

New Year Foods / Decorations and Gifts

Popular Foods:

- Fish: Signifying abundance and prosperity, often served whole to represent completeness and togetherness.

- Dumplings: Symbolizing wealth and good fortune, with their shape resembling ancient Chinese currency.

- Spring Rolls: Representing wealth and a fresh start, often filled with auspicious ingredients like vegetables and seafood.

- Sweet Rice Balls: Traditional dessert symbolizing family togetherness and harmony.

- Longevity Noodles: Served uncut to symbolize longevity and good fortune.

Popular Decorations:

- Red Lanterns: Hung to ward off evil spirits and attract good luck and prosperity.

- Door Couplets: Placed on doorways with auspicious phrases to convey blessings and good wishes.

- Paper Cuttings: Intricate designs symbolizing happiness, wealth, and prosperity, often featuring auspicious symbols like the Chinese character for "fu" (福) meaning "fortune" or "good luck."

- New Year Paintings: Colorful artworks depicting scenes of prosperity, happiness, and good fortune.

Meanings of Fruits and Flowers:

- Kumquat Trees: Symbolizing wealth and good luck, with their golden fruits resembling gold coins.

- Pomelos: Representing abundance and family unity, often exchanged as gifts.

- Plum Blossoms: Signifying endurance and courage, associated with the overcoming of adversity and resilience.

- Orchids: Symbolizing fertility, elegance, and refinement, often displayed to bring good fortune and blessings.

Popular Gifts:

- Tea: Considered a thoughtful and practical gift symbolizing respect and good wishes.

- Fruits: Particularly auspicious when gifted in even numbers, symbolizing abundance and prosperity.

-  Red Envelopes: A traditional and auspicious gift, especially for children, containing money to symbolize good luck and blessings.

- What to Avoid: Items associated with funerals, sharp objects, unlucky numbers, or negative connotations.

Read More

[Recipe] Making Chinese Dim Sum Dish - Turnip Cake

Chinese Radish Turnip Cake, known as ''Lo Bo Gao'' or "Lo Bak Go" in Cantonese, is a popular Chinese dish often enjoyed during the Lunar New Year and other festive occasions. This savory cake features shredded radish (daikon) or turnip combined with a flavorful batter made from rice flour. The cake is steamed until firm and can be enjoyed in various ways, such as pan-frying for a crispy exterior. In Taiwan it's also served as part of breakfast.

Ingredients:

600g turnip

70g minced meat

30g Chinese mushrooms

Flour Mix:

1.5 teaspoons salt

30g sugar

240ml water

150g turnip cake powder (120g rice flour, 25g wheat starch)

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1. Soak the dried mushrooms until fully hydrated.

2. Peel and shred the turnip, setting it aside for later.

3. Once hydrated, drain the mushrooms (retain the soaking water) and chop them into smaller pieces.

4. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients in the flour mix to form a batter.

5. Add the batter to the turnip mixture and thoroughly combine.

6. Fry pork mince and mushrooms until fragrant. Set aside.

7. Fry the grated turnip until translucent.

8. Add the pork and mushrooms back in, stirring everything together.

9. Pour in the flour mix and cook for a few minutes to condense.

10. Brush some oil on the surface of the container you will use for steaming.

11. Spoon the turnip mix into the container, leveling the top.

12. Cover with aluminum foil.

13. Steam the turnip mixture over medium heat for about an hour.

14. Allow it to cool down and refrigerate for a few hours to let it firm up.

15. Cut the turnip cake into slices.

16. Pan-fry both sides until golden brown.

Read More

The Arrival of Orange-Colored Bald Cypress Trees - Yunlin Travel

Travel Date: 2024/01/06

We returned to Yunlin, and since it's the cooler season, it's the best time to see bald cypress trees. Although we've visited here many times before, we still stopped by because the weather was great that day. It was 26 degrees Celsius in Yunlin, much warmer than in Miaoli, so we sought refuge from the cold weather here. Since starting our YouTube channel, we also search for opportunities to record videos. Having been to Douliou before, we stopped by here to capture one more video.

I believe my YouTube channel isn't that bad, considering it's growing in subscribers. The only struggle is that it's half travel and half food recipe related, so not everyone may want to subscribe, unsure of when to expect each type of video. Making food is probably a lot easier since I cook every day, providing more opportunities to record something. However, when it comes to travel-related content, we only have weekends, and not every weekend will be spent exploring, making it a bit challenging.

In Huwei, there's a must-visit spot called Qingpu Bald Pines Secret Land, located near the Huwei sugar factory. Despite its small size, this area is a popular destination, attracting individual visitors and tour buses alike. Fortunately, we were blessed with fantastic weather, enhancing the beauty of the changing foliage.

We also explored another spot, only to discover that it now charges a 100NT entrance fee. While the location is undoubtedly gorgeous, I feel that the fee might be a bit steep solely for admiring trees and capturing pictures, especially when there are numerous free spots around Huwei featuring bald cypress trees. Nevertheless, the garden attracted many visitors despite the fee.

Welcome to also check out my video:

Read More

Yunlin Travel: Taiping Old Street decorated with 16,000 lanterns! - Japanese remnants in Douliou

Travel Date: 2024.01.06

Our first journey of the year led us back to Yunlin, where we explored Douliou. As the Lunar New Year draws near, the captivating glow of lanterns illuminates Douliu City, painting a vibrant tapestry of colors and warmth across this charming old street in Taiwan.

Douliou holds a special place in our travels, and today, we revisited familiar spots such as Douliou Old Street (Taiping Old Street), Japanese Dormitories, and other historical landmarks in the town. It's a delightful way to welcome the Lunar New Year amid the rich history and enchanting atmosphere of Douliou.

Taiping Old Street (太平老街)

In recent years, the Douliu Municipal Office of Yunlin County has hung up lanterns painted by school students on Taiping Old Street at the end of each year to create a lantern corridor, which has been well received. This year, the Municipal Office cooperated with 18 elementary and middle schools in Douliu City to create a lantern gallery in Taiping Old Street in Douliu City. There are 16,000 lanterns hanging on the street and Zhonghua Road!

The Douliu City Office held a lantern-turning ceremony at 6:30 pm on December 23, 2023. The exhibition will last until March 31, 2024.

This year, the festivities extend to the enchanting Taiping Old Street, where a few thousands lanterns grace the thoroughfare.

Taiping Old Street, with its remarkable 600-meter stretch from Douliu Circle to Douliu Post Office, is a living testament to Taiwan's rich history. Dating back to the Japanese era, the street's buildings showcase an architectural elegance rooted in the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa periods. The Baroque-style structures, adorned with intricate carvings of dragons and phoenixes, carry the legacies of their residents etched in stone.

To safeguard these century-old monuments from the ravages of time, the Cultural Development Association and the city office joined hands for a historic street reconstruction plan. This visionary initiative involved unifying shop signs, enhancing leisure facilities, introducing greenery and ambient street lighting, and overall beautification efforts. The unique floor tiles, a testament to meticulous planning, transform Taiping Old Street into an open-air haven, seamlessly blending commerce, tourism, and recreation in Yunlin County. 

Yunzhong Street Cultural and Creative Settlement (雲中街生活聚落)

The Yunzhong Street Cultural and Creative Settlement spans both sides of Yunzhong Street in Douliu City. The wooden houses in this area emanate a distinct Japanese nostalgic charm. Once neglected and abandoned, these old houses have undergone a thorough renovation by the county government, transforming into cultural and creative parks with unique characteristics that promote the local cultural and creative industries.

Within the park, you'll find various cultural and creative theme halls. For example, 'The Handmade Forest' showcases adorable potted plants, while the 'Future Classroom-Robot Workshop' offers children hands-on DIY robot experiences. Another highlight is the 'Vinyl Music Story Hall,' curated by retired professor Zhang Guangxun. With a collection of over 8,000 vinyl records amassed over 30 years, Professor Zhang invites visitors to listen to old songs and enjoy a cup of tea, creating a delightful journey through time.

Douliou Memorial Hall (古蹟 斗六行啟記念館)

Douliou Memorial Hall, also known as Douliu Xingqi Memorial Hall, was constructed around 1927 to commemorate Prince Yuren's visit to Taiwan in 1923. Originally named 'Douliu Memorial Mansion,' it functioned as a public meeting space, funded by a combination of local and official sources. Throughout its history, the building served various purposes, housing entities such as the water company, the Chiayi Supervision Office of the Highway Bureau, the Yunlin County Office of Industry and Commerce, the Military Public Education and Welfare Center, and the Central District Office of the State Property Bureau.

In 1999, the devastating 921 earthquake caused severe damage, leading to the classification of the building as dangerous. Recognizing its historical significance, it was registered as a historic building in 2001. Subsequent restoration work took place from 2005 to 2006, culminating in the renaming of the hall to 'Dou Liu XingQi Memorial Hall' in 2006.

Address:

1. Taiping Old Street: 640雲林縣斗六市太平路123號太平老街
2. Japanese Dormitories: 640雲林縣斗六市雲林路一段75巷7號警察宿舍
3. Memorial Hall: 640雲林縣斗六市府前街101號古蹟 斗六行啟記念館

Read More